RP Team

Hi!

Our Bronze Medalist, World Under 16 Team arrived today via the Subic Airport. Congratulations to all of you!

Wesley, congratulations for the gold medal performance! To Haridas, Franz and Karl, congratulations to all of you too!

On to Mr. Benitez' The Weekender:

Wesley best player,RP 3rd in Singapore

FILIPINO whiz kid Wesley So has topped the field in the Under-16 Olympiad held in Singapore and powered the Philippines to third place, after India, which the team had defeated in the seventh round, and Hungary, which defeated the team in the fourth.

India won first place with 28 points, Hundary second with 27.5 and the Philippines third with 25.5.

The 13-year-old international master from Bacoor, Cavite, ranked No. 4 in the country, scored 9.5 from 10 rounds with a phenomenal performance rating of 2736, 220 points above his current 2516.

Wesley’s main support came from board three player Haridas Pascua, 13-year-old gold medalist from Pangasinan in the recent Asean Age Group Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.

Haridas ranked No. 5 with 7.5 points while board two player Karl Viktor Ochoa ranked No. 45 with 5.5 Board four player Franz Grafil, however, failed to make it to the top 100 as he only had 3.0 points from one win, four draws and five losses.

Although IM So had collected 9.5 points from nine wins and one draw in 10 games, reader John Manahan believes that Smay not earn points in the calculation of his next rating.

Manahan said So needed a perfect 10 out of 10 to add a few crucial points to his present rating of 2516.

He suggested that Wesley be allowed to rest after his Singapore stint so that he would be ready for the Dato Arthur Tan Open in Kuala Lumpur later this month.

Manahan pointed out that Wesley, who he said was over-qualified for the youth event, should concentrate on his campaign for the grandmaster’s title.

Wesley’s phenomenal showing enabled the Philippines, which had been seeded only No. 22 at the start,, to rise steadily despite the fact that the team had only four players.

The Philippines entered the 10th and final round with a good chance to beat India and Hungary to the plum.

India, however, won over Singapore’s top team, 3-1, and Hungary outclassed Indonesia, 3-1, while the Philippines scored 2.5-1.5 over Turkey. Wesley and Haridas won on boards one and three, Ochoa lost on board two and Grafil drew his final game.

With the boys were Red Dumuk, a director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, as delegation head and coach.

William So, father of Wesley, went with the group in an unofficial capacity and at his own expense to guide his son and give him support.

From the start, the Philippines flexed its muscles to show it was one of the top contenders by beating Switzerland, England and Sri Lanka, but faltered against Hungary in the fourth, 1.5-2.5.

So, playing White, scored the only win—against Hungary’s top board player, FM Tamas Fodor Jr., mating him on the 39th turn of a French duel for good measure.

• Wesley So – Tamas Fodor, Jr.
Rd. 4, French, Classical System (C1)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qa5 8.a3 c4 9.Be2 Nb6 10.0–0 Bd7 11.Qd2 Be7 12.b4 cxb3 13.cxb3 Bxa3? Best was 13...Nc8 14.Ra2 Missing his best shot,14.Qd3 Rc8 15.Rfa1 Bb4 16.Rc1 Ba3 17. Bb4 18.Rxa5 Nxa5 19.Rxa5 Bxa5 20.Qa2 Bxc3 21.Qxa7 Na8 22.Qxb7 Ke7 23.f5 Rc7 24.Qa6 Bb4 25.f6+ gxf6 26.exf6+ Kxf6 27.Bf4 Best was 27.Ne5 Rb8 28.Bf4! Rhc8?? Losing the exchange; 27…Ke7 was best 28.Bxc7 28.Ne5 keeps an even firmer grip, says Frutz Nxc7 29.Qd3 Bb5 30.Qe3 Bxe2?? The final and fatal blunder 31.Qg5#! 1-0

There's more to this week's edition but I have to go now...

Opps! Before I forget, announcement from Imus Chess Association's President, Mr. Asi Bagaipo:

Tournament: Cavite Inter Town Chess Team Tournament
When: September 12-14, 2007
Where: SM Damarinas Event Center, Dasmarinas Cavite

Sponsored By:

Dr. Eva Defiesta, Event Head
Youth and Sports Development Division
Province of Cavite

Registration Requirements:

- Certification of Comelec Registration
- Filled our registration form with 2x2 ID picture
- Photocopy of Birth Certificate and Valid ID
- FOUR PLAYERS, 1 alternate and a Coach
- NO FEES TO BE COLLECTED!

If you were to be asked to do the following, would you take them all and leave chess blogging behind?

1. Provide Special Needs Consultancy for three different schools...
2. Hold a 7:30-3:30 Teaching Job and play chess during idle time...
3. Finish my pending Master's Thesis...

Is it worth it the hassle?

Also, my condolences to Mr. Manny Benitez!