Crushed King's Gambit

King's Gambit no more I tell you!

After playing the King's Gambit successfully for almost three months in my lightning games at chess.com, I tried playing against HIARCS tonight with a very disappointing 0-12 in favor of the software. Crushed and frustrated, I think it's time for me to use another opening system in my online games.

Humiliating losses at the hands of the computer is just too much for this mortal. So I say goodbye King's gambit.

Photo diagram courtesy of My Super Terrific Time Chess Blog. 

Arnis: RP's National Sport

Bill Velasco wrote an article today about our very own Arnis just recently in his column The Game of My Life. In there he said that Arnis is now the Philippine's official sport.

In January of this year, Arnis De Caballes blog reported about the REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9850 "An Act declaring Arnis as the National Martial Art and Sport of the Philippines".


Here is the executive summary I found at Filipiniana.net:

"EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Republic Act No. 9850, approved on 11 December 2009, defines the indigenous Filipino martial art of Arnis and declares it as the "Philippine National Martial Art and Sport." The Act then orders the Department of Education, the National Commission for Culture and and the Arts, and the Philippine Sports Commission to promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to carry out its provisions."

 

The Law mandates the promotion of the sport and this one will have to start at the grassroots. It will be offered as part of the physical education classes in the grade school and secondary level. In the tertiary level, Arnis has long been part of the physical education curriculum.

This is a  very good move for all of us Filipinos! We will have our very own sport that we have easy access to and easily identify with. When I think of Arnis, images of native sticks and very lean and muscular body type of a man holding them.

Maybe the best start the people behind the movement of this sport is to establish the official name of the sport. Some of the names are:  arnis, kali, escrima, baston and yantok.

IPEAC has a good write up about the sport's history plus some more! Visit IPEAC-Arnis. Wikipedia has one good entry with Eskrima and lastly, to find out about Arnis Philippines activities click here.

To stick or not to stick, that is the question my friend!

Russian Chess Takeover

With the FIDE election heating up between the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and challenger Anatoly Karpov, Julia Ioffe adds fuel to the fire when she posted her report at True/Slant Kremlin seizes Russian Chess Federation offices.

FIDE reports nothing of this but Chessbase does:

Last week the RCF nominated Anatoly Karpov as their candidate for the Presidency of FIDE. This was verbally contested by the supporters of incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Today black suited men from the private security firm “Peper” arrived at the Federation’s offices, kicked out the regular security guards and sealed off some rooms in the building. Report in True/Slant + Karpov's reaction.

Men in black taking over the offices, forcing the security men out and sealing off rooms sounds like an alien-like invasion right? Now I won't be surprised since Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had this alien abduction experience we all read some days ago.  

Now will we see in the next few days?

Koala Bear and the 2010 RP Elections

We've seen it all happen in the last 500 years of the history of the Philippine archipelago. From the take over of the Americans from the Spaniards and the Japanese playing a mock war with the Americans, our country have suffered from all of these.

We have seen how Iron Man Ferdinand E. Marcos turned the Philippines into a global player and be ousted by Filipinos on account of corruption and misinformation. The "Yellow Yuppies" had enough and so they were moved by the Cojuanco's wanting to get their business back into their hands. We have seen Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada win landslide in the 1998 Presidential election backed up by the Filipino masa. We saw him getting out of the Malacanang Palace because of the Impeachment case gone wrong against him.

Came the VP Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president after Erap then winning in 2004 with the "Hello Garci" scandal hovering over her administration.

We now move into the present time where Noynoy is about to sit as the next president of the Republic of the Philippines. There wasn't any "Hello Garci" expose but we now have an animalistic approach in the name of the Koala Bear whistle blower:



Is there truth behind his expose?

Earthquake in Peru 2010

Earthquake chronicles of our blog got one again and it's happening on a monthly basis. If you click on my blog label "earthquakes" you'll find out that earthquakes all around the world is happening on a monthly basis and it strikes anywhere.

USGS Peru Earthquake and Chicago Sun Times provide us some details of the quake. No deaths and damages have been reported and that's great news!

Below is a video that's a source of speculation among the conspiracy theorists:



Well I need to go now, my fever is shooting up and my headache is just too much!

The Early Years: Anand vs Topalov Matches

Here is another compilation I did, the matches between Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov. My database showed they fought over the board starting at Las Palmas in 1993 and Dortmund SuperGM in 2001. We have their games below from 1993 to 1997. Enjoy watching and learning:

World Chess Championship 2010 Part 2

This is the second part of our post about the World Chess Championship match between Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov. As we all know, Indian Vishy Anand retained his crown with a close score of 6.5 - 5.5 with everyone saying Vishy played in the home turf of his opponent and winning in the regular 12 round regulation.

Chessbase has compiled videos, write ups and reader comments from their website and I'm sharing the link: Vishy Anand News Compilation.

I've been wanting to post PGN files from the 5th to the 12th round games of the World Chess Championships and so here is the second set of games:





There goes my compilation of the 12 games from the World Chess Championship. If I find the inspiration and time, I will post the games Anand and Topalov played since 2006. But for now, let us all try to learn from the Catalan and Queen's Gambit games.

See ya!

A Chess a Day

If you are a chess teacher, chess coach, chess player, chess student or just about someone who is interested to start out on chess, I recommend you play as much as you can on a daily basis to improve your game. Follow instructional master games and analyze or annotate your own games. It would be very helpful if you create an account at chess.com, chess cube, FICS and other online chess playing sites if you can't afford to attend any chess club tournaments. It will help also to read on current chess news and there are plenty of sites online that will give you these fresh news. Visit and read articles at The Week In Chess, Chessbase, Chessville, The Closet Grandmaster and other sites worth reading and learning from.

This one site I found a long time ago but never really took time and explore: 365 Chess Lessons!

PDF Chess Books from Scribd

Having laid low with my lightning games at chess.com and concentrated on my impending change in my daily routine starting June 5, I thought of sharing 2 PDF ebooks I carry on my digital library here and at Scribd:

Junior Repertoire

Tactics in Junior Openings

These files are also available at Dr. Dave's Exeter Chess Club and a thousand more chess related stuffs.

Arroyo's Against Aquino's

Days after the election and proclamation of Noynoy Aquino as the next president of the Philippines, our country is watching an epic fight between the outgoing President and it's clan against the incoming president and it's clan.

This started when Noynoy upon sensing that he will be the next president, stated the famous pa-pogi statement ever in his lifetime and that is the re-investigation of the "Hello Garci" Scandal. Not to be outdone,  GMA through her spokesman warned Noynoy of a possible impeachment.

And because the nine years of presidency is not enough for GMA, run and won as the congresswoman of Pampanga. Haven't you had enough or have you a little bit of much that's why you want more?


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Since the 15th Congress will be star studded with the names of Manny Pacquiao, Lucy Torres, Lani Mercado-Revilla, Dan Fernandez, Gina de Venecia,  former president GMA and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Will there be a shall we dance on the floor question, a round by round stats, a mother's tips for the Filipino household and a flooding of tips on how to collect shoes which you don't intend to use. We shall see how GMA will work as the first female House Speaker of the Philippines.

Plain and simple, Arroyo's against the Aquino's is here at least for the next six years of our Filipino lives.

Proof of Election Violence in RP

I did a live coverage of the May 10 election here and it helped that I had my old-school transistor radio (wish!) and TV switched on for news flash even the internet could not get a hand on. With most of the PCOS machines failing and long queue in almost 98% of the precints in the archipelago, it didn't help that there were reports of shooting and vote-buying.

Around 5 in the afternoon most of the COMELEC officials were already declaring the polls to be a success and violence free. Days after, it is evident that everyone agrees with the COMELEC people but the video below says otherwise:




And if you still don't believe what your eyes just saw, watch this video too!


And to prove my point, let me for the last time share another video and this time, it's Russia Today reporting:



What's in public post that we have to kill our fellow Filipinos?

Anand Reigns Once More

Indian reigning world chess champ Vishy Anand retains his title over challenger Bulgarian Veselin Topalov with a score of 6.5 - 5.5. Official homepage here.

Congratulations to Vishy, Veselin and the rest of the chess community all of the world!


Here's a list of songs my friend Coach Renan insists are chess related and therefore should be listened to by the chess fans all over the world:

1. Horse with no name
2. King and Queen of Hearts
3. Castles in the Sand
4. All songs of Stephen Bishop
5. Lady by Kenny Rogers
6. All songs by Queen
7. Temple of the King

Care to add to the list?

Noynoy to Malacanang 2010

With the lead of Noynoy over Erap, there's no stopping him from manning the country's top post and living in the Malacanang Palace for the next six years starting June. The Aquino-Cojuangco is just too much for the other clans to beat, whether in politics, in business and popularity. In the arena where friends and enemies are all temporary, Noynoy is too lucky I guess to have Senator Ninoy Aquino and President Cory as his parents. In business, it helped a lot that he is a Cojuangco. Of course in popularity contests, Noynoy has Kris Aquino doing it for her. From immoral and luxurious lifestyle to her rumor-biz talk shows, Kris is simply a titan no one can really overpower.

With the people deciding that Noynoy is the right man for the job what can we do but watch their clan drive the country towards uncertainty. I did not vote for him but definitely he'll be depending on the tax the government has been taking from me.

Those who voted for him forgot how the Land Reform Program of his mom benefited his family in the late 80's and early 90's. They were probably living under a rock when 200 people died and several injured in the Hacienda Luisita Massacre. They did not take into consideration that Noynoy is just "too raw" for the job. I remember the line I saw on TV "Hindi lahat ng nakadilaw ay bayani!"

I saw Noynoy's hologram on TV and I thought GMA News got one over their rival network ABS CBN. What made me LOL was the fact that Noynoy was calling for a "fair and honest" counting of the ballots for his losing running mate Mar Roxas. He was also saying that he would want to have the investigation of "Hello Garci" Scandal revived. It's "pa-pogi" in a time when he doesn't need one, and it's calling for honesty and fair counting when he's winning. Will be saying these things if he was on second spot?

I am disappointed really that he is winning convincingly because it shows how easily these rich families can flood the minds of the people with their yellow ribbons and Kris' powers. I can imagine the first day of Noynoy in Malacanang, with Kris Aquino, Boy Abunda and the rest of ABS-CBN stars parading from the studios of ABS CBN to Mendiola.

Sad indeed for the silent majority whose only wish in life is to provide for their families a decent living, Sad day for the Philippine Republic!

Philippine Election 2010: Live Coverage

World Chess Championship 2010

After ten games of the world championship match between the reigning world champion Vishy Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov, the score is 5-5 with 2 more games remaining. The world chess community braces for a cardiac finish as our board warriors takes a break after game ten which ended in a draw, lucky for Anand.


Here are the games from the first to the fourth games:

Election 2010 is Here

Within 48 hours our country will have the national elections after nine years. Everyone says it is historic because it will be the first automated election, so the hype is on and paranoia up. Smartmatic proudly tells us on their website that they are "Ready for Success in the Philippines" but the memory card failing big time in the test run some days ago tells us otherwise.  The week that was had everyone in my workplace asks "Election or No Election?"

Let's do a little "boyhood labeling" this time.

Mama's Boy: Noynoy and his jaundice groupies received the Iglesia ni Cristo backing and this dumped my hopes for a better Philippines. I never saw Noynoy as the savior of the Philippines nor Kris Aquino and her scandalous life. This Cojuanco-Aquino clan is one of the Philippines' elite and they control a lot of the country's money. Not to mention the other families with Spanish sounding names.  Noynoy is riding on his parent's name and his sister's popularity, thanks to her immoral activities and luxurious lifestyle. 

Poor Boy: Manny Villar says he is a poor boy who made it well after "sipag at tiyaga" but wait 'till you see his riches here and abroad before you believe any of his multi-million infomercials. Dolphy, Pacquiao and Willie Revillame backs him up and I wonder how much Villar had to pay to get their endorsements. Tondo boy now a rich boy, what will he do if he gets to Malacanang?

AmBoy: Dick Gordon has proven himself to be a man of action. Anything he has touched turns into gold and I really believe he is what our country needs. Now what I need to know is if the other 90 million inhabitants of the Philippines think the same way. From Subic to Red Cross, Gordon has done a great job only critical observers see. Popularity is questionable but I'm voting for him.

TomBoy: Jamby Madrigal's haircut and love for champion greyhounds won't win her the presidency. Without Judy Anne Santos-Agoncillo, she has no chance to win any public post she will run for. I don't even see any reason why she would spend her riches in the campaigns.

Manila Boy: Nicanor Perlas was born in the City of Manila. For whatever reasons he has then let him run for office.

Altar Boy: JC De Los Reyes running under the banner of Kapatiran that has the flavor of spirituality and change. We all know that if he wins the freedom of religion will be safeguarded and this brotherhood be protected. But who knows him? In this country where popularity is the name of the game, he sure is not one of them.

Chick Boy: Joseph Ejercito Estrada at it again. Will his magic work again and will the masses be convinced that the ruling elite won't displace the local hero from showbiz land? We will see.

Nerd Boy: Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro's supporters says he is intelligent and capable. Well and good but does he have the charm to persuade the 90 million voters to pick his name among the ten candidates? When his camp used Rico Blanco's song "Possible" and that Rico did not approve of this, I knew he got his name in a mess. The music underground community is just too sensitive with these issues, what more for the masses who buys pirated DVD's in Quiapo? And it didn't help that he has Edu Manzano as his running vice president.

U.P. Boy:  Eddie Villanueva's second try and this time he is up against JC who is also promoting the spirituality we really need as a nation. Do you think the Manalo-led Iglesia ni Cristo will allow the leader of Jesus is Lord to win over them?

Unknown Boy: Vetallano Acosta is unknown to me until today, do you think he has a chance of winning over JC De Los Reyes and Nicanor Perlas?

May 10, 2010 is right around the corner and our country is still living under the illusion of having a great democratic system that's meant to foster equality, justice and peace. We'll the forces of good triumph over the forces of evil? We will find out!

Days Before Election

Six days before the national elections for my home country the Philippines, already machineries of the politicos are working hard and working well for theirown goals. Six days to go and the COMELEC is hard-pressed to deliver all the PCOS machines .Yesterday I talked to one of the many "volunteers" of Manny Villar in my place and I asked how they are planning to guard the machines for their candidates. I got one answer, "bahala na sila duon basta kami sa election day nakabantay!".

Who will be next after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo? Will the next president be able to surpass GMA's earnings of 149 million pesos in nine years? Will there be another "Hello Garci" scandal? Will there be another Ampatuan's in the making?

From what I've seen so far, the roads are a lot better and the walls are a lot dirtier during the election campaign. Money and more money will change hands and pockets and positions will be at the hands of the rich and filthy.

Six days before the election and I'm deeply looking at the future. Hiring and firing after a year was the theme of the conversation I had with one lady with a surname that starts with L, a name that ends with M with a maiden name that ends with O. Her initials would have to be MPL and I have this feeling that there's more story from her about someone she hired and fired in one academic year.

Laptop stolen, car unreturned and various letters of demand to return stuffs like mobile phones and notebooks in a European country. And there is this story about magnetizing a computer PC when that someone was fired. And there is also this incident when that someone broke his partner's clavicle and was brought to Asian Hospital. Sad story indeed to hear just days before the election and what's so mind blowing about all of this is that he is not running for any public office. 

Days before the election and my mind is clearly studying all the variations of my chess game called life. The nuisance of the position I am in is as annoying as a mate in 14 move puzzle, it is exciting but at the same time annoying. What's keeping me sane is the fact that my faith in life and in the existence of an Omnipotent God is as concrete as the sun rising up in the morning and setting in the evening.

I thank God for the guidance and enlightenment, thank you Lord!

P.S. Please don't ask me who that someone is because I woke up right where I was about to see the person's face.

Here is Michael Jackson's video I just can't stop loving you: