Fair Decision?

Friday, August 29, 2008 Pestaño: An unfair decision By Frank “Boy” Pestaño Chessmoso MY BARKADA and drinking buddy in college Rogelio “Tata” Morelos who, belongs to a family of chess players, just gave me a handwritten note criticizing the showdown between grandmasters Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio that was dubbed as the QC Chess Road Show. “Dear Chessmoso, Just recently, two top Filipino grandmasters had a showdown with a reported P200,000 as prize money offered by the sponsors. I was eagerly waiting for the result of the seven-game confrontation, which to my dismay ended in a draw. What left a bad taste to my gin and tonic-watered mouth was that the two, who tied on the sixth game, did not play the tiebreak seventh game, but instead, decided by themselves to divide the pot money. I find this to be beggarly and highly impolite for the GMs to do. It is like Pacquaio and De La Hoya stopping at the 10th round of a scheduled 12 rounds and deciding to call it a draw after being informed by the judges that both have the same scores. Are the actions of the two GMs allowed in chess tournaments? If so, the people who drafted the rules should be made to swallow the chess pieces of that tournament and add the board as dessert. The tournament was supposed to be a showdown on who is the master of whom.” I personally would like to know who the better player is, as I have been following their careers for a long time. Now, after much hype and publicity, there is no decision. I don’t know the inside story but isn’t it unfair to the chess-playing community?

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Interesting. I wonder what the reaction of the "chess world" would have been if Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih had decided amongst themselves to stop playing and split the prize money at the 2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship - and declare themselves de facto "co-winners." Would that have generated as much screaming, hair-pulling and collective angst (mostly among male players, it seems) as the Armageddon play-off that actually place did?

Chess Legend to Play Rising Chess Star

What a great idea - kudos to the promoter who came up with this idea. It's a perfect way to promote chess in the Philippines and, indeed, garner international interest, since folks are interested in GM Wesley So's progress in the chess world. Story from Sports. Inquirer.Net Chess Legend vs Chess Wonder Boy P1 million showdown slated By Marlon Bernardino Cebu Daily News First Posted 09:43:00 08/09/2008 IT'S all system's go for the richest sports event in the country when the undisputed Chess Legend takes on the Chess Boy Wonder in a P1 Million showdown to be held in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu. Eugene Torre, Asia's first grandmaster, and Wesley So, presently the world's youngest grandmaster at 14, will face each other in a one-on-one duel consisting of ten games. Two games each will be played in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu and if the match remains unresolved, another two games will be played in Quezon City. A knockout game will ensue if the duel is tied at 5-5. This was announced yesterday by the event's project director lawyer Samuel Estimo after Quezon City representative Matias Defensor agreed to bankroll the match in a meeting last Monday. “Magandang proyekto ito kaya nagpapasalamat tayo kay Cong. (Mat) Defensor na sumuporta sa event na ito,” said Estimo, a former secretary-general of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). NCFP region 11 coordinator James Infiesto is pleased when he learned that Davao City is one of the four venues of the event dubbed as “Dream Match.” “We are privileged and honored that our city is one of the four venues in the Torre and So one-on-one duel,” said Infiesto. “Maganda ito, legend versus future of Philippine chess.” “Tiyak aabangan ito hindi lamang sa Pilipinas kundi pati sa buong mundo,” said Reginald Tee, consultant and spokesman of Wesley So who is currently playing in Turkey for the World Junior Chess Championship. The match will be held at a date to be agreed upon by the two GMs preferably after So and Torre have fulfilled all their international tournaments. “Baka February 2009 after sa event ni Wesley (So) sa Corus,” said Tee. Torre will leave on August 8 for the United States where he will also visit his daughter, Nicolle, who is now based in Alaska. According to Estimo, the two chess luminaries had drawn their three previous games with Torre nearly winning their last encounter. The first to score 5 1/2 (5.5) points will win the match and the P600,000 winner's prize while the loser will earn P400,000. Another P100,000.00 will go to the winner of each leg while the loser will take home P50,000. It shall be recalled that Torre and arch rival GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., settled for a 3-3 draw in their recent “Quezon City Chess Road Show” one-on-one. Copyright 2008 Cebu Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. According to my calculations, 1 million P equals $22,540.30 USD (1.00 PHP = 0.0225403 USD)

Rematch Between GMs Torre and Antonio to Promote Chess

Philippines Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Rogelio “Joey” Antonio are set for a 12-game rematch during the summer of 2008 to promote chess in the Philippines, leading up to the next chess Olympiad. Torre, Antonio ready for rematch Baguio, Mindoro eyed as host of GMs’ battle Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:49:00 12/30/2007 MANILA, Philippines -- Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. are ready for a rematch. The country’s top woodpushers will try to outwit each other in a 12-match marathon in the summer of 2008 for two reasons: Promote chess in the countryside and prepare themselves for the Chess Olympiad slated late next year. Antonio became the first local player to beat Torre with a one-game victory in their 1998 match. “Hindi na rin naman kami bumabata (We’re not getting any younger),” said Torre. “We need to develop more young chess talents. We’re hoping to get the interest of potential talents from the grassroots level by going to their places.” Organizers are planning to hold the matches in Baguio City and in Puerto Galera in Mindoro to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Chess Championships match between Anatoly Karpov and Victor Korchnoi, also held in Baguio City, in 1978. Torre is an adopted son of Baguio while Antonio hails from Oriental Mindoro. Torre and Antonio are expected to lead the country’s campaign in the Chess Olympiad set in Dresden, Germany on November 12 to 25. It will be the fifth time that Germany is hosting a chess Olympiad. “Hindi natin alam baka yun na ang aming (We don’t know if it will be our) last Olympiad next year,” said Antonio. “Anuman ang mangyari, maganda na ’yung preparado kami (Whatever happens, it’s better that we are prepared).” Quezon City majority floor leader and fourth district Councilor Ariel Inton is also open to his city’s hosting of the Torre and Antonio rematch. “Both players are based in Quezon City,” said Inton. “It would be great for our city and our people if they will play here. If it’s not possible for us to host all 12 matches, even just the first three and the last three.” Marlon Bernardino, contributor Copyright 2007 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.