The said event performed by GM Buenaventura was the fifth wave in a series of charity related simul games done by Filipino GMs organized by Meralco Chess Club and its current president, Rolly Sol Cruz. GM Rogelio Antonio, GM Eugenio Torre, GM Mark Paragua and GM Jayson Gonzales also conducted their own charity simul games last year for the funding of RP Paralympic teams participation in international competitions as well as purchasing new materials like pre-made chess pieces and boards designed specifically for blind chess players.
The late lunch we shared with GM Buenaventura after the simul was one of the most informative and engaging conversation I had about the general status of chess in the Philippines and the possible future of GM Wesley So in his chess career as a professional. One can easily notice that GM Bong is a gifted conversationalist as well.
Armed only with a bottle of energy drink
GM Bong against Rudy Sarmiento, one of the blind player gold medalist from RP Paralympic team
One by one they are resigning with their parents closely following every move of their children
I played against a grandmaster and put up a good fight!
Signing autographs and sharing contact information with chess clubs officials after the games.
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6 comments:
the para player in photo is rudy sarmiento. he is totally blind and uses the special chess set. but i saw him play ala blindfold before; no special set to touch to. great talent.
oh tanks! pls remind/correct us about something we might/have missed.
Villamayor has always been overrated. It's like Mayweather taking on all mismatched opponents.
Wesley is good but so over-hyped courtesy of a lot of his blind followers. He's no Pacquiao and he'll never be.
Joey and Mark are still the best !
Des,
I was surprised at chessbomb when a fan asked the question on the arrangements with chessdom and GM Bong adviced its purely voluntary on his part, as part of his contribution to Philippine chess community.
That certainly deserves a kudos!!
And recognition!
re: over-rated
gm bong villamayor obliged to do this simul, the first in more than a decade, for the benefit of the blind players of the paralympics team and the young players from public school. i am sure that he just want to share his chess talent to these less fortunate group. and so as gm joey when he started this series of fund-raising simul last aug and gm mark who did the nov and dec episode.
there is no competition at stake here and nobody is claiming to be the best. this was done in a pure spirit of brotherhood, of lending a helping hand, of being your brother's keeper, of being a follower of Christ.
Yes, Villamayor is indeed overrated.
I think he came to that point after he became GM in 2000. He pursued a different track to the detriment of his play.
He has been since 2004 after he left the Philippines for Singapore.
As far as I am concerned, you don't measure a chess player's achievements by his games or his victories.
It is in one's contribution to the chess world as a whole that is more redeeming.
How one interacts in the development of this discipline makes more of value than just playing and getting results.
It's just too bad the Philippines is plagued by too much politics, bureaucracy and a national federation that has no sound developmental program.
Its current shining star, Wesley So, can only glitter for a while. And it will take a long while before it finds another like him.
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