With or without GM Antonio, the team moves on and is ready for the Olympiad.

With or without GM Joey Antonio in the line up, the Philippine chess team for the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia is ready for the challenge. As everybody knows by now, GM Antonio was dropped from the team for some disciplinary actions after committing some bad decisions of not playing in two major FIDE sanction tournament in Manila as part of the team's preparation for the Olympiad.

It's a tragic outcome. When all his teammates were here in the country preparing for the Olympiad, he's nowhere to be found and was competing in tournaments in the US where he was mostly the top seed. Not the kind of preparation the team needs. They need him to be around. Discuss things, strategies etc. We felt sorry for GM Antonio's decisions and he owe his teammates, NCFP, and Philippine chess fans an apology. As the saying goes, great power comes great responsibility. And he has some responsibility to be observed.

Still, we wish GM Antonio all the best of luck in his endeavor and a reconciliation with the NCFP should be made sooner than later for the better of chess in the country.

Despite missing the services of one of its most dependable players, the RP chess team remains optimistic about its coming campaign in the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

With RP’s top Grandmaster Wesley So manning Board 1 and the unsinkable Eugene Torre providing leadership and experience, the Filipino chessers are eyeing a Top 20 finish for their modest goal in the Sept. 19 to Oct. 14 biennial event featuring the world’s best players.

The presence of Antonio could have readily boosted the Filipinos’ chances, but Pichay said his exclusion in the team was for the best interest of everybody.

Read the full article at visayandailystar.com