tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942612295268442022012-01-31T22:48:15.324+08:00"Where the Pin is mightier than the sword" - Fred ReinfeldDes Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.comBlogger8151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-77749676708331370332010-11-26T17:47:00.015+08:002010-11-27T11:21:38.380+08:00

Man, we fought mighty China today. No chance. It was never close. No surprise. But they deserve all the merit. We still belong there on top, among the best in Asia.After beating India in the semis (proving that their 5th round win against the 2nd seed India is no fluke) to reach the finals, the Wesley So led RP chess team lost to host nation and 1st seed, China, 0.5 - 3.5 in the battle for gold

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-62351401292311152052010-11-22T12:28:00.013+08:002010-11-22T15:36:09.100+08:00

Promotion from work means more obligation not to mention that we're currently conducting an intensive research work on something that will take years to finish. Fact is, our multi tasking skills has failed us to the degree that we literally forgot to update this blog for over two weeks, which is quite unforgivable for those who are following CH regularly. As Garry Kasparov once said in his well

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-1460245803862658932010-11-03T06:46:00.008+08:002010-11-03T07:34:07.361+08:00

You may have probably purchased a new Apple II, or a new iphone and think it's cool to have one of those "state-of-the-art", "space age" gadgets and suddenly you think that current technology is advancing very rapidly in a pace that is quite unimaginable. But ex world chess champ and arguably the greatest mind in chess history think otherwise. So as many other. Kasparov believed that today's

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-66601866742983569012010-10-30T12:37:00.006+08:002010-10-30T13:48:06.988+08:00

It will end in a victory one way or the other. Fortunately, it ends in a victory and Wesley is good to go again. It was like having your first taste of glass of water after spending some time in the desert . After 10 consecutive draws he has fought in SPICE Cup, So finally got his first win in the history of the tournament courtesy of hard headed defending champion, GM Eugene Perelshteyn.

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-8225978494390735692010-10-25T16:45:00.010+08:002010-10-26T21:34:55.691+08:00

sIt's two bird in one stone for Wesley So. He tied first with GM John Paul Gomez and got some needed sparring partners as preparation before he fly off to Texas USA for the 2010 SPICE Cup tournament. Incidentally, the tournament also acts as a preparation for the rest of the team for the coming Asian Games in Guangzhou, China starting November 12.The Philippines is still haunted by the 50th place

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-34394195332417195132010-10-20T10:54:00.007+08:002010-10-21T21:30:06.051+08:00

The 2010 World Youth Chess Championship is set to begin today October 20 in Halkidiki, Greece, and will run till 31. The Philippines will be represented by FM Haridas Pascua in the Boys Under 18 category. Wesley So has other commitment and he will be participating in the six man, 2010 SPICE Cup and So maybe on another level to mixed it up with WYCC aspirants. Chessdom.com will be the official

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-40085000033753095802010-10-14T17:54:00.006+08:002010-10-14T18:23:57.965+08:00

They call it the chess version of the "European Champions League". For good reason. The European Chess Club Cup will field 24 players rated over 2700+ that will compete for their respective clubs comprised of players imported not just in Europe but from every corner of the planet, mostly from Asia and arguably no other tournament boast of the best selection of team anywhere else. No Filipinos yet

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-81727060273108247572010-10-12T07:04:00.004+08:002010-10-12T07:20:32.253+08:00

For two straight years, GM Wesley So will be participating in the tough SPICE CUP at Texas Tech University, USA. So's performance last year produced neither bad nor impressive result, though some were disappointed. Wesley drew all his games, most of them were but short draws. But a year had passed and So aged a year and has somewhat improve his games so we can expect a different So we saw from

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-90769195211154195152010-10-09T18:21:00.005+08:002010-10-09T18:31:20.609+08:00

GM Wesley So turns 17 today, October 9. No other player since the days of GM Eugene Torre that captured the imagination of Philippine chess other than Wesley.CH wish Wesley So a happy birthday and we sincerely hope for more of his success in the coming years. Cheers!

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-26624602617975792932010-10-07T18:15:00.024+08:002010-10-08T18:55:51.797+08:00

Just days after the Philippines fell to it's "worst" place finish in the chess olympiad, both writers and fans alike started to voice out their feelings and opinions on what went wrong. Emotions are high. Some started pointing fingers on who's really to blame for the setback of our RP Men's team. Many agree that it is the NCFP and it's leaders themselves who should be accountable for

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-25295221986928584402010-10-02T16:33:00.007+08:002010-10-02T16:58:56.304+08:00

The final round of the 2010 Khanty Manyisks Chess Olympiad will be played today. In the Open section, Ukraine still holding to the lead and the Philippines is currently holding the 31st spot. They have a very good chance of improving their position and lands among the top 30 against the 48 seed Estonia tonight. Live games of the final round provided by Chessdom/Chessbomb will be available for

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-26256010315365476822010-10-02T10:13:00.005+08:002010-10-02T12:21:28.900+08:00

In what many believed as a long over due conferment of the title, Rogelio "Banjo" Barcenilla can finally be call a grandmaster after years of efforts and waiting to established his status, he he is now officially a grandmaster.The journey is not not an easy one. I remember the time when GM Banjo and your truly is on the process of information gathering on the web to provide more testimony when he

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-46109880753331149222010-09-29T06:44:00.013+08:002010-09-29T20:41:53.009+08:00

Our regular 8-5 job and those threats imposed of beating deadlines made it close to impossible to update this blog in the past week but we're back on blogging. Though quite inactive from blogging, we still have some time to check in the results of the ongoing chess olympiad happening in Khanty-Manyisks, Russia. Giant chess websites like Chessbase, Chessdom and Chessvibes, each provides and

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-78429043688793914342010-09-22T18:42:00.007+08:002010-09-22T19:18:51.209+08:00

The Philippines vs Spain round 2 match up will be featured live through chessbomb.com with computer analyst as reported by Chessdom.com. Board one battle will pit Wesley So against Alexei Shirov. This will be the second time So and Shirov will face each other. In the last edition of the Olympiad in Dresden, So and Shirov game resulted in a draw. In round 1 the Philippine team swept Korea 4-0

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-37546940784623776432010-09-20T17:50:00.011+08:002010-09-21T19:21:31.725+08:00

Our Philippine chess team in Khanty-Manysk Chess Olympiad needs some inspiration. Well, here's some bits of sports update from our other athletes competing abroad this weekend.The Cecil Mamiit led Philippine team pulls off a big surprise in Korea by beating the hometown players 3-2 in Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. It was a come from behind win for the team as they were down 0-2 on the

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-7706772013026949352010-09-19T17:46:00.010+08:002010-09-19T18:20:38.489+08:00

Well, I'm not sure about this one. But the administrator of FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Facebook page just leave a note here on ChessHeroes blog regarding my previous post Ilyumzhinov's plan of acquisitions of land near "Ground Zero", a mere publicity stunt?.Dear Des,You can just ask me directly at my Facebook page. But I'd like to tell you that I believe that this plan can be a true

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-36172086948733447262010-09-18T19:15:00.010+08:002010-09-18T19:52:48.818+08:00

A Chess Center near Ground Zero? Really? A grand scheme indeed. But Ilyumzhinov's "plan" of buying the site near where the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City used to stand can be another one of those strategical moves to get more public support in Ilyumzhinov's candidacy for re-election as FIDE president. Dylan Loeb McClain of New York Times Chess blog, Gambit, hints that

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-33154888883423999842010-09-17T19:58:00.010+08:002010-09-17T21:01:15.138+08:00

To be honest, I don't like the idea of having the land of where the twin towers used to be to be occupied by something that is not co-related with the September 11 terrorist attack in New York City. (Oh yeah, let sentimentality hit me this time real hard!) Since it is a landmark, a memorable, historic ground, chess hasn't something to do with 9-11 terrorist attack. So when Chessdom.com first

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-72638393231000604732010-09-16T17:30:00.029+08:002010-09-16T19:45:04.395+08:00

Although we find no wrong on the side of NCFP (National Chess Federation of the Philippines) to implement disciplinary actions to players if they decide to follow against the rules of the federation, no matter what their status are, but the plan of NCFP to drop Antonio from the patronage of PSC or Philippine Sports Commission and consequently, deprive him of monthly allowance of P20,000 and other

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-89872116525785632522010-09-15T17:43:00.010+08:002010-09-15T19:04:50.931+08:00

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

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-91034832909104778722010-09-13T17:42:00.012+08:002010-09-13T20:53:46.274+08:00

Here's a great news for chess players and fans who are thinking of starting a chess blog or site of their own. These days, it is very difficult to do almost about everything without having a personal online sites like blogs, social networking etc, as we are dependent on it as a major form of communication, either to meet new friends and followers or by earning some money. Well, fortunately for us

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-6583563958087570212010-09-07T17:42:00.007+08:002010-09-07T18:11:57.500+08:00

Wondering why GM Bong Villamayor suddenly disappeared from local chess scene? Here's why. GM Villamayor is currently based in Singapore (he was previously based there prior to his return to the country) where he joins another Filipino grandmaster, Nelson Mariano III as a trainer/coach of a chess school called ChessKidz. GM Nelson Mariano himself first founded the ChessKidz.Just recently, GMs

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-33655044056826805812010-09-05T16:56:00.008+08:002010-09-05T17:12:29.822+08:00

Reports has it that the Philippines will have a new chess grandmaster, Italy based IM Roland Salvador. That makes Salvador the 12th grandmaster the country has ever produced by far.SALVADOR TOPS ITALY CHESS TOURNEY; RP'S NEWEST GRANDMASTER by Marlon BernardinoFinal Standings: (Open Division, 103 players)7 points---IM Roland Salvador (PHILIPPINES)7 points---GM Vladimir Epishin (Russia)7 points---

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-60619093816318633712010-09-03T18:00:00.032+08:002010-09-04T12:37:37.522+08:00

When everybody is talking about Le Quang Liem, Wesley So, and Anton Filipov as the favorites to win the first ever staging of the Campo memorial, another unheralded young Chinese player in the name of Jun Zhao suddenly emerged out of nowhere to win the biggest tournament to be held in the country in years. The just 11th seed Zhao actually piled up similar output of 6.5 points as that of

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-81252394695726891902010-09-01T07:29:00.009+08:002010-09-01T13:05:24.211+08:00

GM Jun Zhao (2586)Chinese grandmaster and tournament 11th seed Jun Zhao, is currently leading the 1st Campomanes Memorial after 6 rounds with 5.5 points, a full point ahead of the chasing pack of 9 players with 4.5 points. Zhao will be facing Wesley So (4.5) in the seventh round.WGM Shen Yang (2435)On the women section, 2nd seed WGM Shen Yang has 5.0 total point and is enjoying a half a point

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-10999614079805067282010-08-30T13:10:00.023+08:002010-08-30T19:16:00.100+08:00

Inside the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The 1st Florencio Campomanes memorial tournament is currently underway at Ninoy Aquino Stadium here in Manila. Three rounds have already been played and two Chinese grandmasters are holding the top of the leader board with perfect 3.0 points, GMs Jianchou Zhou (2668) and Jun Zhao. There are three categories being played. The Open, Women's, and Challengers. This is

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-72779416614916712702010-08-26T17:41:00.006+08:002010-08-26T18:14:06.325+08:00

2nd seed GM Anton Filipov emerged as the sole winner of the just held 6th Prospero Pichay Chess Open, half a point ahead of 2nd placer and top seed Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan and Tamaz Gelashvili of Georgia. Filipov garnered a total 7.o points out of possible 9.0 and was undefeated with 5 wins and 4 draws. Filipov has a tournament performance rating of 2701. This is the second major

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-52933814211545149092010-08-26T07:23:00.003+08:002010-08-26T07:35:08.854+08:00

Vishwanathan Anand is a chess personality where personal controversy rarely plays a major part in his career. The Union Human Resources Development Ministry of India delayed the plans of conferring an honorary doctorate to current world champ and possibly the greatest sportsman India has ever produced as the HRD questioned his nationality. Anand lives permanently with his wife in Spain. Excerpt

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-80136473037638383712010-08-22T18:58:00.007+08:002010-08-22T19:25:52.806+08:00

The 6th edition of Prospero Pichay Chess Open is already underway and is currently being held at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. After two rounds, 7 players are sharing the lead with perfect 2.0 score. There are total of 9 GMs seeing action here and the championship offers a total cash prize of $30,000 and $6,000 goes to the winner.The Pichay cup is the first of the two series of major

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-43517548609315678522010-08-21T08:24:00.019+08:002010-08-21T09:36:16.091+08:00

Too bad, our knowledge and understanding about this DNA testing kind of thing is very limited and only accessible in the hands of the very few expert individuals who dedicated most of their life in science. But as a lawyer, and every lawyer should be, I see no reason why Estimo's should not press on the case despite the set backs where after all, they're the ones who requested to have the DNA

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-38463173504070055262010-08-18T07:26:00.007+08:002010-08-18T07:48:34.331+08:00

First, the Visir.is brought the news and the Iceland Review Online confirmed that the nine year old Filipina girl, Jinky Young, is not the daughter of the late Bobby Fischer after DNA testing was conducted in Reykjavik, Iceland on Tuesday. With this development, Jinky Young is out among the claimants of Fischer's estate amounting to roughly $2 million."I can confirm that the result of the DNA

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-52996073188199947102010-08-16T12:31:00.010+08:002010-08-16T13:06:22.539+08:00

Two Pinoy with super memory will compete in the 11th Open International Memory Championship in London, England on August 26. Dubbed as the "Philippine Mental Team", they are composed of Roberto Racasa, a "Kristo" in cockfighting and Johan Randall Abrina, a nurse. ABS CBN has a video report, though it is in Tagalog, it's not very hard to see on which category this two gifted Filipino will be

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-48042686419302165832010-08-10T18:13:00.006+08:002010-08-10T18:51:24.855+08:00

US based Filipino International Master Julio Catalino Sadorra finishes tied for second to fifth place with three other players in the recently held 111th US Open Chess Tournament, 3-8 of August. Sadorra represents the state of Texas where he is currently based. GM Mark Paragua finishes tied for 6-23rd together with another long time US based International Master, Enrico Sevillano and Juaquin

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-88538119205144837722010-08-07T11:42:00.013+08:002010-08-07T12:43:29.056+08:00

"Flattery will get you everywhere." -Mae WestHere's a very interesting take by Franko Pestano about the surging of chess in Vietnam and consequently, in the world scene. Just like many of us, Pestano wonders how the Vietnamese done it for their chess in such a short span of years. He came up with this simple solution. It's all about investment.My own little take here is, with the help of a little

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-75691935877065291132010-08-05T12:19:00.003+08:002010-08-05T12:33:15.152+08:00

For anyone who are interested writing about the late Bobby Fischer's life, here's the people one should always bear in mind. They will be a great source about Fischer's over all honor and stigma. All the comments though about him by his friends just simply canonized him but so much negative things have been marked against Fischer that for some of us who doesn't really know who the real Bobby

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-21536032964005101702010-08-03T11:57:00.008+08:002010-08-03T12:10:49.361+08:00

According to our chess friends and sources, Paulo Bersamina and Aices Salvador failed to fly to Poland in time for the World Junior and Girls U-20 that will start today due to Visa problems. We're still clarifying everything and know exactly what really happens but it's really a very sad affair that we will miss another major chess event for our junior players.

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-28556419702840642432010-08-02T11:54:00.005+08:002010-08-02T12:28:07.299+08:00

The World Junior and Girls Under 20 starts August 2 in Czarna, Poland. The country will be represented by 12 year old Paulo Bersamina in the junior division and 19 year old Aices Salvador in the girls division. Wesley So skipped this years edition of World Junior as he will compete in the Rising Stars vs Experience in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on August 12. Bersamina (1984), the youngest

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-38385746025987336242010-07-30T18:23:00.004+08:002010-07-30T18:41:21.606+08:00

Indonesia's WGM Sukandar Irene Kharisma and FM Ramnath Bhuvanesh of India shared first place in the just held Brunei Invitational International Master tournament with undefeated record of 7 wins with just 2 draws. Not a major tournament, but for the 18 year old and 8th seed Irene, she just showed that she can now mixed it up with the big boys.First seed Pinoy IM Oliver Barbosa lost his 9th and

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-92173850788947540952010-07-26T17:54:00.039+08:002010-07-27T13:04:41.939+08:00

For everyone who attended last Saturday in Meralco for the double simul by GM Eugene Torre and GM Jayson Gonzales, I say maybe if you suddenly came across with your math teachers way back in grade school at some part where you least expected them to see and then asked you, as a good student, if you still remember what "common denominator" is, chances are you will find yourself in all kinds of

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-70622821998752043192010-07-25T13:05:00.012+08:002010-07-25T17:29:54.939+08:00

An abandoned, lonely bench filled with memories is visual poetry. Einar S. Einarsson, one of the late Bobby Fischer's close confidantes, reveals that Fischer used to spent some quality time during weekends in Einar's house, a "remote and wild area" not far from Reyjavik Iceland where Fischer stays. And in one of this occasion, Fischer used to take some time out after long walks in a particular

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-80855889413625750762010-07-23T12:52:00.011+08:002010-07-23T13:19:24.779+08:00

A match that will be a sure blockbuster. Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So, two of the most popular chess prodigy at the moment, finally crossed path in the beautiful city of Biel and they will meet on round 5 tonight at around 8 PM Manila time. Wesley So is protecting a half a point lead against three others that include Caruana. You can follow the real time live games through chessdom.com /

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-51121402401084905112010-07-22T07:34:00.008+08:002010-07-22T08:45:56.522+08:00

So impressed am I with Vietnamese 19 year old GM Le Quang Liem performance in Dortmund so far that GM Wesley So's taking over the sole lead after three rounds in Biel Young Grandmasters Tournament seems to be of little importance compare to what the magic Le Quang is weaving in Germany at the present. Nobody is expecting Le Quang to show up like this. Le Quang has already defeated ex world champ

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-41945094420305707942010-07-19T19:10:00.004+08:002010-07-19T19:36:45.272+08:00

One may thought that it came sooner than expected. But chess in the ASEAN region is surging. So when was the last time you've heard a chess player from the South East Asian region beats a former world champion in a classical game? Torre defeated Karpov and Tal decades ago and since then, if my memory serves me correctly, no player from this region ever beaten a current or former world champ in a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-51910157270847912492010-07-18T09:30:00.007+08:002010-07-18T09:45:12.102+08:00

According to Biel International Chess Festival official website, GM Wesley So will be conducting a simul exhibition games today in downtown Biel although it was not clearly specify how many participants will be joining to test So. But I say it's quite an honor for So to be chosen to conduct a simul in the very heart of the city of Biel for the promotion of the event. The Young Grandmaster

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-90336669372971262762010-07-16T11:48:00.005+08:002010-07-16T12:10:21.302+08:00

12 year old Paulo Bersamina has been into strings of success lately but this may have been his most important so far in his young career. Well, at least, the kid now knows how important consistency is in any competition. He became the country's youngest junior champ ever, winning three gold medal in the last edition of 11th Asean Age-Group and now he can be finally called as one of the best 12

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-62595213582164209222010-07-11T09:39:00.006+08:002010-07-11T18:24:09.077+08:00

Here comes another 200 courtesy of Diliman Preparatory School in Quezon City who wants to test the endurance of GM Jayson Gonzales. We still don't have the exact number of registered participants at this moment (remember that even the registered ones might not show up on the date) but filling up around 200 students, that is more or less 33 percent of the maximum allowed participants of 600 is a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-46271101553349362010-07-09T13:12:00.024+08:002010-07-09T14:06:54.145+08:00

Click on the image for larger viewYour truly is actually one of the detractor of the so called world record breaking attempt for simultaneous chess games that will be represented by a Filipino chess grandmaster. I thought it's just for the sake of showing off and putting on a show we Pinoy are very fond. Though I still have some doubts that GM Jayson Gonzales will be physically conditioned to

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-90720782821251410142010-07-06T10:18:00.003+08:002010-07-06T10:42:47.095+08:00

After months of legal battle over the dispute of Fischer's estate, Iceland finally exhumed the remains of Fischer on Monday to have his DNA tested and resolved once and for all if Jinky Young, the nine year old girl from this country is indeed, a daughter of the late Fischer and has the sole rights to Fischer's inheritance that amounted to $2 million (roughly P90 million) of properties. This is

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-91971245271154028052010-07-04T13:03:00.006+08:002010-07-04T13:51:52.171+08:00

TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) employee at Taguig is in for a threat tomorrow, July 5 as two renown chess grandmasters in the country, Eugene Torre and Jayson Gonzales will be conducting a simultaneous exhibition match and seminar. I hope it won't end there. Just seminar and everything will be forgotten by and by. Hope TESDA head coordinators will take what GMs Torre

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-75216170176898894312010-07-02T12:22:00.006+08:002010-07-04T13:00:29.207+08:00

We were notified that the Meralco Chess Club, one of the most stable chess club in the country has joint hand with the charity works of Tahanan Walang Hagdan (TWH), a self help organization focused on helping the less fortunate individual with physical disabilities in the country by staging a chess exhibition matches dubbed "Chess for a Cause" and will spear headed by MCC president, Rolly Sol

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-13278567776353453912010-06-30T11:15:00.008+08:002010-06-30T11:50:48.321+08:00

The gap keep closing in for Ilyumzhinov. Just as many had expected, the move to fund the $1 million dollar Florencio Campomanes Memorial Tournaments in South East Asia works just fine in favor of current FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's candidacy to remain at the office. The Philippines, together with Cambodia, South Korea, and lately, on the other side of the Pacific, Peru all throw their

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-45893705634957201482010-06-29T12:28:00.004+08:002010-06-29T12:59:13.839+08:00

Chessdom.com recently published a comprehensive details of Biel Chess Festival 2010. Wesley So, together with Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son will be participating for the first time in what was dubbed "Young Grandmaster Tournament", a ten player category 17 event that will feature the up and coming and future star in chess. I thought the Chinese also deserved a fair share in the list but

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-67065295099612857552010-06-24T18:31:00.012+08:002010-06-24T19:07:21.110+08:00

Dylan Loeb McClain of New York Times Chess Blog also hinted that FIDE president Kirsan Ilyzumzhinov sponsorship of the $1 million Florencio Campomanes memorial tournaments may have been an intention to court the chess federations in Asia that scopes the ten year, ten nation project. This blogger also think so but it could really be a two way motives. One is an honest and sincere desire to honor

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-21573633389437577002010-06-21T12:19:00.005+08:002010-06-21T12:28:50.122+08:00

As we further dig the real Bobby Fischer as a person and as a father, here's a bite size video report done by Msnbc.com's Keva Andersen, still about the controversy that surrounds Fisher's remains set to be exhumed.Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-39637052582415198302010-06-20T10:31:00.016+08:002010-06-20T18:33:40.521+08:00

We all know that the late great Bobby Fisher rarely (or never at all) mentioned about having a child during his lifetime, not even acknowledging that he's having an affair with a young woman during the days of his stay here in the Philippines. It's either he really didn't bore a daughter to Marilyn at all or he just simply deny it for unknown reasons. Now with all the drama coming out after

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-31122482523158502132010-06-17T13:51:00.006+08:002010-06-18T07:12:16.792+08:00

It seems everything is all set for Bobby Fisher's body to dig out of the grave. Bobby Fisher's remain will finally exhumed as the Iceland Supreme Court approved the request of Jinky Youngs lawyer, Samuel Estimo. Fisher's body will undergo a DNA test and consequently matching them with his assumed daughter of seven he bore with Jinky. The move to exhumed Fisher's remain was earlier denied by a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-42465644818019145432010-06-13T07:03:00.016+08:002010-06-13T08:03:57.695+08:00

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announces his sponsorship of the $1 million Campomanes Memorial tournament series during the ASEAN Chess Confederation annual meeting in Subic Freeport, Philippines. -Photo and caption from FIDE website.FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov recent visit in the country during the ASEAN Chess Confederation (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) annual meeting in

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-19658022268193473022010-06-11T09:12:00.007+08:002010-06-12T09:33:05.628+08:00

RPs Junior champion Paulo Bersamina is currently sharing the lead with Vietnamese Nguyen Van Toan Thanh in the boys’ 12-and-under category with one more round to play. The Asian is basically a Filipino-Vietnamese championship, to say the least. There are massive age categories, open section and different discipline being played here so don't be confused that it is a junior or youth championship

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-75927507707728427682010-06-07T18:17:00.011+08:002010-06-07T19:58:38.052+08:00

Singer, composer, recording artist and chess enthusiast Willy San Juan just posted a musical video on youtube about the 3rd Gathering of Knights and Kings, the Old Vanguard of Philippine Chess held last December 27 2009 in Quezon City. The song titled "Isulong mo" (Your Move), a song he composed and performed himself. GMs Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Darwin Laylo among other chess personalities

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-30028953486462364812010-06-06T10:14:00.007+08:002010-06-06T10:38:40.336+08:00

More goodies keeps pouring in for GM Mark Paragua. Barely a day before we were informed about Paragua's 10th consecutive tournament win in the US, we just have received another one that he's closing in for his dozen title. His eleventh came in Marshall Chess Club also in New York City. Paragua has been a regular of Marshall Chess Club for some years now, winning many tournaments (mostly the top

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-88929499278794977812010-06-05T11:41:00.004+08:002010-06-05T11:54:52.051+08:00

GM Mark Paragua is currently collecting some goodies in the US by winning tournaments after tournaments there, the latest is the 10 Grand Prix Points Tonight in Marshall Chess Club New York, US. This finally confirmed why Paragua skipped the recently held Battle of Grandmasters in Tagaytay City. It is reported that Paragua just won his tenth straight trophy. Details by Marlon Bernardino:Official

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-981182115935736382010-06-02T18:55:00.006+08:002010-06-02T19:18:22.573+08:00

As expected, there's not much of a challenge. Top seed Wesley So just won the third edition of Battle of Grandmasters for third straight year. So tallied a final score of 8.5/11 and posted 7 wins, 3 draws and 1 no contest. So has performance rating of 2713, gaining 8.5 points in the process. GM John Paul Gomez took solo second spot with 7.5 points.Let us wait for the mainstream media's final

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-12645592819616744562010-06-01T17:47:00.004+08:002010-06-01T18:02:44.495+08:00

So GM Eugene Torre is not altogether semi retire from playing serious chess tournaments. Torre missed this years edition of the Battle of Grandmasters as he is currently in Canada and participated in a tournament there. We're not sure though if it is the main reason why he begged off from Battle of GMs III but it's good to know that he's still have what it takes to compete in tournaments though

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-10117745278460857182010-05-31T18:32:00.009+08:002010-06-01T18:11:41.580+08:00

There's something fishy going on here. This is exactly what we're talking about regarding our previous post about the Angpin Chess Cup. GM Antonio, after winning the Angpin Cup in Pasig City (more or less two hours drive to Tagaytay where the Battle of GMs is taking place) just forfeited his game against Wesley So and losses by default in round 6.Antonio, according to a report by Roy Luarca for

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-730824717348436082010-05-30T17:49:00.021+08:002010-05-30T18:27:11.609+08:00

Many maybe wondering why the ongoing Battle of Grandmasters III is suddenly put to a halt for a couple of days. Well, this finally explain everything. To give way to the the Angpin Chess Cup that was held last Friday and Saturday in Pasig City. It's quite an odd thing that an ongoing major tournament like the Battle of GMs should be temporarily step aside to sneak in another tournament and allow

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-88822098133437072742010-05-30T07:16:00.011+08:002010-05-30T08:35:06.902+08:00

In a recent article from ChessCafe.com Dutch Treat, Hans Ree amplify the past news regarding the people who "voluntarily" offer their help to assist Anand in his preparation against Topalov. We're not talking about the composition of his team and seconds but those of former and current rival in chess who allies themselves to Team Anand for one common goal. Make sure that Topalov will never be a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-62107944606999812482010-05-27T06:50:00.012+08:002010-05-27T18:39:31.292+08:00

Never mind that the Battle of GMs III is not as star studded as the previous editions without the participation of other Filipino veteran GMs like GM Bong Villamayor who returned to Singapore, GM Mark Paragua is currently campaigning in the US and GM Eugene Torre who appears to be already semi retire from playing serious chess and has engaged with other commitments outside chess. Wesley So is

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-10092186979143648212010-05-25T06:24:00.024+08:002010-05-25T21:15:05.129+08:00

Current Philippine under 12 champ Paulo Bersamina re-established his status as one of the best junior player in the country by winning the 2010 Shell National Juniors Chess Championship at the Gaisano Grand Citimall in Davao City on Monday. Adding to the victory, the 12 year old Bersamina, a product of Meralco Chess Club also became the youngest junior champ in the history of Philippine chess.I

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-69801693541501510872010-05-21T18:21:00.017+08:002010-05-21T21:24:13.887+08:00

Now how about this one? It may not be a major tournament to get the full attention of the whole chess community but it looks like the Turks just got ahead of us Filipinos to posthumously honoring the late FIDE Honorary president Florencio Campomanes. I hope someday we can also duplicate such an event by adding a major annual international tournament like the Pichay Cup or Philippine Open in

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-3482761923371264392010-05-19T06:48:00.015+08:002010-05-19T07:56:11.444+08:00

You may never heard or aware about it but there's actually a chess video game that associate with, well, sex! The Closet Grandmaster blog first brought this info to our attention as he recently shared this post link regarding the release of the latest version of Lovechess from Artmunk Games.I'm not recommending the games and the site for viewing with the minors of course as the site contains

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-89810314507574074142010-05-15T09:39:00.010+08:002010-05-15T10:25:26.652+08:00

An announcement was made yesterday signaling the start of many tournaments scheduled for the months of May and June. If everything goes smoothly as planned and no last minute cancellation took place as what happens with the Battle of GMs last March, we will see two major and interesting chess event before June ends. First stop, we will have the local version of "Linares" chess tournament, the

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-48585426261209545212010-05-13T18:46:00.005+08:002010-05-13T20:52:05.506+08:00

He came, he saw, he conquered. Anand is simply a true conquering sports hero of our time. Not even the volcanic ash from Iceland and the 40 hour drive could shaken the hearts of Anand and his team. He leads them to the front and conquer Topalov in his own home turf. No one can question that it was a double effort for Anand to beat Topalov. He's just that great.India is hungry for sports heroes.

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-1622515647905324202010-05-11T17:34:00.009+08:002010-05-11T18:12:31.779+08:00

12th and final round of the classical games. Just as predicted by many that this championship could go down the stretch, we may even see a tie break match here although it is Topalov who will be handling the white pieces. Going into the last round, both scored 5.5 - 5.5, with two wins for both players. Anand's team would be more than happy if Anand hold on to a draw as the tiebreak matches,

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-17426774540666383962010-05-10T11:08:00.003+08:002010-05-10T11:17:27.830+08:00

More tribute for the late FIDE honorary president Florencio Campomanes. From Frank Pestaño blog, Chessmoso but originally published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 7, 2010. I wasn't aware that Campo was good in playing poker as well and loves pizza. That's a revelation.Very few of the young players today are aware of his contributions to chess but he helped place the Philippines in the

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-70525262547496449552010-05-10T10:51:00.006+08:002010-05-10T11:00:55.480+08:00

One last time. Please vote wisely everyone. God bless the Philippines.

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-87997148118184193922010-05-07T19:44:00.004+08:002010-05-07T19:59:30.826+08:00

The first edition of MERALCO Junior Chess Championship is set to take place tomorrow, May 8 2010 at Meralco, Lopez building basement canteen, Pasig city. Games will start at nine in the morning and will end at five in the afternoon. According to Rolly Sol Cruz, president of Meralco Chess Club, they are expecting no less than 100 junior participants from different schools such as UE, San Beda, NU

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-32373992349531596802010-05-05T18:55:00.006+08:002010-05-11T18:16:22.586+08:00

Some few months before Florencio Campomanes death last May 3, he has an ongoing work that's now left unfinished. In a video interview last February, he talks about a book he's currently working on that is supposed to be publish sometime next year. The book, according to Campomanes was part autobiography and part documentary. The said book is over 800 pages. Let us see if it is going to be publish

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-90261114712220284252010-05-03T12:22:00.014+08:002010-05-03T14:22:09.018+08:00

It's so unfortunate that some people can quickly associate a person's trashed personality to his nationality. Topalov and his unpopular manager, Silvio Danailov has been controversial in their own rights, I should say, and not necessarily reflects those of the nationality they represents. I do think that Danailov gives up moral and national pride just for the benefit of his client (that is

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-47017561791893136752010-04-30T20:26:00.006+08:002010-04-30T20:43:10.350+08:00

Here's another one for all chess history buff out there. From ChessCafe, Paul Morphy annotates a game for his column Chess Department on the New York Ledger and it dates 1860. Read his column here. The game Labourdonnais-McDonnell 1834, London England.Many chess players are unaware that Paul Morphy wrote a chess column. From August 6, 1859 until August 4, 1860, Morphy “conducted the

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-66196645975245961802010-04-29T17:45:00.006+08:002010-04-29T18:18:35.872+08:00

Fresh from Subic Bay, Pampanga. Chinese GM Ni Hua just won the 9th Asian Individual Chess Championship. Hua settled to a draw against GM Abhijeet Gupta of India in the 9th and final round. Hua finished the tournament with 7.0 points and was undefeated with five wins and five draws capping up with performance rating of 2729. Erstwhile leader and darling of the tournament Wesley So, finished second

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-38551970486043730532010-04-28T07:03:00.008+08:002010-04-28T07:59:53.892+08:00

Top seed Chinese grandmaster Ni Hua, somehow, someway, finds a way to stop our local chess hero, Wesley So from further onslaught in the ongoing 9th Asian Individual Chess Championship in Subic and above all, redeemed himself. It was a sweet revenge for Ni Hua, the first 2700+ player Wesley ever defeated. Wesley So even admitted in an interview by chessdom that his win against Ni Hua in 2008

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-87705585922190270232010-04-26T18:22:00.002+08:002010-04-26T18:26:48.758+08:00

Hey Marlon, your email is already late for everyone to take notice :( But anyway 3rd batch will be on May 3-7 2010.2ND BATCH P.A.C.E. SUMMER CHESS COURSES OPENS TODAYBy: Marlon BernardinoTHE registration of 2nd Batch of Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) gets underway today, at the PACE Headquarters, 2nd Floor 56 Mindanao Ave., Project 6, Quezon City.According to PACE founding head GM

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-62068878941224354292010-04-24T11:31:00.022+08:002010-04-24T19:23:40.165+08:00

Green lights has finally been switch on. The battle for chess supremacy couldn't have been more exciting, thanks to the epic 40 hour road trip by Anand team from Germany to Bulgaria. Though I haven't had much time for analysis, I still slightly pick Topalov to win this thing. He is in his most comfortable environment, having the games played in his own turf, added that the 40 year old Anand had

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-39483974791043192852010-04-22T10:11:00.006+08:002010-04-22T13:01:51.477+08:00

IM Nguyen Thanh Anh of Vietnam might have been a bit of a "star-struck" facing in round one a young chess celebrity in the region in the name of Wesley So resulting in a serious mistake that caused him the match in just 16 moves. The win, I believe, was the shortest game for Wesley So in a official tournament since he became a grandmaster three years ago. The biggest upset of the day saw

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-69299446657533436442010-04-21T19:15:00.016+08:002010-04-21T20:53:26.038+08:00

Great Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca and his army crossing the Alps from Spain to Italy to invade Rome. Anand and his team can do the same thing from Germany to Sofia, Bulgaria.Chessdom recently released an exclusively report about Anand team arrival in Sofia, by road trip. Yup. So much for hospitality. Peter Doggers from Chessvibes and staffs over there at Chessbase quoted as saying by a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-59590100323982978692010-04-21T12:18:00.003+08:002010-04-21T12:23:32.714+08:00

Almost without a warning, the 2010 Asian Individual Chess Championships starts today, April 21 at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center. The country will be hosting the event for the second straight year and for the third time in four years. Just as in the past, the championship will serve as one of the qualifying tournament for the 2011 Chess World Cup. Ed Andaya has this report for

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-9200332657629446922010-04-20T17:38:00.006+08:002010-04-20T20:43:34.892+08:00

GM Eugene Torre, most probably the only one in the photo who knows well the theory of the Queen's Pawn opening but the two move quick draw they played for the traditional ceremonial moves was enough to spell a contagious belly laugh to everyone around them.The head of Rotary International District 3780 Dulce Coyukiat and President Eugene Torre of Rotary Club of Sta. Mesa QC are shown making

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-40839871979104078162010-04-17T08:57:00.012+08:002010-04-17T09:43:25.642+08:00

Finally, we got some clear view through the keyhole of the playing venue that will serve as the "ring" for the upcoming World Chess Championship match between Vishwanathan Anand and Vaselin Topalov five days from now. A glimpse at the playing hall reveals a cozy place that reminds you of a baroque opera house. It's quite interesting how the noise proof glass walls that is to set in the venue fits

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-3529227303553781172010-04-15T18:57:00.003+08:002010-04-15T19:31:28.770+08:00

You rarely saw GM Eugene Torre competing in serious chess competition these days but he remains as active as ever in promoting and organizing tournaments, establishing chess schools and just about anything that is for the promotion of chess in the country. No more than a week ago, he's with GM So in Angeles City, Pampanga, now he's back in the metro to promote the 1st Governor's Chess Cup. Report

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-60300752217168624122010-04-14T20:07:00.014+08:002010-04-15T07:18:40.116+08:00

Chinese WGM Hou Yifan just won the 2010 Kuala Lumpur chess open. She's just sixteen years of age and is already comfortable mixing it up with the big guys. Hou finished with 7.5 points for possible 9 points and was undefeated, ahead of Vietnamese grandmaster Nguyen Anh Dung. 2009 PGMA Cup winner, Mikheil Mchedlishvili of Georgia came up in third place.Pinoy FM Julius de Ramos is the best

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-1575518486831571852010-04-13T18:46:00.003+08:002010-04-13T20:14:45.344+08:00

Last week, USCF announces their full support for the candidacy of Anatoly Karpov. Now, on the other side of the globe, some of the most influential chess federation in Europe are also plotting to staged a coup de etat of their own against FIDE current leader, Ilyumzhinov as reported by ChessBase. The French the Swiss and now the Germans just got in the caravan to escort Karpov.Although I don't

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-79337709491888741692010-04-13T18:41:00.014+08:002010-04-13T21:00:04.515+08:00

I've just started a photography blog, just for fun and recreation. You can view my collection of photos here at JPmag and Flickr. Our passion and interest does not simply stuck with chess alone. Please feel free to criticized any of my pictures so I can do better in the future. Thanks in advance for visiting.Photo below was taken during the long holiday break we had last week and is my official

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-35262983226449179962010-04-12T17:37:00.007+08:002010-04-13T04:24:47.961+08:00

More public announcement for the summer chess tournament happening around the Metro. Since this is summer and school classes is in two months vacation, the season should give more time to young players to prepare and compete. Now get active.NON-MASTER OPEN CHESS TOURNEY SET ON APRIL 17by Marlon Bernardino THE 1st Barangay Upper Bicutan Non-Master Open Chess Tournament gets underway at 9 am on

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-91152450426108693862010-04-09T13:17:00.004+08:002010-04-09T13:34:39.016+08:00

In a short statement from the USCF website, the federation announced that they will throw their full support to the candidacy and Ilyumzhinov staunch rival for the FIDE presidential seat, former FIDE World Champion, Anatoly Karpov.CROSSVILLE, TN-- The USCF Executive Board unanimously voted that the USCF will support GM Anatoly Karpov in the upcoming FIDE election for President, to be held in

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-32890222063249625902010-04-06T17:31:00.016+08:002010-04-06T20:06:00.188+08:00

It looks like Atty. Edgardo "EdPam" Pamintuan knows exactly what it means to have two of the best known personalities in chess today as his special guests despite that the said tournament is only available to Angeles City residents. They even attracted the likes of GM Eugene Torre and GM Wesely So and they were the only guests there wearing a distinctive EP (EdPam) green T-shirt that looks like

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-44142026042549358952010-04-05T17:46:00.004+08:002010-04-05T18:12:04.989+08:00

Gata Kamsky, the top seed of the tournament won the Philadelphia Open on tie break points. America's newest chess sensation and the country's youngest grandmaster in history, 15 year old Ray Robson settled second over all with similar 7.0 points together with Gata Kamsky, Alex Stripunsky, and Sergey Kudrin. Pinoys campaigning in the tourney, GM Mark Paragua finished a respectable 6 1/2 points to

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-24852944585862908122010-04-04T14:09:00.008+08:002010-04-04T14:47:01.286+08:00

GM Gata Kamsky currently leads the 2010 Philadelphia Open chess tournament with 6.0 after seven rounds that is being held over Easter weekend from March 31-April 4, 2010. There are two Filipino campaigners here, GM Mark Paragua and Chicago based IM Angelo Young. Paragua is tied from 8-13 place with a score of 5 points. While IM Young is tied from 14-36 place with 4 1/2 points. The tournament is a

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-43681231839228777412010-04-01T10:15:00.007+08:002010-04-02T16:37:09.578+08:00

In observance of Good Friday and Black Saturday. Helene Fischer and Andrea Bocelli's beautiful rendition of Franz Schubert's Ave Maria. Your truly personal choice. Have a blessed and meaningful Lenten Season to everyone.

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-88979079019884175712010-03-31T17:07:00.011+08:002010-04-01T19:49:57.387+08:00

This news may trouble many chess followers, specially those Bobby's Fischer hard core fans. Fischer's remain will be unearth to have his DNA taken. We're solving no death mystery here but after Fischer's worldly possessions so expect a controversy to explode once Fischer's body is exhumed. Marlon Bernardino received this report and share it with us.FISCHER’S REMAINS WILL BE EXHUMEDIn a bizarre

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694261229526844202.post-40855573816796630032010-03-30T19:57:00.005+08:002010-03-31T18:57:08.613+08:00

After Facebook, Chessdom goes twitting. The site just join a popular micro blogging, social and networking site, twitter.com. There isn't much post yet but I noticed that they updated four entries today which is a good sign since they haven't been twitting for quite a while. http://twitter.com/chessdom

Des Catoloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667134403447404389noreply@blogger.com0