Archives: News

by Marlon Bernardino – Manila – In preparation for bigger tournaments lined up for him this year, Philippine NM Christian Gian Karlo Arca from Panabo City, Davao del Norte dominated the 81st Birthday of GM/Lawyer Rosendo Carreon Balinas Jr. 14 years old and below kiddies Rapid Chess Tournament held September 10, 2022 at the Rockwell Business Center in Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and full standings.

“This is an Annual Event to commemorate our Philippine Chess Hero GM Rosendo C.Balinas Jr.,” said the late GM Rosendo Carreon Balinas Jr. daughter and Singapore based Nur Rose Balinas.

“The Only Filipino who conquered Russia in the Chess History, The Conqueror of Odessa. The Chess Tiger of Asia. A Fearless Lawyer. A Genius Journalist and Writer. And the Best Father,” she added.

Arca swept all of his opponents in the 7-round Swiss system tournament organized by Dr. Joe Carreon Balinas and Engr. Antonio Carreon Balinas, both co-founding chairmen of Bayanihan Chess Club, and sponsored by Balinas Family, in close cooperation with Ms. China Aurelio and Ms. Mimi Casas of Open Kitchen, Ms. Elizsa Gayle Cafirma of Thick and Thin Doughnuts, National Chess Federation of the Philippines Chairman/President Rep. Prospero “Butch” Arreza Pichay Jr. and NCFP Chief Executive Officer, FST/GM Jayson O. Gonzales.

Among those who were crushed by Arca were Tetsuri Ikemoto, David Francis Modesto, Jian Carlo Rivera, National Master Ivan Travis Cu,  Jersey Marticio, National Master Oshrie Jhames Reyes and National Master  Al-Basher “Basty” Buto.

Arca went home with the top prize of P10,000 and a medal from the tournament participated in by 108 players.

Earlier, Ms. China Aurelio of Open Kitchen and NM Arca made the ceremonial moves kicking off the one-day National Chess Federation of the Philippines sanctioned tournament also graced by Ms. Mimi Casas of Open Kitchen, NM Cu, NM Reyes, Woman National Master Ruelle Canino, FM Alekhine Fabiosa Nouri, NCFP board of director Martin “Binky” Gaticales and Chief Arbiter NA Ranier Pascual of Philippine Arbiters Chess Confederation (PACC).

Arca is scheduled to compete in the Asian Youth Chess Championships to be held on October 13-22, 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.
Recently, Arca has been picked as the newest Dasmarinas Cavite Chess team member.

Dasmarinas chess team head Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr. picked Arca as the newest team member, composed of some of the top young chess players in the Philippines.

As the team’s newest member, Dasmarinas has become a much tougher team to beat.

Arca decided to accept the offer from Barzaga to be part of his team since it would greatly help in his young chess career.

Final Standings: (108 entries, 7 Rounds Swiss System, tiem control of 10 minutes plus 5 seconds increment)
7.0 points—NM Christian Gian Karlo Arca (P10,000)
6.0 points—NM Ivan Travis Cu (P7,000)
6.0 points—Mar Aviel Carredo (P5,000)
5.5 points—Phil Martin Casiguran (P3,000)
5.5 points—WNM Ruelle Canino (P2,000)
5.5 points—Jersey Marticio (P1,000)
5.5 points—Davin Sean Romualdez (P1,000)
5.5 points—Vincent Ryu Dimayuga (P1,000)
5.5 points—Jerick Faeldonia (P1,000)
5.0 points—Stephen Zane Quinto (P1,000)
5.0 points—NM Oshrie Jhames Reyes (P1,000)
5.0 points—NM Al-Basher “Basty” Buto (P1,000)
5.0 points—AFM John Peter Allen Cabales (P1,000)
5.0 points—Cleiford Kortchnoi Molinyawe (P1,000)
5.0 points—Prince Khen Mina (P1,000)

Manila—The Mindanaoan team Davao City Durianburg Stallions defeated Mindmovers. PH Chess Club to win the championship trophy of the highly competitive professional Philippine Chess League Season 4 held at Tornelo Platform.

The Stallions, owned by Chess patron and lawyer Jose Dionisio “Jong” Guevarra Jr. (photo above), defeated the Mindmovers 109-87 in the finals to take the coveted PCL crown.

The Stallions team got the slot earlier in the finals after beating the PFCC Wildknights in their semifinal duel 2-0.

The Mindmovers owned by Singapore based Van Lanuza, on the other hand beat San Miguel Chess Association, 2-0, to arrange a titular showdown with the Stallions team.

PCL is an online chess league organized by the Philippines’ Finest Chess Club.

Most team members are part of the veteran-laden Davao City Eagles chess team that reached the semifinals of the 2022 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines chess tournament season two.

The team, dubbed the Davao Chess Wizards, joined the PCAP Premier Cup tournament last year as a guest team, where they were able to reach the quarterfinals round.

This year, the team focused and prepared to win the PCAP crown with a formidable line-up mostly of veteran chess players who have carried the city’s flag in local, national, and international chess tournaments.

Leading the team is lawyer Guevarra, GM Darwin Laylo, World chess champion for the differently-abled FM Sander Severino, national chess coach FM Roel Abelgas, Panabo City, Davao del Norte NM Henry Roger Lopez, DPWH engineer Aglipay Oberio, Philippine chess team coach for the differently-abled IA James Infiesto, Engr. Allan Diez, Alexander Lupian, Arnel Iton, Anthony Mosqueda, Cris Yap, Atty. Mary Segara and former DLSU college chess team member Joy Acedo. –Marlon Bernardino-

 

Chitambaram finishes with 7.5 points, half a point ahead of Predke and Praggnanandhaa

er Arvindh Chitambaram of India was crowned champion of the 22nd Dubai Open Chess Tournament during the awarding ceremony Sunday night at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Hall of the Dubai Chess and Culture Club in Al Mamzar. The closing ceremony was attended by His Excellency Khalid Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Chairman of the club’s board of directors, His Excellency Tarim Matar, President of the UAE Chess Federation, and members of the club’s board of directors.

In a speech during the ceremony, tournament director Saeed Yousuf Shakari praised the strong support extended by the Dubai Sports Council to the club and its various chess programs, and for supporting the development of Emirati chess talents and their participation in tournaments in the UAE and outside the country. He also commended all the participants for the high level of competition and exciting matches during tournament, and the arbitration team, headed by the Emirati International Arbiter (IA) Mahdi Abdulrahim.

Final round results

Chitambaram, who started as the tournament’s 13^th seed, finished alone at the top with 7.5 points after a draw in the final round with his compatriot GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Top-seed GM Alexandr Predke of Russia and Praggnanandhaa finished with seven points, but the Russian claimed second place with a higher tiebreak score, relegating Praggnanandhaa to third.

Predke had a chance to tie Chitambaram for first place and even win the tournament with a higher tiebreak score over the Indian, but the Russian could only manage a draw in his game against GM Ahmed Adly of Egypt.

“It’s always nice playing in Dubai,” said Chitambaram, who had been a guest at a friend’s house during his stay in the emirate. “The conditions are great and it’s a brilliant venue.”

Chitambaram had nursed a slight edge against Praggnanandhaa, but eventually conceded to a draw by repetition of moves when the fourth-seed Praggnanandhaa was able to mount a dangerous counterattack against the white king.

“The position was equal, so I had to take a draw,” Chitambaram said.

“I’ve not done too well in any of the Dubai tournaments before, but this one came out a surprise, like I cannot believe that I won the championship.”

His triumph in Dubai, in addition to winning the Indian blitz and rapid titles earlier this year and a tournament in Benasque, Spain, has helpedChitambaram rebound from a heartbreaking campaign in 2021, when he lost rating points and missed a chance to join the Indian teams to the World Chess Olympiad, which India hosted last month.

“It’s always nice to win any tournament in general and I’m really happy with this win,” said the 2018 and 2019 Indian champion.

Chitambaram received USD13,000 and a championship trophy during the awarding ceremony, while the rest of the top 15 players also received cash prizes.

Three other players finished with seven points: the tournament’s 2011 champion GM Abhijeet Gupta, IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete and former Asian champion GM Sethuraman S.P., who finished fourth to sixth in that order.

Gupta defeated GM Sandipan Chanda, Shete upset Armenia’s GM Aram Hakobyan after over four and a half hours of play in one of the two last games to finish in the tournament, and Sethuraman outplayed IM Das Arghyadip.

The rest of the top 15 finishers were GM Arjun Erigaisi of India (6.5 points), FM Seyed Kian Poormosavi of Iran (6.5), who was the only Fide Master in the top 10 and also picked up a GM norm with a 2658 performance rating, GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia (6.5), GM Harsha Bharathakoti of India (6.5), Adly (6.5), GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh (6.5), GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan of Armenia (6.5), GM Arjun Kalyan of India (6.5) and GM Aram Hakobyan of Armenia (6).

Special Prizes

IM Omran Al Hosani received the Best Emirati Player award, while India’s WGM Divya Deshmukh took the Best Female award. Indian players, meanwhile, took the rating category prizes: Panda Sambit (under 2400), Sanket Chakravarty (under 2300), Ayush Sharma (under 2200), Raghav Srivathsav V (under 2100), and Joel Paul Ganta (under 2000).

Rating gains

Nine-year-old Rami Talab from Syria earned the most rating points in the tournament, adding 142 points to his international rating, followed by Kuwait’s Meshal Alhejab with 138 points, and India’s Rohit S. with 116 points.

Khalid Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Chairman of the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, congratulated Chitambaram for joining the elite list of Dubai Open champions. Back after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Al Falasi underlined the very strong field of the tournament and the high level of competitiveness with the leadership changing hands in almost every round.

He added that the success of the tournament’s 22nd edition serves as a strong motivation to continue to enhance the event and attract even more top players to achieve the club’s ultimate goal of developing the sport in the UAE and nurturing new talents in the country.

Tarim commends the Dubai Chess and Culture Club

Tarim Matar Tarim, President of the UAE Chess Federation, congratulated the management of the Dubai Chess Club on the great success of the tournament. He said events such as Abu Dhabi International, Dubai Open, Sharjah Masters and more have put the UAE prominently on the international chess calendar.

He added that the federation and its member clubs will be focusing on two important goals: first is cultivating the sport in schools and the grassroots to discover new talents among citizens and residents, and the other is to continue organizing tournaments and sending top talents to international events to develop their skills in the game.

 

MANILA—National Master (NM) lawyer Bob Jones Liwagon carried the AE BOB chess team on his shoulders as they ripped the Philippine Army N Heroes For Hire chess team to emerge victgorious in the Sen. Manny Pacquiao Tuna Festival Chess Team Tournament champions September 4, 2022 at the Robinsons Place in General Santos City.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao (left) playing blitz with Bob Jones Liwagon (right)

Liwagon, a Captain officer ranks at the Office of the Army Judge Advocate and playing under the guidance of Col. Liberato O. Ramos (GSC) JAGS, defeated International Master Daniel Quizon on Board One to seal the 3-0 win in their seventh and final round encounter as the AE BOB chess team cliamed the crown plus the P200,000 champion’s purse in the event back up by Extreme Gaming, Luminuex Glutathione Capsule and businessman Changsuk Lyu, organized by United States chess master Rodolfo “Jun” Panopio Jr.

“I knew that this was a tough tournament with all the players. I just tried to play my best and now I am really happy,” said Liwagon (photo above), a former top board player of University of Sto. Tomas (UST) chess team and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Commerce Major in Business Administration graduate student. He won his biggest award in 2001 when he won the Philippine Age Group Chess championships and the coveted National Master title.

Samson Lim Jr. beat Vince Angelo Medina on Board Two while Vince Duane Pascual toppled Wenlan Temple in Board Three to complete the shut-out victory.

LGU Iligan, meantime edged GM Balinas, 2-1, as Engr. Cecil Cuevas subdued multi-awarded painter Drigo Teves on board two.
IM Ronald Bancod and Julius Dan Augustine Ablin halved the point with GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. and Michael Jan Stephen Rosalem Inigo on board one and board three as LGU Iligan caught eventual champion AE BOB chess team on top with similar 12 match points.

LGU Iligan pocketed the runner-up prize of P100,000 despite losing to AE BOB chess team in the tie break.

Tiktokerz chess team spearheaded by FM Narquingden Reyes, Chester Neil Reyes and Rhenz Rheann Auza settled for third while LGU-Bukidnon-Nemesis 2 chess team composed of  Jeriel Manlimbana, Randolph Christopher Dalauta and Bryan Jose ended up overall 4th place to receive P50,000 and P25,000, respectively. Tiktokerz and Nemesis 2 tallied 11 match points apiece.

Four Teams—University of Sto. Tomas, Ligon All Stars, GM Balinas Team and Negros Team B—shared fifth to eight places with 10 match points each.

Completing the top 10 with 9 match points each were ninth MP Team and tenth Philippine Army N Heroes For Hire chess team.
Chief Arbiter was FIDE Arbiter Felix Poloyapoy assisted by National Arbiters Jojo Palero and Elias Banguiran in this NCFP sanctioned tournament, FIDE rated standard time control format, 1 hr + 3 secs. delay., hosted by NCFP Vice President Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

Final Rankings: (FIDE rated standard time control format, 1 hr + 3 secs. delay, 56 participating teams)
Champion: AE BOB (P200,000)
2nd: LGU ILIGAN (P100,000)
3rd: TIKTOKERZ (P50,000)
4th:LGU BUKIDNON – NEMESIS2 (P25,000)
5th: UST (P15,000)
6th:LIGON ALL STARS (P10,000)
7th: GM BALINAS TEAM (P9,000)
8th: NEGROS TEAM B (P8,000)
9th:MP TEAM (P7,000)
10th:PHILIPPINE ARMY N HEROES FOR HIRE (P6,000)

United Arab Emirates – (August 31, 2022) – Asian Chess Federation and Australasian-based VADR Media are pleased to announce that they have entered into an exclusive long-term partnership with the creation of Checkmate live. The strategic partnership sees Checkmate live becoming the Asian Chess Federations’ official online tournament platform, data and broadcast partner.

Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (left) and  John McRae, Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media.

The Asian Chess Federation (ACF) is the international governing body of chess across the Asian Continent. Its membership comprises 52 national federations across Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. Its headquarters are in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates and its President is His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.

VADR is an executive production firm established 2008 that produces and promotes new media, sports and entertainment. They ventured into esports in 2015 when they launched Let’s Play Live and subsequently grew it into Australia and New Zealand’s largest independent esports provider.

Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (center) signing the contract with John McRae (right), Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media, witnessed by David Jenns, Principal of White Wolf Strategies.

Checkmate live is a new web3 initiative by the VADR team focused on producing and broadcasting linear and online tournaments for a new generation of players. At its heart is a skills-based platform that provides the opportunity to compete and also win cash prizes, credits, and in-game assets and an XR-led, esports-first international chess series.

The project is VADR’s second major play in the gaming and esports space with its recent sale of Let’s Play Live, Oceania’s largest esports tournament platform and linear and online broadcaster which it launched in 2016.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan, President Asian Chess Federation (ACF), commented:

“Technology has played an important part in the journey and development of sports over the years, often overlooking chess. In recent years, the onset of online gaming and internet improvements has enabled greater access globally. The lack of effective integrity measures for online chess has also been a concern for the community hindering greater involvement. The partnership with Checkmate will allow the Asian Chess Federation to deliver competitive online tournaments and increase opportunities for our players. A key determining factor in the decision to partner with Checkmate was their commitment to improving the integrity of online chess and their ability to successfully create a solution that satisfies ACF’s vision for the future. Once launched, ACF will be able to host official online events that are inclusive, equitable and will provide even greater access for our members.”.

“We are delighted to have partnered Checkmate with the Asian Chess Federation and are extremely grateful for the support of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan. It was fortuitous that both His Highness and ACF Secretary General Hisham Al Taher also share our passion for chess and esports. We all jointly recognize the ability for competitive online chess to connect mates (friends), generations and nations”, said VADR Founder and Managing Director John McRae.

It is estimated up to 700 million people play the 1500-year-old skill-based game. COVID-19 had a marked impact on its increasing popularity along with the release of Netflix hit mini-series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ in 2020. This growth has seen a significant increase in chess being streamed online by influencers, major esports teams signing professional players and record online viewership numbers.

It is estimated that up to 420 million of these players are aged between 18-34, which is the same demographic that has also seen brands increasingly flock to esports. Online chess, however, has several advantages over other esports, including higher female participation, greater brand hygiene and the ability for international competitions to be played online as it is asynchronous (turn by turn). The growth and popularity of online chess has also been positive for over-the-board chess, as recently demonstrated by over 2000 players from 185 countries competing at the FIDE Olympiad in India earlier this month.

A key focus for the Checkmate team since they started their planning was to improve the integrity of online Chess matches. The advent of online play, AI and Chess engines has been a boom for the game, but it has also been a major barrier to competitive online play due to the misuse of these technologies for cheating.

“We identified the problem of online cheating and its impact on fair play early on and believe we have resolved this issue, although we are realistic that it will be an ongoing battle as players continue to try and game the system. We have achieved this through a mix of proprietary AI exclusive to Checkmate and existing technology, partnerships and the development of a strong integrity programme. As part of its roadmap, Checkmate will be releasing a third-party module for associations, federations and tournament organizers who wish to benefit from these efforts”, said McRae.

Checkmate’s take on chess, the world’s oldest game, will launch in Q1 2023 on Web and Mobile.

Interested parties can sign up at www.checkmate.live to hear further announcements.

Media Contacts:

Asian Chess Federation

Hisham Al Taher
Secretary-General
Asian Chess Federation

asianchessfederation@yahoo.com

Checkmate
John McRae
Managing Director
VADR Media
john@vadr.media
+61421001766

 

The Dubai Open Chess Tournament, now on its 22nd year, is being held at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club from 26th August to 5th September 2022. At stake is a total of $50,000 in cash prizes with a top prize of $`13,000.

Dignitaries at the opening ceremony above were, standing from left, Taryam Matar, Chairman of UAE Chess Federation, Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, Khalid Ali Bin Zayed Al Falasi, Chairman of Dubai Chess & Culture Club, Sheikh Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Mualla, FIDE Vice President and Hussein Al Khoory, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chess Club & Mind Games.

The 9-round Swiss system with standard time control of 90 minutes plus 30 second increments has games starting 5pm daily and 10am in the last round. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings.

 

GM Arjun Erigaisi (India) emerged as the winner of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival – Masters scoring an impressive 7.5/9.

The event took place from 17-25 August 2022 in the United Arab Emirates and brought together 148 players from 31 countries.

Coming into the final round a half point ahead of nine players, the 18-year-old Indian teenager did not take any chances and clinched the title after defeating GM David Anton Guijarro with white pieces. Arjun completed the event unbeaten and picked up 22 rating points, meaning he will join an elite 2700+ club next month.

GM Javokhir Sindarov (pictured above) also scored a crucial victory over Amin Tabatabaei in the final round and finished clear second with 7/9. A large group of players, including Jorden Van Foreest (3rd), Ray Robson (4th), Nodirbek Yakubboev (5th) and Nihal Sarin (6th), to name a few, tied for third place.

Final standings:

1	GM	Erigaisi Arjun	IND	2689	7½
2	GM	Sindarov Javokhir	UZB	2629	7
3	GM	Van Foreest Jorden	NED	2680	6½
4	GM	Robson Ray	USA	2682	6½
5	GM	Yakubboev Nodirbek	UZB	2620	6½
6	GM	Nihal Sarin	IND	2651	6½
7	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	IND	2625	6½
8	FM	Samant Aditya S	IND	2430	6½
9	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	IND	2613	6½
10	GM	Aryan Chopra	IND	2627	6½
11	GM	Ter-Sahakyan Samvel	ARM	2625	6½

From FIDE.com

Photo: Rupali Mullick

Official website: adchessfestival.ae/

All India Chess Federation on behalf of Asian Chess Federation and FIDE, invites Asian Federations to participate in the Asian Continental Chess Championships (Open and Women’s) from 25^th October (arrival) to 04^th November (departure) 2022 in New Delhi, India. Download Asian Continental Regulations-2022

 

Indonesian team, from left, Kristianus Liem (team manager), Yoseph Theolifus Taher, Novendra Priasmoro, Mohamad Ervan, Agus Kurniawan, Rudijanto Majella (captain)

Indonesian women, from left, Lisa Lumongdong (captain), Dewi AA Citra, Irene Kharisma Sukandar, Medina Warda Aulia, Fariha Mariroh, Ruslan Scherbakov (coach)

Good luck to Vietnam women’s team, from left, WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung,  WGM Hoang Thi  Bao  Tram,  Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong,  Nguyen Thien  Ngan,  WGM Vo  Thi Kim Phung.

The Kuwait delegation.