MANILA, 24 May — Now it can be told again, Eugene Torre — Asia’s first grandmaster — remains the country’s top chess master.
He reaffirmed his lofty status after capturing the title in the National Chess Championships recently.
Torre ranked his victory as the toughest, yet sweetest, in a checkered career spanning more than three decades.
The 50-year-old Torre agreed to a quick draw with fellow GM Joey Antonio to cap a remarkable comeback that saw him score 8.5 points in the last 11 rounds, including three straight victories in the last four rounds on the way to bagging the crown.
“I don’t know if I can do this again,” said Torre.
Torre tumbled in rounds three and four — losing to untitled Melvin Merelos and International Master Chito Garma, respectively — but recovered just in time to emerge champion.
Assured of the advantage, Torre settled for a safe 15-move draw with Antonio in round 15, the final game in the round robin format.
More importantly, with his feat, Torre will assume anew his position as Board 1 player of the six-man Philippine team in the forthcoming World Chess Olympics in October this year in Bled, Slovenia.
It will mark the 16th time since 1970 that Torre will be playing on the top board for the country in the World Chess Olympics.
Three grandmasters and three equally talented international masters in the Philippine delegation to the World Chess Olympics will boost hopes of making the top 10 in the biennial event.
The Philippine team, taken from the top six players of the selection tournament, includes grandmasters Bong Villamayor and Antonio, young International Master Mark Paragua, Olympic veteran Petronio Roca and newcomer Nelson Mariano II.
Actually, Torre, Antonio and Villamayor even risked their automatic seeding to the Olympiad team, but still earned slots after a grueling 15-game battle in the National Chess Finals.
Torre displayed his veteran prowess to garner 10.5 points after 15 games to top the 16-man field and took home the 150,000 pesos champion’s purse. Actually, he clinched the national crown as early as the 14th round.
Paragua, Mariano II and Roca finished second, third and fourth places, respectively.
The three GMs, IM Idelfonso Datu, IM Barlo Nadera and IM Ronald Bancod ended up tied for 17th to 20th place in the Istanbul Olympiad two years ago.
But with this year’s lineup of the three GMs, Paragua, Mariano and Roca, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines is optimistic that a top 10 finish is possible. Lawyer Sammy Estimo, NCFP secretary general, expressed confidence the Philippines will improve its standing this year.
“The Philippine team has always been a formidable team in recent Olympiad stagings. This year’s lineup is equally formidable,” Estimo said. Estimo said Torre, who has brought a merry mix of honors to the country, will provide the experience in the country’s already formidable team.
Antonio topped the 2000 Millennium Chess Pambansa Grand Prix as national champion. Villamayor had a coaching stint in Singapore and his added knowledge can help a lot in future matches. Paragua and Mariano will be making their debut in the biennial event.
“I believe we have a strong, competitive team. MacMac (Paragua’s nickname) and Nelson (Mariano) may be rookies, but they are seasoned campaigners,” said Torre.
Mariano, who won the national junior championship twice in 1993 and 1994 and an Asian Junior champion in 1994, finally fulfilled a long-cherished dream to be part of the Philippine team to the World Chess Olympiad.
“It’s a dream come to true to be able to play in the Olympiad and represent the Philippines,” said Mariano. “I hope I can achieve my other dream — that is to become a grandmaster. I hope to make it a reality in the Olympiad.”
The 38-year old Antonio actually emerged tied with Villamayor and IM Chito Garma for fifth-seventh places, but the two GMs had the superior tiebreak, assuring the country of the participation of the country’s top three players.
The 18-year-old Paragua became one of the youngest players to join the Olympiad, and the only player to make it to the team among the three seeded junior players.
Roca is playing in his sixth Olympiad.
Interestingly, chess is expected to make its debut in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and a grand appearance in the 2006 Asian Games in Quatar, giving the Philippines a big boost in its medal campaign in both international events.
Former FIDE (Federacion International des Echecs) president Florencio Campomanes said this development is “an initial step in making the sport a regular fare in all the Olympics,” which he said he is working on along with various chess leaders around the world.
“But the Olympics is going ahead of the story. Our main concern now is the SEA Games in Vietnam since I’ve been given almost 100 percent assurance by the organizers that it will be included in the schedule of events.”
Campomanes said that he is only waiting an official letter from Vietnam for confirmation. Vietnam is also pushing for chess because of its large GM and international master pool.
The Philippines has three grandmasters — Torre, Antonio and Villamayor — while Vietnam has four GMS and Indonesia six.
Vietnam, as host of the SEA Games this September, is the slight favorite but observers say that Torre, Antonio and Villamayor have strong chances since they are all familiar with the best players in the region.
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Quatari Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, on the other hand, has sent Campomanes a letter recently confirming the decision by host Qatar of including chess as one of the 38 events in the Asian Games tentatively set from Dec. 2, 2006.
Torre, Antonio and Villamayor, in earlier interviews, expressed high hopes in the Asian Games.
“Our dream, actually, is for chess to be included in the Olympics. I’m now working on it, getting in touch with my connection in the world chess scene, so that IOC (International Olympic Committee) will be convinced to include chess in its future games,” said Campomanes.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Mat Defensor urged Filipino chess players to strive harder in anticipation of chess becoming a medal sport in the SEA Games and the Asian Games.
“As chess players, we have to strive to perform better not only because there is a prize money at stake. We have to look into the future, since chess will become a medal sport in the next SEA Games and Asian Games,” said Defensor.
