Tuesday, March 26, 2013

What's up In Lapu Lapu?

CM Romeo Resuera vs Aldwin Daculan (Caro-Kann with c3)


Tommorow morning, all of the top chess players from Lapu Lapu, Cebu will gather together in a small yet monumental tournament in Lapu Lapu chess's history. The small closed tournament will celebrate the history and the culture of chess in our humble town. We will talk about our club's past and how it slowly grew into a little, yet warmth chess community. It's also possible that we will "chat" about lapu lapu chess's future  during the small gathering. Hopefully, this will benefit the welfare of fellow woodpushers in our town. Lapu Lapu chess always has been  laidback in nature, and a virtual unknown in the Cebu chess scene, uncorrupted by the "dirty chess" by its neighboring city. "Meron talagang mga players na kahit ang palalab nilang laro, dinudumi pa nila". But I do not wish to judge, I am merely stating a fact, and a horrible fact it is indeed.

Anyways, I would like to praise the chess boom in Paknaan, Mandaue, where tournaments are now occurring almost every month. Hopefully, their chess programs will bring more people and children close to the royal game. Here's a quote from your author :)

yours truly,
 Kraig "Chess" Quinain






Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Some chess news

First of all I would like to congratulate Sgt. Amado Olea for finishing second place (!) in the CEPCA players tourney last February. Meanwhile the tournament's champion is NM Arnolito Cadiz. The tournament was help at Deep Blue chess cafe at SM Cebu.

By the way, Olea is a newcomer in CEPCA and is a passionate woodpusher from Lapu Lapu. I believe he was also Lapu Lapu champion last 2009.

The Paknaan Juniors tournament is slated this March 9. I believe it is also a kind of "women's open" tournament since any woman regardless of age, are allowed to join. You can find the full details of the said tournament on Eden Diano's facebook page. Clear favorites for that tournament probably are  Khyle Sevillano, Allan Pason, and Diego Claro to name a few. I am also hoping that Lapu Lapu's Ariel Joseph Abellana would play, since he has such immense talent for the game and it would be utterly regrettable to see it come to waste. BRGY Paknaan is very active in its chess programs these days.

There is a plan to create a PDF document containing the "mysterious" history of chess in Lapu-Lapu, and the name of a particular player who actually brought the game in our humble town. Unfortunately, the oldest living chess player in our club passed away last month, eliminating the chance of ever asking him about who were the other chess players whi came before him, especially in Lapu Lapu. He once claimed that he beat GM Quinteros in a simul long ago. We have found the scoresheet of the their game just recently, mainly through the efforts of his son, who searched thru the late player's things. Anyways, it's still just a plan. But it's a plan we're looking forward to.

Although some of you may already know this, I would still like to encourage others to join the Ahedres ng Pilipinas group on Facebook. In their facebook page you get to watch video interviews of our fellow Filipino GMs and NCFP officials. Videos are provided by Nil Maglas who is also a fellow Cebuano and member of the group. You also get updated on the lastest trends in Philippine Chess just by joining the group!