On Chess: A Remembrance and Revival

Three top honchos of the newly-organized Occidental Mindoro Chess Academy came to our office a couple of weeks ago and presented initial activities in preparation for the forthcoming provincial chess tournament this October. The tourney’s target host is Sablayan being at the geographical center of the Mindoro West Coast.  The visiting local “three kings of chess” I am referring to are Frederick D. Isip, Branch Head of Social Security System (SSS) in San Jose, GM (short for General Manager, not Grand Master!) Renato G. Gatuz of San Jose Water District and Mr. Emmanuel “Noel” Asi, manager of United Coconut Planters Bank or UCPB also of said municipality.

They informed this lowly blogger and Municipal Councilor Walter B. Marquez that platoons of chess players will be joining the contest. The Occidental Mindoro chess comes to life once more and its every step is sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

In the middle of our conversation, Mr. Asi asked me if I play chess. I said I just read a lot about the game.  Actually, one of my greatest frustrations in life is to be a chess player. I was a wood-pusher (it’s the sports lingo for chess player who is not good at the game and has nothing to do with trading illegally-cut logs) but I am pinning high hopes on the “three kings” that they may be successful in their noble endeavor.

I am about to graduate high school when the World Championship was held in Baguio City from July 18 to October 18, 1978. Incidentally, it is on its 40th anniversary this year. The championships set some sort of record for a series of bizarre stunts and even more wacky reactions from the camps of Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi. The Baguio event been considered as the Most Bizarre and Zany World Championships of all. Nonetheless, Karpov won the trophy and Florencio Campomanes, the Filipino political scientist and a chess player, from then on gained prominence at FIDE or World Chess Federation. He’s an ally of former strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos. I dropped playing chess as a hobby when I graduated in high school and turned to writing when I reached college.

My interest in chess reawakened when Sophia, my youngest child, was selected to represent her school, the Divine Word College of San Jose, in the Private Schools’ Athletic Association (PRISAA) girls’ chess competition. As parents, we are glad when our children achieve things we failed to achieve. I posted over FB a photo of her team jersey and jacket and another photo of her playing with his cousin Patrick asking my friends to send me chess book for my dear Sophia. A cyber-friend by the name of Art Catapang who resides in the US, with all his old but generous heart, sent her four books: Tim Harding’s “Better Chess for Average Players”, the US Chess Federation’s “Official Rules of Chess”, James Eade’s “The Chess Player’s Bible”, and, Fred Reinfeld’s “The Complete Chess Player”.  Her “Lolo Art” sent her the books as a Valentine’s Day gift.  He even advised her to, “stay the course and have fun.” I have no illusions of seeing my girl to be a chess master in the future or be the next Judit or Susan Polgár. Sophia didn’t get the most-coveted chess medal in Bongabon’s PRISAA for she only won 1 out of 4 games.

Nonetheless, the tournament made her experience many things and gain friends from different provinces. Chess made her a growing person, I suppose. Chess made my little girl how to be patient, how to bide her time, how to analyze other people’s point of view, how to read the mind of her opponent, how to handle discouraging situations and most especially, how to learn from her disappointments or frustrations, just like her father.

In the Introduction of Reinfeld’s book it says, “Having a feeling of assurance about your game will make it possible for you to extract to the full all the pleasure that chess can give.” (Underscoring, mine) Change the underlined words with the word “life” and that’s it.

My child now understands that in real life, even the backward pawn, if properly fixed, can be promoted to queen when it reaches its 8^th rank…

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(Photo: Wikipedia)

Duterte and Pacquiao in Mahathir’s Malaysia

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is expected to be at ringside as Senator Manny Pacquiao slugs it out against the Argentine WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia on Sunday, July 15, 2018. As far as I could remember, this will be the first time a sitting Philippine president will sit among the crowd and see his fellow Filipino fight in a foreign land.

The SenaPac (pretty odd but this is what I call Pacman since he became senator) is aiming for his 9^th title in this bout dubbed “Fight of Champions”. As of press time, both Pacquiao and Mathysse already arrived in the land of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Though President Duterte’s presence in KL is a “private” visit, there is a scheduled meeting between Duterte and Mahathir after the boxing match if we are going to believe Harry Roque, the president’s main mouthpiece.

Pacquiao as a boxer should learn a lesson or two from Mahathir in some ways and Duterte from the fall of the former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Who are Mahathir Mohamad and Najib Razak, by the way? Mahathir, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister for 22 years, who defected to the opposition to take on former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s party, again voted to power a couple of months ago. Mahathir’s political alliance Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) won at least 112 of 222 parliamentary seats in May polls that made a pivotal shift for Malaysia as a nation.

Like Mahathir’s winning moves, Pacquiao has to show that he still knows how to unleash solid blows and be dominant in the ring. Like how Mahathir swept traditional government strongholds of Johor, Kedah and Negeri Sembilan and neutralized Najib’s advantage in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. In such a win, Mahathir showed that age doesn’t matter. Mahathir is 92 and Pacquaio is 39. In this brawl in Malaysia, Pacquiao must be, as alleged by Najib on Mahathir during the campaigns, “obsessive about control, calling the shots.” And that is the only way to win against Mathysse and grab the belt. Like Mahathir, Pacquiao has to show the world that he is not done yet as a pugilist. Like Mahathir, Pacquiao need to be the time-tested and thinking dictator in the ring.

Not unlike Duterte, Najib met increased public anger over so many issues. In the case of Najib, according to reports, it’s the goods-and-services tax that boosted prices and a money laundering scandal involving hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned from state investment firm 1MDB that nailed his coffin. Mahathir called Najib, his protégé-turned-rival, a “thief” during the campaign.

Duterte on the other hand fell short in delivering his nation not only from the perils of criminality and drugs but from economic chaos and large-scale trampling of human rights. His government is expected to look or focus more on the economic condition of the people and the fiscal health of the country rather than pushing an allegedly red carpet to totalitarian rule disguised as “Federalism”.  

Surely, the Filipino people will temporarily forget about the P500% in the Office of the President’s expenses for 2017 for the cost of the ASEAN Summit, financial assistance to soldiers, maintenance of presidential choppers and billions of intelligence funds. Why the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the Office of the President zoomed up to P14.9 billion in 2017, up 534.24 percent, according to COA annual audit report. The bulk of funds, or P8.19 billion, went to “other MOOEs” allotted to expenses such as advertising, printing and publication, representation, transportation and delivery, rent/lease, membership dues and contributions to organizations. The dangers of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP’s expectation that inflation will settle in at 4.6% this year, above its 4% upper target. This means we can expect inflation to further increase till the third quarter of 2018 before it subsides, among other issues involving the national coffer including that dreaded TRAIN Law and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Asian Development Bank (ADB) covering an indicative 7.1 billion US dollars sovereign lending program to the Philippines from 2019 to 2021. Not to mention other evident issues of the day such as spate of killings of elected officials, our inaction to Chinese military build-up in West Philippine Sea and Duterte’s “stupid God” remark which Pacquiao downplayed by saying “we all have different beliefs.”  Lately, though he didn’t had a chance of selfie with the Almighty, Duterte finally apologized (to God) for calling God “stupid.”

As expected, come Sunday, Filipinos will once more cheer and rally behind the Pambansang Kamao together with Duterte including those in the human rights movements and the Catholic Church even if they are Duterte’s favorite punching bags of late!

Momentarily, we will be forgetting the hardships and the ills around us as a nation especially when the president himself is there to witness our boxing legend’s ring greatness, whether it’s his swansong or not. Along with other celebrities from all over the world, from the entertainment and the boxing circle itself, Duterte, controversial as he is, would certainly add drama to the fight or color to the bout’s media coverage.

Win or lose, Senator Pacquiao, and this time with President Duterte, will in a while send this impoverished country to La-La Land, a speculative state of mind mainly characterized by blissful lack of touch with reality….

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(Postscript: Pacquiao won via 7th round TKO)

References:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1008595/duterte-to-watch-pacquiao-mathysse-fight-in-kl-meet-with-pm-mahathir

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Malaysia-in-transition/Mixed-fate-greets-Malaysian-companies-after-historic-election

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-07-05/sea-change-in-southeast-asia

https://www.rappler.com/nation/206646-office-of-the-president-expenses-2017-choppers-consultants-intel-funds

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/659853/coa-reports-office-of-the-president-spent-p14-9b-in-2017-up-534-from-2016/story/

Photo: ABS-CBN News

Another “Basketbrawl”: Gilas-Australia

Last night’s “basketbrawl” between Gilas Pilipinas and the visiting Australians in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers' game at Philippine Arena was not actually the first in the history of the Philippines’ involvement in such a melee in an international competition or against foreign players.

Just like what happened last night, there was also a game known after a heated physical game erupted into a tangled mess of men punching, kicking, and Jeff Horn-ing and Manny Pacquiao-ing each other with flying kicks and elbows in the sidings. The was a match 1998 Philippine Centennial team against the NCA Division I team, the Minnesota Gophers. The game was televised only on the local ESPN channel in Minnesota. Be reminded that in 1998, the Philippines celebrated the 100^th year of its independence, therefore, they are called the Philippine Centennial team. Patriotic Katipuneros are they?

But we are not only hotheads against foreign opponents. In 1988, the ugliest “basketbrawl” in the PBA happened. It was during the Game 4 of the battle for third place between Añejo (Ginebra) and Presto. It was too a bench-clearing incident also in the 3rd quarter. Though it was the Añejo explosive imports Joe Ward and Tommy Davis who started it. Yes, having two imports in a certain conference is allowed for each team then.

In last night’s brawl here’s the Rappler’s story: “Punches were thrown and kicks were landed in a game that had Australia having its way over the Philippines with a 31-point lead, 79-48, with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. With the game already seething of intensity as the Filipinos were seeking to mount a comeback, Gilas' RR Pogoy shoved Christopher Goulding to the ground before he was decked by Australia's Daniel Kickert.

That did not end there as a flying Jayson Castro landed a punch on Kickert. It turned into a free-for-all with Thon Maker unleashing flying kicks. Andray Blatche, Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo, Carl Bryan Cruz, Matthew Wright were seen in the replay landing punches against their Australian counterparts. … On a different replay, Allein Maliksi, who was part of the Gilas pool but did not suit up for the Australia game, was seen unloading continuous blows to Goulding at the back of Gilas' basket.” Suddenly, the world renown Filipino hospitality landed in the dustbin! 

In the 1998 game, here’s an eyewitness exaggerated account: “Andy Seigle desperately aching to have a face touch his erratic elbow. "The Captain", Alvin Patrimonio, perhaps in his angriest self, going apeshit by pounding at least 4 solid punches to a hapless Gopher.  Jun Limpot, after getting whacked at the back of his head by No. 10, searching for a vacant chair he could use to send someone to afterlife. The referee crawling out as if he's just been rescued from a rubble. Kenneth Duremdes testing the sole of his shoe if it would produce a squeaking sound if planted on a human head.” Whew!

The 1998 incident was just an invitational exhibition match while the game last night was part of a regular competition. The FIBA Media said that the body will open its disciplinary proceedings against both teams and the decision will be announced soon. The story will not end here, I am sure.

 And “basketbrawl” is here to stay… 

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References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgj4-5q3ZfQ

Photo: ABS-CBN News