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)