GMs heads RP team to Chess Olympiad
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Despite missing the services of one of its most dependable players, the RP chess team remains optimistic about its coming campaign in the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
With RP’s top Grandmaster Wesley So manning Board 1 and the unsinkable Eugene Torre providing leadership and experience, the Filipino chessers are eyeing a Top 20 finish for their modest goal in the Sept. 19 to Oct. 14 biennial event featuring the world’s best players.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Prospero Pichay said the country is sending a strong team to the competition even though GM Joey Antonio is not in the lineup.
Aside from So and Torre, team members include GMs John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo, International Master Richard Bitoon and NCFP director Willie Abalos.
The women’s team, meanwhile, is composed of Chardine Cheradee Camacho, Shercila Cua, Catherine Perena, Ellen Jose and alternate Jedara Docena.
But it’s the men’s side that is expected to give the rest of the field a competitive fight, having once finished in the Top 10 – seventh overall for the country’s best finish in the meet – during the 1988 Olympiad in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gomez has since been assigned to play in Board 2 following the major fallout between Antonio and the NCFP leadership. Laylo takes over Board 3, Torre will be moving in Board 4 and Bitoon in Board 5.
Torre, Asia’s first ever Grandmaster will be seeing action in his 20th Olympiad.
The country finished 46th in the 38th edition of the event in Dresden, Germany topped by Armenia.
Pichay again considers the defending champion as well as traditional powers Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, among others as the likely teams to beat.
The presence of Antonio could have readily boosted the Filipinos’ chances, but Pichay said his exclusion in the team was for the best interest of everybody.
Antonio came under fire from the NCFP leadership following his decision to skip two major tournaments organized by the association in lieu of two chess meets in the U.S.
Source: http://www.visayandailystar.com
