The right moves for the youth

MANILA, Philippines - John Ranel Morazo, 17, this year’s newly-crowned Juniors Division titlist in the recently concluded Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship (Shell Chess), remembers how he would wake up in the wee hours of Monday morning to catch up on his studies. On weekends, John would spend most of the day in Baguio City’s Burnham Park, playing chess with youngsters and veterans alike.

But unlike other youths his age, John, a junior college student at the University of Baguio, does not just play chess for fun but also as a means of augmenting his meager allowance. As a varsity player of his school’s chess team, the young sports champ uses his wizardry in the game of chess to earn for himself and his family. He shares that playing chess with the hustlers in Burnham Park not only helps him get by financially, but helps him to sharpen his skills in the game and develop nerves of steel under the most extreme of pressures. 

“Sometimes you also need to test your nerves by playing money games,” he says. An active chess player since he was 11 years old, John learned the rudiments of the game from his father. To test his playing strength, his father would let him join chess tournaments in his native Tarlac — be it in school or inter-barangay competitions.

John would soon learn about Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation’s (Pilipinas Shell) annual chess tournaments through Engr. Joseph Codiaman, his coach for five years now. “I first joined Shell Chess in 2005 in the Kiddies Division so I could gain more exposure and experience,” recounts John. “My coach would always encourage me to join the annual Shell Chess tournaments.” 

For five straight years, John had been a consistent finalist in Shell Chess. In fact, it should have been just four straight finals appearances since he only placed third runner-up in the qualifying games held in Tuguegarao this year. But as luck would have it, Leo Abalos, Jr., the Tuguegarao leg champion, had to beg off due to the impassable roads from Baguio that were damaged by typhoon Pepeng. 

As the next player in line, John was tapped to play instead in the grand finals as a replacement. Foiled in his last four tries to win the coveted title, John learned that the saying “try and try until you succeed” still holds true. Turning this break into a winning moment, he stunned second seed and erstwhile unbeaten Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the sixth round, then outwitted top seed Bryll John Arellano in the eighth round to clinch the Juniors’ title this year. 

“Nakuha rin sa tiyaga (I made it through perseverance),” John mused, adding, “at least now, meron na akong panggastos sa pag-aaral ko (now I have money for my schooling),” referring to the P30,00 cash prize he won from this year’s tourney. John, who notes that discipline, perseverance, and hard work were values he learned while competing in the chess tournaments hosted by Shell, is hoping to become a Civil Engineer some day.

On the other hand, Vince Angelo Medina, grand champion in the 14-and-Under Division this year (Kiddies Division), won the crown in runaway fashion, scoring 4.5 points in the first five rounds before racking up 3.5 points in the last four rounds. His crucial upset win over second seed John Tabada enabled him to post a two-point victory over top seeded McDominique Lagula.

“I owe this win to my family,” beams Vince. “Without their help, especially my father who has been my mentor throughout this tournament, I would not have emerged as champion this year.” Unlike John who honed his skills in chess through outdoor money games, Vince benefited from the mentoring of his three siblings — all of whom were also very good in chess.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve always dreamt of becoming known in the field of sports,” he confesses. “Hard work, discipline, sportsmanship, and total dedication to the game were just some of the things I learned from joining the Shell Chess tournaments.” He notes that after classes, he would relish playing Fritz 11, a computer chess program, for two hours each day rather than hanging out with friends.

It was an inspiring win, indeed, for both John and Vince, especially for the latter who had been a grand finalist in the last four years of the annual event, but never figured in the championship until he almost missed the grand finals for the first time this year.

According to Mylene Santos, downstream communications manager of Pilipinas Shell, “The Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship is born of the belief that the youth has the ability to muster excellence and competitiveness through a global mental sport.” 

As part of Pilipinas Shell’s advocacy campaign, the company has set out to engage the minds of the Filipino youth through active chess tournaments since 1992. Targeting Filipino youths under 20 years of age, the Shell Chess tournaments now offer a truly grassroots activity held in strategically located sites nationwide.

“Shell Chess was conceived as a means to support the empowerment of the youth,” adds Santos. “It forms part of the company’s overall Sustainable Development commitment to young Filipinos, as the program helps to instill in them positive values such as sportsmanship, discipline, responsibility, maturity and diligence. Thanks to the endorsement of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, tens of thousands of youngsters today have since been motivated — many of whom credit playing chess as an activity that has contributed positively in enriching their lives,” she adds.