Atienza paces chess tiff

Cyrus Atienza of Land Bank is showing the way in the Serenity section’s overall grand prix standings of the 2001 Philippine Executive Active Chess Express going into the fourth leg on Jan. 27 next year at Land Bank’s Multi-Purpose Hall in Makati City.

The yearlong 11-leg event, best known by its acronym PEACE 2001, is being sponsored by DNS Company and organized by the Active Chess Center of Asia (ACCA) in cooperation with Belgosa Media Systems, Land Bank, Topmost Engineering, Travel Cafe and OMNI Business Center.

In the elite Harmony section, dentist Jenny Mayor leads with 51 points. PEACE 2001 is open to business executives and professionals.

The top 20 rankings after three legs: Cyrus Atienza, 50 points; Romel Asoque 44, Raul Villate 43, Gunnar Abelido 38, 5th Catalino Santos 32, Randy Cuteo 31, Jun Rivera 26, Salvador Paragua 24, Valentino Bautista and Ryan Ruiz 20, Rodolfo Mendoza and Erwin Calar 17, Rogelio Taopa and Antonieto Cañete 16, Loreño Tabilog and Ramil Acosta 15, Dionisio Urbina 14, Jose Mari Jose and Mylene Rotor 13, Allan Salgado and Renato Aquino 12.

For several years now, the ACCA has been actively involved in making active chess as an alternative sport and leisure activity for executives and professionals from various sectors of the Philippine industry. Executives without the time for long-drawn-out tournaments of five-hour or six-hour chess have more opportunities to compete and have some together in the spirit of fun, competition, forging new ties and friendships.

Started in 1992, monthly champions have included lawyers Jose Ventura Aspiras, Aquilino Pimentel III, Quirino Sagario, Rommel Tacorda and Virgilio Sevandal, engineers Melandro Singson, Elpidio Jayagan II, Federic Tumanon, Rodrigo Niadas, Jay Arcenal, Pablito Argamosa, and Hermie Duhaylungsod, credit specialist Joselito Cada, dentists Jenny Mayor and Alfredo Paez, Douglas Peña, Tyrone Guya, Ray Marras, Dante Zuñiga, Erol Parcero, Oliver Ang, Orlando Pascual, Leodegario Ricaña, Cesar Aquino, Edwin Sison, Raoul Crisologo, Gilo Estrella, Roberto Grepo, Jose Kagaban, Romeo Talavera, Su-od Mamailao, Erven Perlas, Antonio Polistico, Ilann Perez, Willy San Juan, Romulo Silvestre, Joeme Ricafuente, Alexander Viñas, Francisco Cabe, Dennis San Juan and Loreño Tabilog.

Aspiras holds the difficult to surpass record of winning three grand final championships. Cada, Singson and Mayor are the other grand prix winners, while Tacorda owns the enviable record of winning five stages in one season. Not to be outdone, Zuñiga, Sagario and lawyer Edmundo Legaspi are the only players who earned the national master title.