Torre leads RP cast in Olympics

Grandmaster Eugene Torre reaffirmed his status as the country’s top chess master and will assume anew his position as Board 1 player of the six-man Philippine team in the forthcoming World Chess Olympics by ruling the national chess championships among 16 players last night.

Torre virtually clinched the title as early as the 14th round yesterday with a victory over National Master Elmer Sumngat at the close of the National Chess Championships at the All Asia Capital Center in Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.

Torre, as expected, played for a regulation 15-move draw with fellow GM Joey Antonio in the last round to finish the tournament with 10.5 points.

The RP team to the Chess Olympics, slated in September this year in Bled, Slovenia, will be led by Torre, who will play on the top board for 16th time since 1970. The Philippine team, taken from the top six players of the just-ended selection tournament, includes GMs Bong Villamayor and Antonio, young IM Mark Paragua, Olympic veteran Petronio Roca and newcomer Nelson Mariano II.

Mariano finally fulfilled a long-cherished dream after a decisive win over Sumngat. Mariano, who won the national junior championship twice in 1993 and 1994 and an Asian Junior champion in 1994, needed only a draw to make it to the six-man team, but a passive move by Sumngat on the 14th move — a bishop on d3 — prompted Mariano to push a crippling pawn move (d5) and go all out for the win.

The win gave Mariano 10 points, the same score posted by Paragua, Roca and Villamayor, who all settled for early draws.

"Natupad na rin ang pangarap ko na makasama sa Olympiad. Before every round dito talagang nagdarasal ako kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa Itaas," said Mariano. "Isang pangarap na lang ang hindi pa natutupad, ang maging GM ako. Pero sa tingin ko malapit na rin yun.

With a superior tiebreak, Mariano climbed into second place behind Torre.

The 38-year old Antonio actually emerged tied with Villamayor and IM Chito Garma for fifth-seventh places, but the two GMs had the superior tiebreak, assuring the country of the participation of the country’s top three players.

Villamayor also capped his performance with a draw with IM Ronald Bancod in 17 moves of a King’s Indian Attack.

The 18-year-old Paragua, meanwhile, became one of the youngest players to join the Olympiad, and the only player to make it to the team among the three seeded junior players. The former child prodigy also drew his final match with Roca to be at third place after the tiebreak. Roca, who also had 10 points to his name, is playing in his sixth Olympiad.