Torre, six others pull out; NCFP option stays

Instead of a solution, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines yesterday faced more problems when seven players led by Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Bong Villamayor pulled out of the National Open chess finals which resumes today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The 16-man tournament, which will determine the members of the Philippine SEA Games team in the standard event, was already on its third round when it was called off last Sunday due to differences between some players and NCFP officials.

Torre, Asia’s first GM, found himself in the middle of the squabble when his non-participation in the tournament raised suspicion among the players that he is being seeded outright into the five-man squad. There are other slots to be disputed in the rapid and active events.

NCFP president Go Teng Kok said nobody has been seeded to the team and the decision to stake only four of the five slots in the tournament was legal. The fifth slot was supposed to be an "option" which is reserved for the NCFP - whoever it wants to field later on.

The "option" stays when the tournament resumes, according to Go.

"Complicated na ang situation. And it will be even more complicated if I get myself involved. I am begging off from the tournament. Mas mabuti na ‘yun. I’m out of the standard event," said Torre during a meeting among NCFP officials and the players at the Sheraton Hotel.

A couple of players, including National Master Jessie Noel Sales, asked Torre to reconsider his decision but the country’s foremost chess figure refused to budge. After the meeting was adjourned, Torre said "yun pa din ang decision ko. Out na muna ako."

Go, who also heads the RP track and field association, announced during the meeting that the tournament will resume today, tomorrow and Sunday for the completion of the first three rounds, including those of GMs Joey Antonio and Nelson Mariano II. He also said there’ll be no more prize money for the tournament.

The fourth round of the round-robin event will be played on June 23 with the last round to be played on the 30th. Rest days are on the 25th and 26th.

Antonio and Mariano missed the first two rounds because they failed to arrive on time after competing in a tournament in the US along with World Championship veteran Ronald Dableo. The latter was able to fly home in time for last Friday’s opening.

Some players, led by IM Chito Garma, said the NCFP should have forfeited the first two matches of Antonio and Mariano by default. So when Go said yesterday that Antonio and Mariano will be allowed to play their first two rounds, six other players aside from Torre decided to withdraw.

"Kung ipapalaro ang first two rounds nila GMs Antonio at Mariano, I will withdraw," said Dableo, whose stand was later supported by reigning RP juniors champion John Paul Gomez, Garma and two others.

Villamayor withdrew from the tournament because of the change in schedule. He took a leave of absence (from May 28 to June 13) from his chess coaching job in Singapore and can no longer afford another week or two. "Wala na. Baka naman mawalan ako ng trabaho dito. Babalik na ako sa Singapore," he said.