Torre returns to Olympiad as RP skipper

Grandmaster Eugene Torre will join the RP team bound for the 38th World Chess Olympiad slated Nov. 12-25 in Dresden, Germany after all.

But the 57-year-old Torre, who has seen action in 19 straight Olympiads, will not play this time but act as the team’s non-playing captain.

Torre yesterday agreed to the National Chess Federation of the Philippines’ offer to be the squad’s non-playing skipper after his last-minute request to join the team was turned down.

“Yes, I would be the team’s non-playing team captain,” Torre told The STAR. “Since I couldn’t help the team as a player, I might as well help in some other ways like being captain of the team.”

Torre, who decided not to join the Olympiad qualifier because of its grueling format, will handle the team composed of GMs Wesley So, Bong Villamayor, Darwin Laylo and Jayson Gonzales and International Master John Paul Gomez.

So, who will turn 15 on Thursday, is now the world’s youngest super GM after hiking his FIDE rating to 2610.

Torre, who had manned the top board for RP for nearly four decades, will thus miss matching the 20 non-consecutive Olympiad stints by Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch.

The durable Torre is also eight matches away from equaling the record 231 Olympiad games also owned by Portisch.

Torre has compiled 85 wins, 104 draws and 34 losses, or a total 134 points in the Olympiad, fourth in the all-time list on most points behind Portisch, Argentine GM Miguel Najdorf and Yugoslav GM Svetozar Gligoric.

Torre, who surprised everybody to top the third Pres. Arroyo Cup recently, said he would try his luck in the next Olympiad.

“God willing, if we still have it maybe we’ll give it another shot in the next Olympiad,” Torre said.   – Joey Villar