Torre gets PSA Lifetime Achievement award

MANILA, Philippines - With a vintage performance in the last Chess Olympiad, Grandmaster Eugene Torre takes center stage again in the coming Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night as recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Proving he’s still a force to reckon with at 65, Torre carried the country’s campaign in the 2016 Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan just like he did during his heydays as the top chess player not only in the Philippines but also in Asia.

Appearing in another record-breaking 23rd appearance in the biennial meet, Torre emerged the best player from the four-man Filipino team and in the entire tournament, finishing undefeated behind a spectacular 10 points out of the possible 11 on nine victories and two draws.

While the total score was the biggest among anyone in the meet, Torre settled for the bronze medal on Board 3 since the format awards winner (gold medalist) to the player with the highest performance rating.

Still, his performance served as among the few bright spots in the country’s campaign in the 42nd edition of the Olympiad. It was also Torre’s first medal in the event since winning the silver on Board 1 (9 wins and 10 draws) during the 1974 Olympiad in Nice, France where the Filipino achieved his Grandmaster norm, the first ever to do so in Asia at the time.