Women’s chess

When The Freeman sports editor Manny Villaruel ran a feature on Cebuano NM Susan Itaas, it brought back fond memories of our journey to the 1992 Manila World Chess Olympiad.  In late 1991, fresh from the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, we were getting ready for another big event, the Chess Olympics. Cecil Hechanova, then PSC chair, tasked me to whip the National Chess Team to a physically and mentally-trained machine.  Hechanova designated me the physical conditioning coach of the team, which was already training at the Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City. There were 16 male and four female chess players, the men’s team consisted of Eugene Torre (also the camp’s training director), Joey Antonio, Rico Mascarinas, Econg Sevillano, Banjo Barcenilla, Eric Gloria, Barlo Nadera, Roland Nolte, Ruben Rodriguez, Maging Maga, Adrian Pacis, Manny Senador, Rodrigo Atutubo, Fernie Donguinez, Ricky De Guzman and Petronillo Roca.  The women’s team was bannered by Itaas, Ludy Ortega, Gen Bolico and Mary Celis.  Our regimen consisted of stretching, walking, jogging and basketball, which we endured for 10 months. The breakup of the USSR has made competition tougher. In the past, the teams have only to contend with one strong country, but it’s an entirely different story with Georgia, Estonia, Latvia and Azerbaijan, providing stiff competition.  Georgia, which used to compose the USSR team, was now playing for its own turf.  Former world champion Maya Chiburdanidze led Georgia with 10 wins and 3 draws to propel her team to the championship with  30.5 points edging Ukraine which scored 29.0 for second place.  Georgia was also backed by fomer world champion Nana Alexandria , WGM Nana Toseliani and Nino Gurieli.  China wound up third with 28.5 and was led by  Xie Jun who unseat Chiburdanidze as world champion in 1991.  The absence of the Polgar sisters, relegated Hungary to fourth place with 26.5.  The rest of the top ten were  5th Russia (26.0), 6th Romania (25.0), 7th Azerbaijan (25.0), 8th Kazakhstan(24.5), 9th USA (24.5) and 10th Czechoslovakia.  The Philippines Team A totaled 21.0 to settle  for 39th place  while Philippines  Team B scored 19.5 to rank 51st.  At least the  Pinays were ahead of Spain, Venezuela, Finland, Canada and France. 

Hasta La Vista Pol

In a previous column, I wrote that I’m happy as support for 1988 Seoul Olympian Leopoldo Serantes was forthcoming. Ronald Mascarinas, Chooks-to-Go president,  announced that his company is giving Serantes a P100,000 lifetime allowance after Mascarinas was informed by another Olympian, Onyok Velasco, that Serantes has been confined at the Veterans Memorial Hospital, suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) for several months now and breathing through a  ventilator.  Well, Leo will not appreciate the noble gesture.  He died last September 1.  Serantes ended a 24-year medal drought when he won the gold in the light flyweight division.  Hasta La vista Pol, Rest In Peace.

MEMO: Also going to the Great Beyond were Don Everly, 84, the other half of the Everly Brothers, and Charlie Watts, 81, the original drummer of the Rolling Stones.