Thursday, February 28, 2008
2nd FCPL Rapid Chess Tournament for 2008
Please be reminded of our 2nd FCPL Rapid Chess Tournament tomorrow, 29 February 2008 (for the first 3 rounds) and next Friday, 7 March 2008 (for the last 4 rounds), at Reef Mall Dubai, from 1:00pm onwards.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, 29 February 2008
1:00pm - 2:00pm - Registration
2:00pm - 2:30pm - Pairing and Opening Ceremony
2:30pm - 4:00pm - 1st Round
4:00pm - 5:30pm - 2nd Round
5:30pm - 7:00pm - 3rd Round
Friday, 7 March 2008
2:00pm - 3:30pm - 4th Round
3:30pm - 5:00pm - 5th Round
5:00pm - 6:30pm - 6th Round
6:30pm - 8:00pm - 7th Round
8:00pm Awarding Ceremony
Regulation / Officiating Team
* Open to all nationalities
* 7 rounds, swiss system
* 30 mins plus 5 seconds increment, per game/player
* Organizer - The Filipino Chess Players League
* Tournament Director - Joey Tiberio
* Chief Arbiter - Marz Marcial
* Arbiter Assistant - Willie Laceste
Prizes
1st Prize - Dhs. 500 plus trophy
2nd Prize - Dhs. 350 plus trophy
3rd Prize - Dhs. 200 plus trophy
4th to 10th Prize - Medals plus gift items
Any queries, please contact Mr. Joey Tiberio at 00971 50 4501437.
Please be reminded of our 2nd FCPL Rapid Chess Tournament tomorrow, 29 February 2008 (for the first 3 rounds) and next Friday, 7 March 2008 (for the last 4 rounds), at Reef Mall Dubai, from 1:00pm onwards.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, 29 February 2008
1:00pm - 2:00pm - Registration
2:00pm - 2:30pm - Pairing and Opening Ceremony
2:30pm - 4:00pm - 1st Round
4:00pm - 5:30pm - 2nd Round
5:30pm - 7:00pm - 3rd Round
Friday, 7 March 2008
2:00pm - 3:30pm - 4th Round
3:30pm - 5:00pm - 5th Round
5:00pm - 6:30pm - 6th Round
6:30pm - 8:00pm - 7th Round
8:00pm Awarding Ceremony
Regulation / Officiating Team
* Open to all nationalities
* 7 rounds, swiss system
* 30 mins plus 5 seconds increment, per game/player
* Organizer - The Filipino Chess Players League
* Tournament Director - Joey Tiberio
* Chief Arbiter - Marz Marcial
* Arbiter Assistant - Willie Laceste
Prizes
1st Prize - Dhs. 500 plus trophy
2nd Prize - Dhs. 350 plus trophy
3rd Prize - Dhs. 200 plus trophy
4th to 10th Prize - Medals plus gift items
Any queries, please contact Mr. Joey Tiberio at 00971 50 4501437.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Al Sherif emerges champion in government chess
By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter, Gulf News, Published: February 28, 2008, 00:40
Abu Dhabi: Syrian Mohammad Hani Al Sherif won the title at the Abu Dhabi Government Departments 2008 Chess Singles championship in style, collecting nine points from as many rounds.
Al Sherif, representing the Agricultural Means Co., defeated Egyptian Saeed Kulani, from the Egyptian Embassy, in the last round in a closely contested encounter despite the fact that he would have emerged champion even if he lost the point of the match.
Al Sherif played a simple match without much tactical combinations - hoping to split the point but Kulani played an attacking encounter in his quest to win the point which would have earned him one of the top three places.
As time ticked on, Kulani felt the pressure and started committing strategic mistakes which led to him finishing fifth with six points.
Filipino Ronald Fernando and Briton Nicholas Du Piar collected seven points each, but Fernando finished second after applying the Swiss Tie Breaking system. Fernando beat the UAE's Abdullah Al Marzougi while Du Piar defeated local player Zayed Ali.
Pakistan's Khalid Habib finished fourth with 6.5 points after beating Filipino Armando Nachor.
Zayed Ali won the Best UAE Player in the tournament while his countryman Saleh Al Suwaidi was the Best Junior in the contest.
By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter, Gulf News, Published: February 28, 2008, 00:40
Abu Dhabi: Syrian Mohammad Hani Al Sherif won the title at the Abu Dhabi Government Departments 2008 Chess Singles championship in style, collecting nine points from as many rounds.
Al Sherif, representing the Agricultural Means Co., defeated Egyptian Saeed Kulani, from the Egyptian Embassy, in the last round in a closely contested encounter despite the fact that he would have emerged champion even if he lost the point of the match.
Al Sherif played a simple match without much tactical combinations - hoping to split the point but Kulani played an attacking encounter in his quest to win the point which would have earned him one of the top three places.
As time ticked on, Kulani felt the pressure and started committing strategic mistakes which led to him finishing fifth with six points.
Filipino Ronald Fernando and Briton Nicholas Du Piar collected seven points each, but Fernando finished second after applying the Swiss Tie Breaking system. Fernando beat the UAE's Abdullah Al Marzougi while Du Piar defeated local player Zayed Ali.
Pakistan's Khalid Habib finished fourth with 6.5 points after beating Filipino Armando Nachor.
Zayed Ali won the Best UAE Player in the tournament while his countryman Saleh Al Suwaidi was the Best Junior in the contest.
Monday, February 18, 2008
IM's Sadorra and Gomez participation in the '08 Aeroflot
Preparation is the key to victory
by Manny Benitez
We have done it again, sending our players to an important tournament without actually preparing them for it. I am referring to the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, which is said to be one of the toughest in the world because of its very attractive prizes and the fact that it is being held in the heartland of the strongest chess-playing nation where players start training at a tender age.
First it was announced that two of our strongest players were going there, GM Mark Paragua, who fared very well in the first leg of the Asean Masters Circuit in the Indonesian city of Tarakan, and GM-elect Wesley So, the youngest Filipino ever to win the title and currently the youngest GM in the world.
For some reason, So was replaced by IM Julio Catalino Sadorra. I had no quarrel with that and said so publicly because I believe that Sadorra is one of our most promising players who also has earned one GM norm.Then, at the 11th hour, we sent IM John Paul Gomez in place of Paragua. Ordinarily, I have no quarrel with that either. After all, Gomez used to outshine Paragua when they were both junior players.
But then, preparation is the key to victory and we all know that John Paul has given priority to his university education at La Salle and that he has not really been playing much in local and international chess over the past two years.
His going to Moscow to play in the Aeroflot Open at the last minute has jeopardized not only his education and consequently his future career, but also his chances of earning a GM norm.
Sending our players to a foreign land without preparation, a second or even just a modicum of training under a competent coach is like sending sheep to the slaughterhouse.
Only homework under the skillful guidance of a coach builds up self-confidence, which along with an iron will to win and a keenly competitive spirit is the most potent asset a player can have in facing his rivals.
I trust, however, that John Paul and Julio Catalino will be able to overcome such a handicap by relying on their great fighting spirit and their never-say-die attitude to carry on.
Heaven help us all.
Preparation is the key to victory
by Manny Benitez
We have done it again, sending our players to an important tournament without actually preparing them for it. I am referring to the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, which is said to be one of the toughest in the world because of its very attractive prizes and the fact that it is being held in the heartland of the strongest chess-playing nation where players start training at a tender age.
First it was announced that two of our strongest players were going there, GM Mark Paragua, who fared very well in the first leg of the Asean Masters Circuit in the Indonesian city of Tarakan, and GM-elect Wesley So, the youngest Filipino ever to win the title and currently the youngest GM in the world.
For some reason, So was replaced by IM Julio Catalino Sadorra. I had no quarrel with that and said so publicly because I believe that Sadorra is one of our most promising players who also has earned one GM norm.Then, at the 11th hour, we sent IM John Paul Gomez in place of Paragua. Ordinarily, I have no quarrel with that either. After all, Gomez used to outshine Paragua when they were both junior players.
But then, preparation is the key to victory and we all know that John Paul has given priority to his university education at La Salle and that he has not really been playing much in local and international chess over the past two years.
His going to Moscow to play in the Aeroflot Open at the last minute has jeopardized not only his education and consequently his future career, but also his chances of earning a GM norm.
Sending our players to a foreign land without preparation, a second or even just a modicum of training under a competent coach is like sending sheep to the slaughterhouse.
Only homework under the skillful guidance of a coach builds up self-confidence, which along with an iron will to win and a keenly competitive spirit is the most potent asset a player can have in facing his rivals.
I trust, however, that John Paul and Julio Catalino will be able to overcome such a handicap by relying on their great fighting spirit and their never-say-die attitude to carry on.
Heaven help us all.
Aeroflot Open Round 4 Updates! IMs Sadorra and Gomez wins!!!
by Pinoychess
Grandmaster-candidates Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez disposed their respective round 4 opponents in the Russia’s Aeroflot Open.
IM Sadorra trashed GM Al-Rakib Abdulla of Bangladesh using the black pieces while IM Gomez walloped FMArkadiusz Leniart of Poland. IMs Sadorra and Gomez will next face GM Evgeny Shaposhnikov of Russia and IM Oliver Kurmann of Switzerland, respectively.
Chances of getting a GM norm became clearer for IM Sadorra who now posted 2.5 points after 4 rounds. Beating another Grandmaster will surely catapult the likelihood of another GM norm for Sadorra. Sadorra is currently in the 17th-37th spot of the tournament.
Gomez, on the other hand is not far behind, has 2 points for 38th-59th place.
by Pinoychess
Grandmaster-candidates Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez disposed their respective round 4 opponents in the Russia’s Aeroflot Open.
IM Sadorra trashed GM Al-Rakib Abdulla of Bangladesh using the black pieces while IM Gomez walloped FMArkadiusz Leniart of Poland. IMs Sadorra and Gomez will next face GM Evgeny Shaposhnikov of Russia and IM Oliver Kurmann of Switzerland, respectively.
Chances of getting a GM norm became clearer for IM Sadorra who now posted 2.5 points after 4 rounds. Beating another Grandmaster will surely catapult the likelihood of another GM norm for Sadorra. Sadorra is currently in the 17th-37th spot of the tournament.
Gomez, on the other hand is not far behind, has 2 points for 38th-59th place.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
FCPL-UAE successfully holds 2008 season opener
by Jobannie C. Tabada, 1 February 2008
In a weekend competition spiced up by bitter-sweet results and exciting photo-finishes, the 2008 FCPL Reef Mall Rapid Chess Tournament proved to be a successful opening salvo to another season of chess activities under the umbrella of the Filipino Chess Players League in UAE.
In a surprising finale to the seven-round, 15-minute battle of wits, Mohamad Nasser of India pulled the rug from under a bevy of heavily favoured rivals to capture the coveted championship, capitalising on the sub-par performance of the fancied Filipino bets and of a top-seeded international master from Egypt.
Nasser, who hails from the Indian state of Kerala, capped his lucky run with a final-round win over second-seed M. Sabri, taking advantage of a costly tactical error in the endgame to ram through the Syrian's Caro Kann Defence and up his overall tally to a near-perfect 6.5 points.
Wielding the white pieces, Nasser actually only needed a draw to secure the championship, but Sabri twice declined the Keralite's truce offer and relentlessly pushed for the initiative in an otherwise drawn position. The Syrian's over-extended play eventually led to a fatal blunder that left him on the wrong side of a rook-and-pawn endgame.
The loss dropped Sabri to fourth place with five points, half a point behind Filipino players Rey Joy Bartolay and Arnel Matildo, who both pulled off tough wins with the black pieces.
Bartolay, who was awarded the first runner-up prize by virtue of a superior tiebreak score, tentatively Mohammed Nasser (Photo by: Kahlil de Pio) employed the rarely used, hyper-active Albin Counter Gambit against Jose Matutino, which resulted to a cramped position in the middle game. However, a mass communication graduate from Puerto Princessa, managed to wriggle out of the tight middlegame squeeze to score the full point over Matutino.
Matildo, an Iligan Institute of Technology engineering alumnus who now works for a TV network in Dubai, put up a gallant defence in an otherwise lost position against Bahneh Tabada, holding out until their high-strung Sicilian Defence encounter developed into a classic down-the-wire, lightning-chess showdown. The eventual second runner-up took all his chances in the mad time scramble and was rewarded when Tabada breached the 15-minute time limit first with Matildo having exactly one second left on his clock.
Matutino was relegated to fifth place, while Tabada slid to ninth. Abdul Hameed El-Arousy, the top-seeded Egyptian IM, failed to bring his A-game to the seven-round competition, managing just seventh place after a hard-earned, final-round win over Filipino player Gardy Sorita. The Abu Dhabi-based Pinoy, seriously in time trouble, failed to convert an overwhelming queen advantage and eventually lost by time forfeit to El-Arousy.
The rest of the top 10 finishers were the Philippines' Al Valencia at sixth, India's N. Jyothlal at eighth and Filipino Rogelio Taopa at 10th.
Asian Chess Federation (ACF) Secretary General Hosham Ali Al Taher of the UAE was the guest of honour during the awards ceremony. The tournament was held at Reef Mall in Dubai, which has been a regular meeting place of Filipino chess enthusiasts in the UAE.
'The FCPL is pleased to have gathered a strong response from the chess-loving people of the UAE. We are also thankful to the chess officials of the UAE and the ACF for their continued support to our programs. This event ushers in a new season of year-round activities that aim to promote chess in the country,' said tournament director Joey Tiberio.
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Tournament Photo
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by Jobannie C. Tabada, 1 February 2008
In a weekend competition spiced up by bitter-sweet results and exciting photo-finishes, the 2008 FCPL Reef Mall Rapid Chess Tournament proved to be a successful opening salvo to another season of chess activities under the umbrella of the Filipino Chess Players League in UAE.
In a surprising finale to the seven-round, 15-minute battle of wits, Mohamad Nasser of India pulled the rug from under a bevy of heavily favoured rivals to capture the coveted championship, capitalising on the sub-par performance of the fancied Filipino bets and of a top-seeded international master from Egypt.
Nasser, who hails from the Indian state of Kerala, capped his lucky run with a final-round win over second-seed M. Sabri, taking advantage of a costly tactical error in the endgame to ram through the Syrian's Caro Kann Defence and up his overall tally to a near-perfect 6.5 points.Wielding the white pieces, Nasser actually only needed a draw to secure the championship, but Sabri twice declined the Keralite's truce offer and relentlessly pushed for the initiative in an otherwise drawn position. The Syrian's over-extended play eventually led to a fatal blunder that left him on the wrong side of a rook-and-pawn endgame.
The loss dropped Sabri to fourth place with five points, half a point behind Filipino players Rey Joy Bartolay and Arnel Matildo, who both pulled off tough wins with the black pieces.
Bartolay, who was awarded the first runner-up prize by virtue of a superior tiebreak score, tentatively Mohammed Nasser (Photo by: Kahlil de Pio) employed the rarely used, hyper-active Albin Counter Gambit against Jose Matutino, which resulted to a cramped position in the middle game. However, a mass communication graduate from Puerto Princessa, managed to wriggle out of the tight middlegame squeeze to score the full point over Matutino.
Matildo, an Iligan Institute of Technology engineering alumnus who now works for a TV network in Dubai, put up a gallant defence in an otherwise lost position against Bahneh Tabada, holding out until their high-strung Sicilian Defence encounter developed into a classic down-the-wire, lightning-chess showdown. The eventual second runner-up took all his chances in the mad time scramble and was rewarded when Tabada breached the 15-minute time limit first with Matildo having exactly one second left on his clock.
Matutino was relegated to fifth place, while Tabada slid to ninth. Abdul Hameed El-Arousy, the top-seeded Egyptian IM, failed to bring his A-game to the seven-round competition, managing just seventh place after a hard-earned, final-round win over Filipino player Gardy Sorita. The Abu Dhabi-based Pinoy, seriously in time trouble, failed to convert an overwhelming queen advantage and eventually lost by time forfeit to El-Arousy.
The rest of the top 10 finishers were the Philippines' Al Valencia at sixth, India's N. Jyothlal at eighth and Filipino Rogelio Taopa at 10th.
Asian Chess Federation (ACF) Secretary General Hosham Ali Al Taher of the UAE was the guest of honour during the awards ceremony. The tournament was held at Reef Mall in Dubai, which has been a regular meeting place of Filipino chess enthusiasts in the UAE.
'The FCPL is pleased to have gathered a strong response from the chess-loving people of the UAE. We are also thankful to the chess officials of the UAE and the ACF for their continued support to our programs. This event ushers in a new season of year-round activities that aim to promote chess in the country,' said tournament director Joey Tiberio.
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Tournament Photo
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Tuesday, February 05, 2008
UAE National Day Chess Championship begins
Khaleej Times (3 December 2007)
By Our Sports Reporter
DUBAI — Two Grandmasters, Elmar Magarimov and Guliev Sarhan, both from Azerbaijan, head a strong field of 76 players from 12 countries in a two-day UAE National Day Chess Championship which began at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club here yesterday.
UAE’s challenge, however, is led by three players, Osman Moosah, Arab gold medallist, Ahmed Issak, Arab under-16 champion and his brother, Saeed, under-14 Arab champion. Three players with international master norms participating in the championship are Fouad Al Taher, Abdul Hamed El Arousy, both from Egypt, and Sharif Mehrshad, from France.
The event, sponsored by Emirates Cooperative Society, opened with five rounds yesterday with the final rounds of four scheduled for today. Closing ceremony will be at 8.30pm. The tournament was inaugurated by Atiq Al Suwaidi, assistant financial manager of Dubai Chess Club. Present also were Suhail Tayeb, technical manager of the club, and Mohammed Al Hussaini, executive director of the club. The championship, being presented by Khalid bin Zayed, a member of UAE National Council, and vice-president of Emirates Cooperative Society, carries a total prize money of Dh10,000. The winner in the men’s category will collect Dh2,000, the runner-up Dh1,500, third placed Dh1,000. The winner in the women’s division will receive Dh500, the boys and girls under-12 winners will get Dh400 each while the best player under-10 will be awarded Dh300 each.
The championship will be held according to Swiss system of nine rounds and Fischer system of 15 minutes plus ten seconds for each player.
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Top seeds in impressive form
Khaleej Times (4 December 2007)
By Our Sports Reporter
DUBAI — All the top seeds notched up impressive victories on the first day of the UAE National Day Chess Championship which began at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club on Sunday night.
Top seed Grandmaster Elmar Magerramov of Azerbaijan defeated Hilwan Talal after a close tussle to clinch the valuable point raising his tally to 3 ½ points. Talal, seeded seven, had earlier won his four matches.
Magerramov’s countryman, Guliev Sarhan, also a grandmaster, overcame Gilbert Taupa 1-0 to increase his points tally to three.
Women’s Grandmaster Mahri Geldyeva also improved her position in the championship by beating Fide Master Molina Toni while women’s Fide master Grishina Alexandra defeated Ahmed Osama.
UAE’s Saeed Issak and Mohammed Mousa, both Fide masters, were also in fine form as they recorded great wins to increase their tally to 3 points each.
Issak defeated Abdullah Tato while Mousa had the better of Rafael Natividad.
Results: Elmar Magerramov (GM) bt Hilwan Talal 1-0; Fouad El Talal (IM) bt Tayeb Suhail 1-0; Robert Arellano drew with Abdul Hameed El Arousy (IM); Guliev Sarhan (GM) bt Gilbert Taupa 1-0; Sharif Mehrshad bt Hiba Ali 1-0; Juma Abo bt Abdu Somov 1-0; Geldyeva Mahri bt Molina Toni (FM) 1-0; Saeed Issak bt Abdullah Tato 1-0; Mohammed Mousa bt Rafael Natividad 1-0; Maher Ahmed drew with Elena Nekrasova (WFM); Pocholo Yape bt Abdullah Ali 1-0; Armel Abucejo bt Naif Saleh 1-0; Ahmed Issak (FM) bt Ibrahim Sultan 1-0; Grishina Alexandra bt Ahmed Osama 1-0.
Khaleej Times (3 December 2007)
By Our Sports Reporter
DUBAI — Two Grandmasters, Elmar Magarimov and Guliev Sarhan, both from Azerbaijan, head a strong field of 76 players from 12 countries in a two-day UAE National Day Chess Championship which began at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club here yesterday.
UAE’s challenge, however, is led by three players, Osman Moosah, Arab gold medallist, Ahmed Issak, Arab under-16 champion and his brother, Saeed, under-14 Arab champion. Three players with international master norms participating in the championship are Fouad Al Taher, Abdul Hamed El Arousy, both from Egypt, and Sharif Mehrshad, from France.
The event, sponsored by Emirates Cooperative Society, opened with five rounds yesterday with the final rounds of four scheduled for today. Closing ceremony will be at 8.30pm. The tournament was inaugurated by Atiq Al Suwaidi, assistant financial manager of Dubai Chess Club. Present also were Suhail Tayeb, technical manager of the club, and Mohammed Al Hussaini, executive director of the club. The championship, being presented by Khalid bin Zayed, a member of UAE National Council, and vice-president of Emirates Cooperative Society, carries a total prize money of Dh10,000. The winner in the men’s category will collect Dh2,000, the runner-up Dh1,500, third placed Dh1,000. The winner in the women’s division will receive Dh500, the boys and girls under-12 winners will get Dh400 each while the best player under-10 will be awarded Dh300 each.
The championship will be held according to Swiss system of nine rounds and Fischer system of 15 minutes plus ten seconds for each player.
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Top seeds in impressive form
Khaleej Times (4 December 2007)
By Our Sports Reporter
DUBAI — All the top seeds notched up impressive victories on the first day of the UAE National Day Chess Championship which began at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club on Sunday night.
Top seed Grandmaster Elmar Magerramov of Azerbaijan defeated Hilwan Talal after a close tussle to clinch the valuable point raising his tally to 3 ½ points. Talal, seeded seven, had earlier won his four matches.
Magerramov’s countryman, Guliev Sarhan, also a grandmaster, overcame Gilbert Taupa 1-0 to increase his points tally to three.
Women’s Grandmaster Mahri Geldyeva also improved her position in the championship by beating Fide Master Molina Toni while women’s Fide master Grishina Alexandra defeated Ahmed Osama.
UAE’s Saeed Issak and Mohammed Mousa, both Fide masters, were also in fine form as they recorded great wins to increase their tally to 3 points each.
Issak defeated Abdullah Tato while Mousa had the better of Rafael Natividad.
Results: Elmar Magerramov (GM) bt Hilwan Talal 1-0; Fouad El Talal (IM) bt Tayeb Suhail 1-0; Robert Arellano drew with Abdul Hameed El Arousy (IM); Guliev Sarhan (GM) bt Gilbert Taupa 1-0; Sharif Mehrshad bt Hiba Ali 1-0; Juma Abo bt Abdu Somov 1-0; Geldyeva Mahri bt Molina Toni (FM) 1-0; Saeed Issak bt Abdullah Tato 1-0; Mohammed Mousa bt Rafael Natividad 1-0; Maher Ahmed drew with Elena Nekrasova (WFM); Pocholo Yape bt Abdullah Ali 1-0; Armel Abucejo bt Naif Saleh 1-0; Ahmed Issak (FM) bt Ibrahim Sultan 1-0; Grishina Alexandra bt Ahmed Osama 1-0.
