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Police asserts Negros Oriental operations were legitimate

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) on Monday said the recent police operations in various parts of Negros Oriental, where 14 suspected communist supporters were killed, were legitimate and cannot be considered a massacre.

“Itong mga operations na ito (These operations) are all covered by search warrants. They have 36 search warrants in different parts of Negros Oriental. Hindi po ito nangyari sa iisang lugar. Hindi totoo na ito ay masaker (This did not happen in one place. It is not true that this was a massacre),” said PNP chief Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday.

Fourteen people were killed and 12 others were arrested in joint military and police operations in two towns and one city in Negros Oriental on Saturday.

Police reports said the 14 arrested were suspected to be members and supporters of the New People’s Army, the armed units of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Eight of the fatalities were from Canlaon City, four from Manjuyod, and two from Santa Catalina.

Mr. Albayalde claimed that those killed fought back.

“Meron pong hindi nanlaban at naaresto. Itong mga 14 ito yung mga sinasabi nilang nanlaban. Hindi naman siguro magpapaputok yung ating mga pulis kung hindi naman talaga nanlaban itong mga taong ito (There were some who did not fight back. Police said that these 14 fought back. I don’t think our policemen will fire shots if these suspects did not fight back),” he said.

On the other hand, Kabataan Party-list claimed that those 14 killed were farmers.

“Fourteen farmers killed, 12 arrested in a day in Negros Oriental from joint military and police operations targeting members of peasant and plantation workers’ groups in the guise of ‘anti-criminality.’ This horrendous massacre brings the death toll of farmers killed under the Duterte administration to 197,” said Rep. Sarah I. Elago in a statement on Sunday.

Mr. Albayalde countered that based on police intelligence, there was no indication that the suspects were farmers.

Rather, he added, they had previous participation in an alleged ambush of police officers and a master sergeant from the Philippine Army.

For his part, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, a former police chief, asked the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of National Defense to provide assistance to government forces amid the controversy.

“Now, more than anytime, they should be assisted by their superior officers until and unless it is proven that they violated the established rules of engagement and the existing laws of the land,” the senator said in a statement on Monday.

He added, “When farmers possess rifle grenades, fragmentation grenades, handguns, shotguns, ammunition, phones and subversive documents, it says a lot about their tactics in their insurgency campaign aimed at a protracted guerilla warfare aimed at overthrowing the duly constituted authority.” — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras and Charmaine A. Tadalan

DoH-Davao raises alert as dengue cases in the region rises

HEALTH OFFICIALS in the Davao Region have raised the alarm after the number of dengue cases increased in the first quarter of the year, with two deaths reported due to the mosquito-borne disease. Based on a report of the Department of Health Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, there were 1,551 dengue patients in the first three months, almost triple the number during the same period last year. The deaths were one each in Davao City and Davao Oriental. Majority of the cases were in Davao City at 644. City Health Officer Josephine J. Villafuerte called on the public to cooperate with authorities in implementing mitigation programs, particularly in ensuring cleanliness in their communities. “We have never stopped in our campaign (against dengue), (but) we are asking the community to help us because we cannot do it all,” said Ms. Villafuerte. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Military takes hold of Abu Sayyaf arms cache in Sulu

TROOPS found an arms cache of the Abu Sayyaf group in Patikul, Sulu on March 26 as military pursuit operations continue against the bandit group. The Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) reported that among the items retrieved from the hideout were a 60 mm mortar, two M16 rifles, bandoliers with magazines, improvised explosive device paraphernalia, flags with ISIS markings, a military map, a handheld radio, and a night vision monocular. Following the discovery, soldiers tracked some of the group’s members and a 30-minute gunfight ensued. WestMinCom said there were no reported casualties among the soldiers. “We remain resolute in crumbling terrorist groups to address security threats and to pave the way for stability in Mindanao,” said Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela B. Vega, WestMinCom commander, “Rest assured that we will fulfill our mandate of securing the area of responsibility by ending insurgency to pave the way for development here.”

Peso edges down ahead of inflation data

THE PESO moved sideways against the dollar on Monday ahead of a slew of economic data and following the World Bank’s downward adjustment of its growth forecast for the Philippines for this year.

The peso closed yesterday’s session at P52.505 versus the greenback, barely moving from the P52.50-per-dollar finish on Friday.

The peso opened the session weaker at P52.60 per dollar, which was yesterday’s worst showing. Meanwhile, its intraday high stood at P52.47 against the US currency.

Trading volume thinned to $801.52 million from the $901.77 million that switched hands in the previous session.

A foreign exchange trader said trading was “very quiet” yesterday as volume thinned.

“The market was just awaiting more details for this week because we have a lot of data coming in. We have CPI (consumer price index) data later in the week,” the trader said in a phone interview yesterday.

Analysts said in a BusinessWorld poll that inflation likely maintained its descent in March as rice and food costs propped further, yielding a median estimate of 3.5%.

If realized, this will be slower than February’s 3.8% pace. This will keep inflation on a downtrend for the fifth straight month.

Apart from local inflation data, the trader added that the market is also anticipating unemployment figures in the US as well as developments in the US-China trade negotiations.

Meanwhile, another trader said the peso depreciated versus the greenback after the World Bank trimmed down its Philippine growth outlook for 2019.

The multilateral lender expects the country’s gross domestic product to grow 6.4% in 2019, a percentage point slower than its December 2018 estimate.

The World Bank flagged the risks of a mild El Niño, which is expected to cut farm output, as well as the delays in the 2019 national budget.

The country’s economic managers were forced to slash their growth target to 6-7% for 2019 from 7-8% previously. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said a budget deadlock that lasts until April will bring down full-year growth to 6.1-6.3%, well under the government’s original 7-8% target and likely level with the 2018 pace of 6.2%.

The government is currently operating on a reenacted 2018 budget, which leaves new programs and even the state’s big-ticket infrastructure projects unfunded.

“When the news came out, we saw a weak peso naturally. We also saw the local stock market falling. But the market just brushed it off. I think the market is just being cautious ahead of the data that will come out this week,” the first trader noted.

For today, traders expect the peso to trade between P52.40 and P52.60 versus the dollar. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Stocks decline on profit taking after weak data

LOCAL EQUITIES dropped on the first trading day of April as investors went profit taking following weak data released last Friday.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 1.01% or 80.62 points to close at 7,840.31 on Monday, reversing the gains from its two-day ascent last week. The broader all-shares index likewise shed 0.82% or 40.04 points to 4,824.13.

“With the trade talks still ongoing, and optimism rebounded regionally, investors became wary of the weaker bank lending data released last Friday,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said via text.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said last week that outstanding loans grew 13.7% year on year in February, easing from January’s 15.3%. Meanwhile, domestic liquidity went up by 7.1% to P11.5 trillion, lower than the upwardly-revised 7.7% growth in January and marking its weakest growth since September 2012.

“Possible positive news arising from the trade talks, election outcome, better-than-expected growth figures and earnings may spur markets higher for the second quarter,” Mr. Limlingan said.

Meanwhile, Philstocks Financial, Inc. attributed the market’s decline to profit taking.

“The lack of fresh positive leads amid local economic growth concerns and global uncertainties fuelled the profit taking in today’s session,” the company said in a market note on Monday.

It also noted that the World Bank trimmed its forecast for Philippine economic growth to 6.4% from 6.5%, taking into account the budget impasse and the dry spell due to El Niño.

The PSEi failed to mirror the positive sentiment seen overseas. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.82% or 211.22 points to close at 25,928.68 last Friday. The S&P 500 index rose 0.67% or 18.96 points to 2,834.40, while the Nasdaq Composite index firmed up 0.78% or 60.16 points to 7,729.32.

Markets were mostly positive in Asia, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 1.43% or 303.22 points to close at 21,509.03. The Hang Seng index jumped 1.76% or 510.66 points, while Shanghai Composite soared 2.58% or 79.60 points to 3,170.36.

Back home, industrials was the lone counter that posted gains, adding 0.07% or 8.86 points to 11,729.21. The rest declined, led by mining and oil which plunged 3.33% or 264.18 points to 7,666.60. Financials followed with a 1.87% or 33-point decrease to 1,729.71.

Services tumbled 1.73% or 27.90 points to 1,580.44; property slumped 0.82% or 33.87 points to 4,081.70; while holding firms slipped 0.57% or 44.38 points to 7,691.99.

Some 684.65 million issues valued at P5.53 billion switched hands, dropping from Friday’s P6.68-billion turnover after 1.70 billion names changed hands.

Decliners were almost double the advancers, 120 to 65, while 55 names were unchanged.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the eighth consecutive session with P29.07 million, although significantly lower than the previous session’s net purchases worth P1.59 billion. — Arra B. Francia

ONE Japan: First staging, excellent fights

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

TOKYO — The first event of ONE Championship in Japan was successfully held on Sunday and was marked by solid reception and excellent fights in the cage.

Took years to finally happen, officials of ONE said they are very satisfied with how their debut foray in the “Land of the Rising Sun,” dubbed “A New Era,” panned out, highlighting how it was talked about on various social media platforms, got solid TV ratings across the globe and how it packed the famous and historic Ryogoku Kokugikan here.

Speaking to members of global media after the stacked fight day, ONE chairman and chief executive officer Chatri Sityodtong shared how happy and excited they were with their first Japan event and how it was just the beginning for the eight-year-old Singapore-based promotion in this part of the world.

“Japan, the world, it’s a new era. We are the number one trending topic on Twitter in the US, Japan and most countries across Asia… It’s a new era of record-breaking TV ratings, record-breaking social media matrix and a full house. Thank you so much, Japan. Thank you,” Mr. Sityodtong gladly reported post-event.

“For me it’s the beginning of a new era for martial arts not only in Japan but globally. And to receive so much love across the globe is just unbelievable and I could not have asked for a better night. And I tell you, it’s just the beginning, the very beginning,” he added.

“ONE: A New Era” was the first of what ONE hopes to be of many to be staged in Japan, taking it to four events next year and eventually settle for 12 a year.

The biggest winners on Sunday included hometown bet Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, who beat erstwhile ONE lightweight champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines to reclaim the title, as well as women’s strawweight champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China, who stopped Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee of Singapore in their champion-versus-champion match.

Mr. Aoki was dominant against Mr. Folayang, making short work of the latter to reclaim the lightweight belt. After taking down the Team Lakay stalwart to the mat, the Japanese legend quickly transitioned to an arm-triangle and moments later had the Filipino passing out, prompting the referee to stop the fight at the 2:34 mark of the opening round and sending the hometown fans into celebration.

Ms. Xiong, meanwhile, was a picture of determination as she survived the gallant stand that Ms. Lee put up. Nearly forced to submission after her opponent put her into a solid arm-bar in the fourth round, the Chinese champion did not give in and forged ahead, stopping Ms. Lee in the fifth and final round with blows to the body.

With the win, Ms. Xiong retained her title while besmirching the immaculate record of Ms. Lee, who is still the women’s atomweight champion despite the loss.

Also winning and retaining his middleweight title was two-division champion Aung La N Sang of Myanmar, who topped Japanese Ken Hasegawa for the second time in a title fight with powerful punches and thunderous kicks.

His great performance led to the setting up of a champ-versus-champ collision with heavyweight champion Brandon Vera of the Philippines later this year for Aung La N Sang’s light heavyweight crown.

Meanwhile, the world bantamweight title clash of Filipino Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon and Brazilian Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes came to an abrupt end in the third round with the former losing his title due to disqualification over illegal strikes to the back of the head of his opponent.

Mr. Belingon was apologetic after the fight, saying “I did not mean to do it. It just happened.”

With the outcome of the match, a mandatory rematch is set, making it the fourth time that the two rivals will face each other in the ONE cage.

Winning fight of the night was that between lightweights Timofey Nastyukhin of Russia and Eddie Alvarez of the United States with Mr. Nastyukhin scoring a technical knockout win in the first round of their grand prix encounter.

The Russian did not allow the American to get his game going, eventually spoiling the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion’s ONE debut in devastating fashion.

For his efforts, Mr. Nastyukhin earned a $50,000 bonus and made his way to the semifinal of the grand prix.

While Mr. Alvarez fell in his ONE debut, fellow former UFC champion and ONE transferee Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was a slam-bang winner over Yayu Wakamatsu of Japan in their flyweight grand prix joust.

Mr. Johnson showcased his impeccable grappling skills to transition from one position to the next with relative ease, culminating in him putting his opponent on a guillotine choke for second-round submission win.

“Growing up I was watching great martial arts events here in Japan and for me to be here fighting for the first time was really exciting. I love the competition and it really exceeded my expectations,” Mr. Johnson said.

Meanwhile, it was not all defeat for the Philippines at A New Era as flyweight Danny “The King” Kingad won his grand prix match over Japanese Senzo Ikeda by unanimous decision.

Dominated for much of the full three rounds, Mr. Kingad of Team Lakay did not leave any doubt with his consistent activity in the cage, eventually getting the nod of all three judges when the battle smoke cleared.

“I’m happy that we won and I’m looking forward to the next challenge in the grand prix. I just stuck to my game plan which was to do strikes and takedowns. He was a tough opponent. But I’m happy with the win,” Mr. Kingad said.

The win improved Mr. Kingad to 10 wins and a loss and set him up for a semifinal encounter in the flyweight grand prix with Kazakhstan’s Kairat Akhmetov, who beat Australian Reece McLaren in an earlier match by way of unanimous decision as well.

Next for ONE Championship is “ONE: Roots of Honor” in Manila. Philippines, on April 12.

Federer claims 101st career win

MIAMI — After Roger Federer racked up career title 101 with a clinical 6-1 6-4 dissection of John Isner at the Miami Open on Sunday, the American defending champion seemed as keen as the crowd for the Swiss to carry on competing for titles.

“We all want you to keep playing and never retire,” gushed Isner after being brushed aside in 63 minutes by the fourth-seeded Swiss.

This seems an odd statement from a player who has now been beaten six times by Federer in eight career meetings.

A more honest response might have been, “Roger you have won enough please go away.”

Federer has already amassed a record 20 Grand Slam trophies and Miami was his 101st career title leaving him just eight shy of matching Jimmy Connors’ all-time mark.

The Swiss has said he is not yet thinking about the record and neither is he contemplating retirement.

At 37, the retirement question is one that comes up for Federer before every event and after it — win or lose — as it did in Miami. His answer is always the same, “Why should I?”

The evergreen Federer is healthy, happy and winning.

With Sunday’s triumph — his fourth in Miami — he is the only player on the ATP or WTA Tour to capture two titles this season.

MARVELOUS MARCH
It has been a marvellous March for Federer, starting with a win in Dubai and ending with victory in Miami. It could have been even better with a runner-up spot at Indian Wells having been sandwiched between the two titles.

“This is why I am still playing to hopefully win big titles like here in Miami,” said Federer in a post-match interview. “It just shows me the process I am going through is the right one.

“I am still able to prioritize all the things in my life the right way.”

Federer has discovered the secret to career longevity that other members of the Big Four have not quite figured out.

World number one Novak Djokovic, who failed to make the quarter-finals at Miami or Indian Wells, is struggling with off-court issues, Rafa Nadal is again battling knee problems, while Andy Murray is recovering from hip surgery that may have sent him into retirement.

And Federer? The Swiss maestro just keeps ticking along like one of his country’s famous time pieces.

Federer listens closely to what his body is saying and after reaching three consecutive finals it is telling him that it is time for a rest before he tackles the European claycourt season for the first time in three years. — Reuters

Auburn defeats Kentucky for 1st Final Four berth; Texas Tech stuns No. 1 Gonzaga

LOS ANGELES — There will two debutants at the Final Four ball this year. Auburn joins Texas Tech as first-time participants in college basketball’s biggest stage after a 77-71 victory over Kentucky on Sunday in the Midwest Region final in Kansas City.

The Tigers will face the Virginia Cavaliers in Saturday’s national semifinals.

Third-seeded Texas Tech made history Saturday, using its trademark sticky defense to shut down top-seeded Gonzaga’s high-scoring offense and produce a 75-69 win in the West Regional final at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“We’re trying to build a program at Tech like a Gonzaga,” Red Raiders coach Chris Beard said afterward.

“The Final Four is awesome and all that, but the most cool thing is I get to coach these guys again.”

VIRGINIA SURVIVES OVERTIME THRILLER
Virginia needed a wild buzzer-beating play to force overtime and had to survive a scoring onslaught by Purdue guard Carsen Edwards to advance to its first Final Four since 1984.

The top-seeded Cavaliers beat the third-seeded Boilermakers 80-75 in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region final in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday night.

Edwards scored 42 points but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with nine seconds left in overtime. — Reuters

Philam Football: Ghana FC makes it nine straight

TAGUIG CITY — Match Day 9 proved to be no different for Ghana FC (football club) as they remain unscathed in the standings of the on-going Season 3 Philam Life 7s Football League at the McKinley Hill Stadium.

After a relatively slow start in the first half, Ghana FC leaned on to their experience as they were able to cruise past Ceres FC, 5-2.

While admitting that they had a tough time against their opponents, forwards Hassan El Muhammadi and Ryo Fujii continuously reminded their teammates to avoid being complacent as they gun for a title this season. And one way of doing so is by keeping the same intensity all throughout the game.

“It was a tough game especially with the heat. We’re the first one to play this week and as always, the first game is always tough. They [Ceres] were a young group and they run a lot, we started off a bit slow here, hence we need to adjust and get comfortable a little bit more,” said Fujii.

In what was a tight matchup, the Delimondo-Laro FC eked out a 4-3 victory against the streaking Superbad. Down 3-1, DLFC converted on three straight goals. Midfielder Joaco Canas tied it at three goals each before Tako Odawara punched the winning goal later on to complete a brace for the day.

Super Eagles was able to make up for their loss last week by annihilating Tondo FC, 4-0. The latter made it tough in the opening minutes, holding the defending champions scoreless for most of the first half before the Super Eagles broke the resistance.

Head coach Danny Kross said that the game was harder than the final tally suggested but the team was able to respond well this time around as they try to start a winning streak anew.

“From the defeat of last week, it felt everything was wrong, so we went back to the drawing board. Tondo came out here believing that they can defeat us, and we wanted to prove otherwise. The first goal that we scored was very important because that set the pace for us, we knew that Tondo can do counter attack at any time so we just kept on pushing and used the tendency to score many goals because we can’t afford to lose anymore,” said Kross.

The Bohemian Sporting Club came out with a strong win against the hapless Stallion-Laguna, 5-1. Through precise ball movement and crisp passing, the club was able to take advantage on their attacks, which was something coach Mikee Carrion emphasized to his wards.

On the other hand, the H&J All-Stars were able to breeze past Matu Deportivo, 2-1. Forward Ivan Matic’s goal proved to be the pivotal point of the match as they went up 2-0 from there. He bared that their strong performance was a product of the team’s control in the possessions game from the get-go.

Rounding up the men’s division was Real Amigos posting a clean sheet over the Futbol Funatics, 2-0. Fresh from their rousing win against Super Eagles last week, the Real Amigos were able to add on to their momentum with tonight’s victory.

PPL commissioner asks fans to support league

WHILE the start of their season was moved to later this month, Philippine Premier League (PPL) commissioner Bernie Sumayao is hoping that it would not deter fans from giving their support, seeing how their involvement is key in the success of the revamped local club league.

In a phone patch interview with the “Football Connection” program on Radyo Pilipinas last week, Mr. Sumayao said it was unfortunate that they had to defer the start of the season of the PPL to a later date but made an assurance that the issues are being worked out to ensure that the rescheduled April 27 PPL kickoff would push through even as he asked for fans’ patience as well as support for their teams come tournament time.

The season start, which was supposed to happen on March 30, was cancelled after the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) refused to grant Mendiola FC 1991 and Philippine Air Force FC a license to compete in the league after pertinent requirements are met.

They were given added time to resubmit their documentation for club licensing.

“Mendiola and Air Force have requirements that they still needed to submit to the PFF. They were in the process of gathering the things that were needed but they just did not have enough time to finish everything. But we sat down and the PFF gave them enough time to resubmit. And we expect them to finish in the next few weeks,” the amiable Sumayao said.

“We were ready to start on the 30th of March but things happen. We are ready to start on April 27. If we can get six teams at least we will start,” he added.

Initially there were three teams denied club licensing by the PFF, but Green Archers United FC was eventually given a provisional license.

Mr. Sumayao said they at the PPL are hoping to see fans during the matches at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium to help the league survive and, in turn, further the growth of the local football scene by promoting, among other teams, homegrown talents.

“I’m asking the fans to go out and support their teams. Let’s cheer for them. Everything we need to do let’s do it. Let’s create noise for the community to be heard,” Mr. Sumayao said.

The PPL official went on to say that they will work hard to ensure that they deliver on their promise of making the matches a fan-friendly experience with innovative and exciting ways of presenting the games.

Other teams set to compete in the PPL are Ceres-Negros FC, Kaya FC–Iloilo, Stallion Laguna and United Makati. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Russia is world team champ

12th World Team Championship
Astana, Kazakhsstan
March 5-14, 2019

Final Standings

1. RUSSIA (Karjakin, Nepomniachtchi, Grischuk, Andreikin, Artemiev), 16/18

2. ENGLAND (Adams, Mcshane, Howell, Jones, Speelman), 13/18

3. CHINA (Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi, Wei Yi, Bu Xiangzhi, Ni Hua), 12/18

4-5. INDIA (Adhiban, Sasikiran, Ganguly, Sethuraman, Aravindh), USA (Swiercz, Sevian, Onischuk, Lenderman, Izoria), 11/18

6-7. IRAN (Maghsoodloo, Idani, Tabatabaei, Firouzja), AZERBAIJAN (Naiditsch, Mamedov, Guseinov, Safarli, Abasov), 8/18

8-9. KAZAKHSTAN (Jumabayev, Ismagambetov, Kazhgaleyev, Makhnev, Kostenko), SWEDEN (Grandelius, Tikkanen, Blomqvist, A. Smith, Johansson), 4/18

10. EGYPT (Amin, Adly, Fawzy, Hesham, Abdelnabbi), 3/18

Match Point System. Each match will be scored by match points as used in the FIDE Olympiad. Winner will get two points, a draw will give each team a point, and a loss is scored as zero points. If any teams finish with equal match points, the tie shall be resolved by board points in total.

Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1

Team Russia is once again the World Chess Team Champion, a title they last held in 2013 with a lineup composed of Kramnik, Karjakin, Grischuk Nepomniachtchi and Vitiugov. At that time it was a great comeback story — Russia was held to a draw by Armenia in the first round, then lost heavily to USA 1-3 in the second.

Vitiugov, Nikita (2741) — Robson, Ray (2613) [D31]
WchT 9th Antalya (2.4), 27.11.2013

This game was the sensation of the event. The college sophomore Ray Robson dares to engage his Russian foe in one of the very chaotic lines in the opening and manages to come out on top. This game, combined with Nakamura’s heavyweight victory over Vladimir Kramnik, earned for the USA a 3–1 upset win over the title favorites.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2

When you say “Marshall Attack” or “Marshall Gambit” most people think of the Spanish Opening with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d5. There is however another Marshall Gambit, this time from the White side of the Semi-Slav, which is also very popular.

I myself used to play this a lot from the Black side. Just like its namesake in the Spanish Opening, do not go into it without a lot of theoretical preparation!.

6…Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Ne2!?

Vitiugov is trying to confuse his young opponent. More common is 8.Be2 and let me show you one of the thematic traps in the line: 8…Na6 9.Bd6 Ne7? (correct is 9…b6) 10.Nf3 Nf5 (with the benefit of hindsight 10…Ng6!? is better) 11.0–0 Nxd6 12.Qxd6 Bd7? (12…Qxe2? 13.Rad1 f6 14.Qd8+ Kf7 15.Qxh8 and wins; 12…Qf5 13.Ne5 Qg5 14.Nxc6 Bd7 15.Ne5 Qe7 16.Rfd1 with strong pressure) 13.Bd3 1–0 Camus, B (2065)-Piermee, E (2161) Champagne Ardenne 2003 Black resigns because of 13.Bd3 Qg4 14.Ne5.

8…Na6

Another game you should be aware of: 8…Ne7 9.Qd2 f6 10.0–0–0 Nd7 11.Nc3 Qg6 12.Qd6 Qf7 13.Ne4 Nf5 14.Qc7 h5 15.g3 g5 16.f3 g4 17.fxg4 hxg4 18.Be2 Qg7 19.Bxg4! c5 (19…Qxg4 20.Nxf6+ Nxf6 21.Rd8#) 20.Bxf5 exf5 21.Nd6+ Ke7 (21…Kf8 22.Qd8#) 22.Rhe1+ Kf8 23.Re8# 1–0 (23) Canal-Lokvenc Venice 1948.

9.Bf8 Ne7

[9…Kxf8?? 10.Qd8#]

10.Bxg7 Nb4 11.Qd6 Nc2+ 12.Kd2 Nxa1 13.Bxh8

A really crazy position.

13…Qc2+ 14.Ke1 e5 15.f3

[15.Bxe5? Be6 16.f3 Rd8 17.Qc7 Qd2+ 18.Kf2 Nc2 Black is clearly winning: Kononenko, T (2379)-Korneev, O (2606) Seville 2007 0–1 23.]

15…Be6! 16.Bf6 Ng6 17.h4! Qf5 18.Bg5 h6! 19.Bxh6 Rd8 20.Qc5 Qb1+ 21.Kf2 Nc2 22.h5 Nf4! 23.Bxf4 exf4 24.Qa5 Qd1 25.Nxf4?

Vitiugov loses his nerve. The cold-blooded 25.h6! puts Black in a difficult position and in fact might even be winning.

25…Rd2+ 26.Kg1?

The losing move. Correct was 26.Be2! Rxe2+ 27.Nxe2 Qxh1 28.Ng3 Qd1 29.Qc3 Nd4 30.h6 Kf8 White is still fighting.

26…Ne3 27.Qg5 Qxf1+ 28.Kh2 Qxf3 [mate is forced] 0–1

Wow. I got a bit carried away there, but in my defense the game was quite exciting. To continue with the story, the Team Russia did not start well but righted itself after this bad loss and did not lose a single game in the rest of the tournament. They beat all the other teams, scored seven straight victories and managed to overtake China at the finish gate.

Now, six years later, the Russian team took charge from the beginning and held the lead to the end, actually clinching the gold medals with one round to go. Karjakin was a bit off (3/7 with 2 losses against a single win), but Nepomniachtchi (4/6), Grischuk (5.5/8), Andreikin (4.5/7) and most especially Vladislav Artemiev (6.5/8) successfully fended off all challenges and did not lose a single game.

As all of you know Vladimir Kramnik recently announced his retirement from competitive chess. It appears that Artemiev is determined to become the “New Vlad” in Russia — last December 2018 he became European Blitz Champion, and in January 2019 he won the Gibraltar Masters, one of the strongest open tournaments in the world. Here in the beautiful city of Astana (just two weeks ago they renamed it Nur-Sultan, after former president Nursultan Nazarbayev) Artemiev notched five wins, including the decisive points in the team victory over Iran and the USA. He is by no means an opening connoisseur, but his feel for the quiet openings is uncanny. A tempo gained here, an awkward pin there, and suddenly you feel the grip tightening and are forced to make concessions, either positional or in material. Then, no matter how small an advantage Artemiev gets, his ruthless technique will more often than not push it home.

Artemiev, Vladislav (2736) — Izoria, Zviad (2603) [D27]
WchT Astana 2019 Astana (7.4), 12.03.2019

Zviad Izoria is a 35–year-old Georgian GM who migrated to the United States in 2013. He was the World U16 Champion back in 2000 and European U18 Champion in 2001. Zviad also represented his native country in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 chess olympiads. He managed to defeat both Caruana and Nakamura in last year’s USA championship, his only two wins of the event!

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 c5 5.d4 dxc4 6.Bxc4 a6 7.0–0 b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 9.e4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nc6 11.Nxc6 Qxd1 12.Rxd1 Bxc6 13.f3

We have reached a position from the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Black is solid, but passive. The Ukrainian GM Anton Korobov likes to play it as White and has a good score with it. Black’s problems are the pawns on f3 and e4 which restricts his light-squared bishop.

13…Bc5+ 14.Kf1 Ke7 15.Ne2N

An attempt to improve on 15.e5 Nd7 16.Bg5+ f6? (16…Ke8 is correct) 17.exf6+ gxf6 18.Re1! e5 19.Bh4 b4 20.Nd5+ Bxd5 21.Bxd5 Rac8 22.Rad1 Rc7 23.f4 Bd6 24.Rd3 h5 25.Bb3 Rh6 26.Rd5 Rc6 27.fxe5 Nxe5 28.Rdxe5+ 1–0. Korobov,A (2675)-Lesiege,A (2512) Baku 2016.

15…Rhd8?

Believe it or not this move is a mistake. Black’s best is 15…Rac8! as it prevents White’s continuation which you will see.

16.Bg5!

Threatening both e4–e5 and Rdc1, in both cases winning a piece.

16…Rxd1+ 17.Rxd1 Bd6 <D>

POSITION AFTER 17…BD6

18.Rxd6!!

Obviously overlooked by Black.

18…Kxd6 19.e5+ Kxe5 20.Bf4+ Kf5 21.Bc2+ Ne4

[21…Be4 Black loses even more: 22.fxe4+ Nxe4 23.g4+]

22.fxe4+ Kf6 23.Kf2

After the combination White is left with two pieces against a rook and pawn. Not much but did I tell you about Artemiev’s technique?

23…e5 24.Bd2 Ke7 25.Bb4+ Ke8 26.Ba5

Restraining the black queenside pawns.

26…Bd7 27.Bb3 Rc8 28.Nc3 Rc6 29.Nd5 Rh6 30.Bc3 Kf8 31.h3

[31.Bxe5 Re6 wins the pawn right back]

31…f5 32.exf5 Bxf5 33.Bxe5 a5 34.Ke3 Rc6 35.Nc3 b4 36.Bd5 Rc8 37.Nb5 Rc1 38.Nd6 Bb1 39.Nb7 Re1+ 40.Kd4 Re2 41.a4! Rxb2 42.Nxa5 Bc2 43.Nc4 Ra2 44.Bd6+ Ke8 45.Bxb4 1–0

The pawn is taboo: 45.Bxb4 Rxa4 (45…Bxa4 46.Nd6+) 46.Bc6+. In both cases the white rook is lost.

Russia’s record in the World Team Championship:

Rd01 defeated Iran 2.5-1.5 (3 draws and an Artemiev win)

Rd02 beat Egypt 3.0-1.0 (Karjakin and Artemiev won, draws on other games)

Rd03 beat China 2.5-1.5 (draws and a Nepomniachtchi win)

Rd04 drew with England 2.0-2.0 (4 draws)

Rd05 beat Kazakhstan 3.0-1.0 (Karjakin lost but Grischuk, Andreikin and Artemiev all won)

Rd06 tied with Azerbaijan 2.0-2.0 (Karjakin lost but this was offset by a Nepomniachtchi win)

Rd07 beat USA 2.5-1.5 (3 draws and an Artemiev win)

Rd08 defeated Sweden 3.5-0.5 (Karjakin drew while Grischuk, Andreikin and Artemiev all won)

Rd09 beat India 2.5-1.5 (3 draws and a Grischuk win)

Russia won the tournament with a round to spare and could have agreed to short draws on all board against their last round opponent India. Instead they chose to fight it out and come up with another win. Ahh … the killer instinct!

We will continue our story on Thursday.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Match Play

This time last year, Kevin Kisner didn’t quite get the result he wanted. He had just finished runner-up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, but the fact that he didn’t get past the 12th hole in the final against two-time major titleholder Bubba Watson gnawed at him. Never mind that he hitherto managed to lead his particular group, which included World Number One Dustin Johnson, and thereafter claim victories against Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, and Alex Noren. As far as he was concerned, there was unfinished business at the Austin Country Club.

Little wonder, then, that Kisner found his experience over the weekend to be extremely sweet. “I prevailed,” he noted shortly after he put the finishing touches on a 3&2 triumph over Kuchar in the final, “and I’m a world champion.” Indeed. That he almost failed to get out of group play served only to underscore the gravity of his accomplishment; he had to survive three holes in sudden death against Poulter — the very same opponent he dusted 8&6 in the quarterfinals last year and his opening-match tormentor this time around — just to advance to the Round of 16.

For the remainder of the Match Play Championship, however, Kisner was money. He made short work of Li Haotong, 6&5, and Louis Oosthuizen, 2&1, before taking the measure of Francesco Molinari in the semis by the slimmest of margins. The reigning British Open winner looked invincible en route, and, after posting birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to tie the set-to, appeared to have the momentum until a three-putt bogey from the wrong side of the green sealed the outcome. And in the winner-take-all affair, he was on top practically all the way.

In the aftermath, Kuchar lamented the lost opportunities. “I gave too many holes away.” True, although the pressure Kisner put with steady play had much to do with the turn of events. The latter was simply too good when it mattered, as, among other instances, evidenced by the 20-foot putt for birdie that ended the match on the 16th. Which is exactly what the Match Play Championship requires: the best under pressure.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

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