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Advancing the EU-ASEAN partnership for sustainability

By Francisco Fontan
IN January I joined Federica Mogherini, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in Brussels as she co-chaired the 22nd EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. It was an impressive occasion, and the best attended such gathering anyone could remember, with almost all the 10 ASEAN and 28 EU member states represented by their foreign ministers. Brussels was preparing for its first big snowfall of the winter, but the reception we gave our ASEAN partners was a truly warm one.
The debate inside the room reflected the depth and breadth of our relations, from conflict in the Middle East, to the importance of the South China Sea and the Rohingya crisis, to promoting trade, investment, or higher education. Much was said but there was also a unity of purpose — a common desire to strengthen EU-ASEAN cooperation including in new areas such as combating unregulated fishing, or launching a new high level dialogue on environment and climate change, and an agreement in principle to upgrade our relations to a strategic partnership.
As Mrs. Mogherini said after the meeting, this was “a recognition of the strategic nature of the partnership we already have in many fields. It was an important signal showing that the two most advanced and most successful integration processes in the world stand firmly behind multilateralism and a rules-based global order.” Or as her fellow co-chair Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and ASEAN coordinator for EU relations, put it, “we take our partnership to a greater height, we will continue to explore new areas in which we can cooperate and learn from each other, such as cybersecurity, maritime security, connectivity and climate change.” A close and deep partnership between the EU and ASEAN is thus of strategic importance for both regional blocs.
We are certainly pivotal economic partners already. Our private sector is, by far, the first investor in ASEAN, holding a quarter of total stock in the region, and we are ASEAN’s second largest trading partner. The EU has concluded or is negotiating free trade and investment agreements with a number of ASEAN members, building blocks for an ambitious region-to-region trade and investment framework.
We are working hard to increase transport links and our overall connectivity. If — as I hope — we soon agree on the first ever region-to-region Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement, millions of our citizens will benefit and the travel and tourism industry in particular stands to make great gains. We can build on this and establish a comprehensive EU-ASEAN Connectivity Partnership. While some question globalization and are retreating into economic nationalism, it is important that ASEAN and the EU together seek to bolster global links, make them work for all and show their true value to our shared prosperity.
And as ASEAN says, we can leave no one behind.
The EU remains the largest donor to ASEAN, helping the organization and your governments to reduce poverty and spread opportunity, with over €200 million in support of ASEAN regional integration and connectivity, on top of over €2 billion in bilateral assistance to ASEAN member states, and the direct efforts of our 28 EU member states. We will also continue to stand by you after each major natural disaster, from tsunamis to cyclones, putting victims’ needs above any other consideration.
Cooperation, solidarity and prosperity have long been the hallmarks of our relations. And while they remain so, the rapidly evolving international scene is leading us to focus more on key strategic issues. Our shared ambitions can only realize their full potential in a rules-based, peaceful and stable environment. This is what makes ASEAN so important for the EU in Asia — not just as a community of ten, but being also the core of the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, or the ADMM+ process. And this is where ASEAN and the EU are already rightly expanding their security cooperation — from trafficking in persons to cyber-crime, from maritime security to transnational crime and counter-terrorism.
Today we live in no ordinary time. Sea levels are rising, our biodiversity is shrinking, and many communities across the world are at risk of displacement or competing for access to basic resources such as water or arable land. We cannot afford to continue on the same path. Meanwhile, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will affect everyone. Our regions need the ambition, leadership and vision to address those challenges. Last month we published our ambitions for “A Sustainable Europe by 2030,” moving to a circular economy, correcting the imbalances in our food system, future-proofing our energy, buildings and mobility, and making sure that this transition is fair, leaving no one and no place behind.
No one can achieve these goals alone. And thankfully that is something else we agree on – the foreign ministers spent more time talking about the environment, climate change and sustainable development than anything else. We agreed to deliver together on our United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Both ASEAN and the EU see regional integration as the most effective way to foster stability and prosperity. We are both committed to addressing global challenges through a system based on rules and multilateralism. We both have an interest in promoting fair and open markets, in shaping global economic and environmental rules, and in sustainable access to each other through open sea, land and air routes, in full respect of international law.
As global stakeholders, the EU and ASEAN have the responsibility to advance the international rules-based order and preserve our “global commons.” I have been immensely privileged, as the EU’s first ambassador to ASEAN, to have seen our strategic relationship go from strength to strength. I am confident that it has even further to run and that, together, we will play a leading role in developing the global responses needed for the challenges of tomorrow.
 
Francisco Fontan is the European Union’s Ambassador to ASEAN.

Why the US and China can’t make a real deal

By Michael Schuman
OPTIMISM that the US and China can reach a trade deal is rising, with another round of intensive negotiations in Washington this week. What buoyant investors are ignoring, however, is that the talks have become a test of strength between the world’s two great powers — or, more accurately, a test of how accurate each nation’s sense of its own strength is.
The inconvenient fact is that neither country possesses the power to impose its will on the other. The US is not on its own capable of compelling Chinese leaders to do its bidding, nor is China strong enough to shun the Western world. Until they face up to that reality, they’ll never be able to reach a lasting accommodation.
From what we know of the ongoing talks, the two sides have made progress on narrowing the US trade deficit through large Chinese purchases of American soybeans, microchips, and other products. The two also appear to be making some headway on widening access to the China market for foreign companies. But there’s still no sign of a breakthrough on “structural” issues — US demands for major reforms in Chinese policies that Washington says are biased against US businesses, such as massive subsidies for favored Chinese companies and forced extraction of technology from foreign firms. This would be the real meat of any deal, the reforms that would fundamentally alter China’s economy and promote more market-based competition.
It’s hardly surprising that China would be reluctant to give ground, and not only because meeting US demands would require Beijing to overhaul the way the Chinese economy works. It’s also profoundly difficult to prod countries into doing what they don’t want to do through economic pressure.
Remember, North Korea has clung to its nuclear weapons even as international sanctions have strangled its economy. In 1973, when the Arab states imposed an oil embargo on the US in retaliation for its support of Israel, Americans chose to wait in long lines for gasoline rather than ditch their Middle Eastern ally.
Recent statistics suggest that trying to bludgeon China into submission with tariffs is also a losing strategy. January trade data, for instance, showed that China’s overall exports rose by more than 9% even as exports to the US dropped by 2.4%. In other words, as important as the US market is to China, the rest of the world matters too. Even technology giant Huawei, facing a concerted US campaign to block use of its equipment in 5G networks, may still thrive by focusing on non-Western markets. Huawei’s global market share in smartphones almost matched Apple’s last year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Meanwhile, China has been inflicting some trade pain on the US. Just ask American soybean farmers, whose shipments to China have plunged as its importers turn to Brazil and other countries amid the tariff war.
China has already ignored numerous “deadlines,” both real and threatened, over the past year without conceding. While the Chinese economy is indeed slowing, that has less to do with tariffs than serious problems within the domestic economy, such as high levels of debt, and the government’s attempt to mitigate them, most of all by controlling the expansion of credit.
At the same time, Beijing has fallen prey to its own form of self-deception. Chinese leaders show little sign of understanding the ire their predatory business practices have fueled across the world. And it’s not just the flood of cheap Chinese imports many countries face, or the hassles their companies encounter while trying to do business on the mainland. China’s censorship and surveillance regime at home and its state-led, subsidized agenda to dominate cutting-edge industries have increased worries about allowing the country access to advanced Western technology, closing doors to Chinese companies from New Zealand to Germany.
Perhaps authorities in Beijing believe China no longer needs access to the consumers and know-how of the West and its allies. But with China still trailing the US, Europe, and Japan in innovation and wealth, they’re taking a big risk with the country’s future. Huawei might be able to find new customers in Africa and the Middle East; it still needs US microchips for its products to work.
In both the US and China, the problem isn’t just arrogance. It’s isolation. Xi and Trump operate in self-created echo chambers. Trump has purged just about everybody from this White House who had a dissenting opinion on his trade strategy, while experience in foreign affairs is generally derided as old, failed thinking. Xi has fostered an environment of such fear that only the bravest of souls would dare speak their minds openly and honestly. Neither leader seems to take much interest in understanding the position of the other country.
A superficial trade deal won’t solve any of these problems, even if it temporarily calms markets. Tensions will continue until Washington realizes the folly of unilateral action in an altered world order and Xi recognizes how his subversion of global norms is turning much of the world against China. Each side is going to have to accept its weaknesses before they can forge a stronger relationship.
BLOOMBERG
 
Michael Schuman, who is based in Beijing, is the author of The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia’s Quest for Wealth and Confucius and the World He Created.
contactschuman@gmail.com

UP Lady Maroons stay unbeaten in Season 81

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons improved to 2-0 in UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball after bringing down the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in four sets in their maiden encounter on Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Displaying steady determination and aggressiveness, UP got over gritty FEU, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22 and 25-20, to remain unscathed in the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines tournament.
Earlier in the day, the Ateneo Lady Eagles barged into the win column of the new season with a four-set victory over the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses, 25-21, 25-21, 16-25 and 25-22.
The UP-FEU battle got off to a pendulum-like start with momentum swinging back and forth.
FEU raced to an 8-3 lead before UP charged back to tie the count at 8-all.
The Lady Tamaraws created another separation after only for the Lady Maroons to catch up at 14-all, from which they built a 16-15 lead by the second technical timeout.
Following that, led by Tots Carlos and Isa Molde, UP pulled away to take the first set.
The Lady Tamaraws once again rolled off fast in the second set with Celine Domingo and Kyle Negrito humming.
FEU had a 16-7 lead midway and never relinquished the lead to level the contest at one set apiece.
The two teams continued to jostle, fighting to a 16-15 count in favor of the Lady Tamaraws midway into the third frame.
Molde, Carlos and Justine Dorog, however, towed UP to a strong finish to claim the set, 25-22, and match lead, 2-1.
Got the motor it needed, UP dictated the pace at the beginning of the fourth set.
It would lead FEU, 16-12, at the second technical break.
The Lady Maroons then bucked every challenge that their opponents threw at them as they held on to preserve the win.
Carlos had 15 points for UP in the win with Dorog and Molde shooting for 12 and 11.
Lycha Ebon, meanwhile, led FEU (1-1) with 16 while Domingo had 11.
“It was a tough game but we fought hard. Credit as well to the fans for egging us to continue fighting. This is win is for them,” UP coach Godfrey Okumu in the postgame press conference.
LADY EAGLES WIN
In the first game, Ateneo (1-1) booked its first victory of the season after outsteadying UST (1-1) in an engaging and competitive contest.
The opening two sets of the match took a familiar route with UST taking control early before Ateneo’s experience would be showcased as the match progressed en route to claiming the frames.
Sensing that the game was slipping from their hands, the Tigresses came out the third set with more bite.
Boosted by superb serving from Alina Bicar, UST raced to a 7-0 lead and was up, 8-3, by the first technical timeout.
The team continued to roll after, galloping to a 16-6 advantage midway into the frame.
Ateneo then tried to make a comeback led by captain Bea De Leon.
It came within five points, 20-15, but could not come any closer than that as UST went on a 5-1 run to close out the set and extend the contest.
At the start of the fourth set it was the Lady Eagles who had it strong, building an 8-2 count.
They would not relent on stepping on the gas pedal amid the stiff challenge from the Tigresses to stay in command, 16-9, by the second technical timeout.
UST was undaunted, however, pulling itself to within two points, 18-16.
A ferocious fight ensued with both teams trying to get the momentum.
The count stood at 23-22, and Ateneo still on top, before Kat Tolentino and the Lady Eagles went for the finish.
Tolentino led Ateneo with 22 points, 16 off kills, while Maddie Madayag had 15 points.
Sisi Rondina had a team-high 20 for UST with rookie Eya Laure and Minela Alessandrini adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“Happy that we were able to bounce back after a loss. The team showed a lot character in the end of the game and we have to continuing building on that,” said Ateneo coach Oliver Almadro postmatch.
The Lady Eagles next play on Feb. 24 against FEU while the Tigresses will also see action on the same day versus UP.

Gilas begins crucial qualifier stretch against Qatar squad

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Philippine national men’s basketball team plunges back into action in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, beginning against Qatar on 12 a.m., Friday (Manila time), in Doha.
A crucial phase in its World Cup bid, Gilas Pilipinas needs to sweep their two remaining games in the sixth and final window of the qualifiers to give their push for a spot in the quadrennial basketball spectacle a major boost.
The Yeng Guiao-coached and Philippine Basketball Association-backed Gilas team will try to make up for its two defeats, both here in Manila, in the fifth window in November and December last year, which dropped the team to fourth place in the merged Group F with a 5-5 record.
Gilas is now trailing Australia (9-1), Iran (7-3) and Japan (6-4) in the race while still ahead of Kazakhstan (4-6) and Qatar (2-8) heading into the sixth window.
Australia is the lone team from the grouping that has booked a spot in the World Cup so far while Qatar is already eliminated.
Tournament format calls for the top three teams in the two merged groups advancing outright to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China later this year, with the best fourth-placed team advancing, too.
In FIBA’s assessment, the Philippines can finish anywhere between third and fifth. It could notch a spot in the World Cup with as little as one win as it holds a tie-breaker against Japan, but even if it wins both games in the sixth window, both away matches against Qatar and Kazakhstan, it will have to depend on other results.
Alternatively, FIBA said, the Philippines could qualify as the best fourth-placed team in Asia as long as it avoids losing to Kazakhstan by more than 48 points or losing twice in the final window, as it would finish fifth. It would also finish fifth if Kazakhstan wins both games and Japan wins at least once.
For the game against Qatar, Mr. Guiao and the rest of the Gilas think tank are going with a team composed of naturalized player Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar, JP Erram. Gabe Norwood, Mark Barroca, June Mar Fajardo, Thirdy Ravena, Marcio Lassiter, Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro, Paul Lee and Scottie Thompson.
In their first game against Qatar in the fourth window in September, the Philippines won, 92-81, in a match played behind closed doors at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of the sanctions on the country for its role in the infamous brawl between the Philippines and Australia in the third window in July in Bulacan.
Gilas had a rough start and trailed the Qataris for much of the opening half. It eventually found its groove in the second half to book the win.
Mr. Aguilar and Alex Cabagnot led the Philippines with 16 points each in the win with naturalized player Stanley Pringle and Beau Belga finishing in double figures as well with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Center Mohd Yousuf Mohmmed, meanwhile, paced Qatar with 26 points with Tanguy Alban H Ngombo and Nasser Khalifa Al-Rayes adding 17 points each.
While it had the number of the Qataris in their previous match, Gilas is treating the match at hand as a whole new ball game with much sense of urgency.
“We have to remember we are coming off two losses (against Iran and Kazakhstan). We must humble ourselves and do not underestimate our opponents more so since we know they will represent their countries and be at their best at home,” Mr. Norwood said in the lead-up to their match against Qatar.
“We must not underestimate them (Qatar). We need to adjust and pay attention to details if we want to succeed,” Mr. Erram, for his part, said.
The Philippines-Qatar game at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multipurpose Hall will be shown live over ESPN5 and via live stream on espn5.com. Pre-show starts at 11:30 p.m., Thursday.

ITF’s new pathway to help dreamers reach the top

LONDON — Armed with his talent and a racket bag full of hope, Frenchman Evan Furness is one of the dreamers hoping to climb from tennis’s lowest rungs up onto the biggest stages of all.
The trouble is the vast majority of the thousands of players who venture, like 20-year-old Furness, into the jungle of world tennis find the path leads not to fame and fortune, but to a dead end and debt.
Far from emulating the likes of Roger Federer or Serena Williams, most never even reach the lucrative ATP or WTA Tours, and hundreds never earn a bean for all their hard graft.
In 2017, there were 14,000 so-called tennis professionals, but fewer than 600 broke even before coaching costs.
While the likes of Novak Djokovic and Serena earn fortunes from the sport and even men’s 100th-ranked Vasek Pospisil has banked $5.2 million in a decade on Tour, around 80% of professionals quit having earned next to nothing.
In truth, for the majority, a career as a tennis pro has been more fantasy than reality.
Which is why the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has acted on its three-year Player Pathway review, a comprehensive study into the professional game published in 2017, and why players like Furness now see light at the end of the tunnel.
The new ITF World Tennis Tour, a transition circuit of 1,600 junior and entry-level tournaments, began in January to provide a streamlined progression between the junior and senior game, enabling more professional players to make a living.
Prize money pools of $15,000 and $25,000 will be available for entry-level men’s and women’s events while, crucially, “reserved places” will be available in higher level tournaments.
Jackie Nesbitt, Executive Director of the ITF Pro Circuits, said the initial indications were positive.
“As a sport it was clear we needed to do much better for the players,” she told Reuters by telephone. “The new structure has a clear aim and that is to support the best young male and female players and to deliver them to the ATP and WTA Tours.
“It’s about fast-tracking on merit, allowing the best players in the entry-level tournaments to move up through the professional pathway quicker and at less cost to themselves.”
The new system features an ITF World Tour ranking list which will run separately from the ATP and WTA rankings, both of which will be trimmed back to 750 players.
Top-100 ranked juniors will be eligible for reserved places in $15k tournaments, while Level 2 $25k draws will also have places for players doing well at a lower level.
Four reserved places will be available for ITF-ranked players in ATP Challenger, one level below the full ATP Tour.
Frenchman Furness took advantage of a reserved spot to win a $25k event in Hong Kong and then won another title in Switzerland — proof, Nesbitt said, that the system worked.
While reducing the quantity of players might seem counter-intuitive, ITF president David Haggerty said offering better rewards will help “retain the best talent.”
But how many players will make money?
“Too many people were competing for the prize money available,” Nesbitt said. “We want to see a significant uplift (in players making money). It will be one of our key performance indicators that tell us how successful these reforms have been.”
With minimal rewards, the lowest rungs of professional tennis have been vulnerable to potential match-fixing.
Of the 264 match alerts flagged up to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) by the betting industry in 2018, 163 were in entry-level men’s events compared with five on the ATP Tour. — Reuters

Local 3×3 basketball set to get boost with Super Quest tourney

THE push of 3×3 basketball in the country to the world stage is set to get further wind with the hosting of the Super Quest tournament later this year.
Geared towards helping boost the country’s chances of making it to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and local partner Chooks-to-Go announced that the Super Quest will descend on the country in April.
“After last year’s success of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup organized by SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas), the initiative of Chooks-to-Go to set up a tournament with international teams from Asia-Pacific qualifying to the FIBA 3×3 World Tour is excellent news, underpins the effort of Chooks-to-Go in organizing dozens of local 3×3 events and will accelerate the development of 3×3 in Philippines. There is no reason why the Philippines cannot have successful teams playing at World Tour level, considering the depth of talent and love for the game in the country,” said FIBA 3×3 Managing Director Alex Sanchez in a statement.
The Quest is a multi-tournament qualification tour which ends in a Quest final, the best teams of which qualify to a pre-determined World Tour Masters. In the FIBA 3×3 hierarchy of events the Quest stops are a level seven (purple) while the Quest Finals are an eight (brown).
“We are looking for tangible ways for the country to find its way to the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. I know it’s hard at this point but we will try everything,” said Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas, whose group has been active in pushing for 3×3 basketball, including setting up the country’s first-ever 3×3 basketball league — Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3.
The top placers in the Super Quest will gain a berth in the FIBA 3X3 World Tour.
“With Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, we want to show to the Filipino people that there is another avenue for our basketball players to compete in. With the Super Quest, we want to show the world that we can compete with the world’s best in 3×3 basketball,” said league commissioner Eric Altamirano, as he underscored the dimension that the Super Quest can be bring to the whole 3×3 basketball ecosystem in the land.
Incidentally, with this announcement of the Super Quest, the stakes got higher for the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 as besides the P1-million prize for the champions, the top two teams will automatically qualify for the Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Asia-Pacific Super Quest.
The Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Asia-Pacific Super Quest is tentatively scheduled to take place on April 6 to 7 in Manila. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Thailand Atthaya Thithikul aims to defend her Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific title in Japan

ST. ANDREWS — Defending champion Atthaya Thithikul will lead a host of emerging stars from the region when the second edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) is played at The Royal Golf Club in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, from April 25-28.
At number eight in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Thailand’s Thithikul will also be the highest-ranked player in the field which features 80 players from 20 Asia-Pacific countries.
As well as Thithikul, two of the other three players involved in the exciting play-off that decided the champion in Singapore last year — Yuka Saso of the Philippines and Yuna Nishimura of Japan — have also committed to the championship.
The 17-year-old reigning Asian Games champion Saso, along with her namesake from Japan, Yuka Yasuda, are the next two highest-ranked players — at number 34 and 17 respectively.
The field comprises 15 players ranked inside the top 100 of the WAGR. The largest contingent is eight players from host nation Japan, while there will be players representing nations such as Bangladesh, Guam, Vietnam, Iran and Cook Islands — countries where the women’s game is still in its infancy.
The champion at The Royal Golf Club will earn a spot in two of the five women’s major championships — the AIG Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship. She will also receive an invite to the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Thithikul, who created history in July 2017 when she became the youngest winner on the Ladies European Tour at the age of 14 at the Thailand Championship, enjoyed a phenomenal year as the WAAP champion. She was the Leading amateur at the 2018 Women’s British Open and ANA Inspiration and was tied eighth in the HSBC Women’s World Championship (the three spots she secured as winner of the inaugural WAAP).
“I am so excited to play the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific again. This year, I want to enjoy every moment of the championship and do my best. I am really looking forward to it,” said Atthaya, who turns 16 on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
“It means so much to me to have won the WAAP last year. It gave me invitations to many big tournaments and I feel like it has been a huge learning experience for me in my journey to become a professional golfer.”

Another Queen’s Gambit story

Last Tuesday I told you the story of GM Andrei Sokolov and how the Queen’s Gambit Declined Blackburne Variation did him in. He wasn’t the only one whose ship was sunk by that line. There is also Nigel Short.
Grandmaster (GM) Nigel Short (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, England) was the first Englishman to play for the world chess championship, this was in 1993 in London, where he faced Garry Kasparov (Garry won 12.5-7.5).
Short’s first attempt in the world championship cycle started in 1985 when he narrowly qualified from the Biel Interzonal. He tied for the last qualifying slot with John van der Wiel (Holland) and Eugene Torre but won the play-off. Nigel was eliminated though in the Montpellier Candidates’ Tournament when he finished only 10th out of 16.
His next attempt is the subject of our article today. This was the 1987-1990 cycle. The qualifiers for the Candidates’ Matches were:
From the Interzonals:

Subotica 1987: Sax, Short, Speel Szirak 1987: Valery Salov, Johann Hjartarson, Lajos Portisch Zagred 1987: Korchnoi, Yasser Seirawan, Jaan Ehlvest

Finalist/Semi-Finalist from previous Candidates: Andrei Sokolov, Jan Timman, Rafael Vaganian, Yusupov

Sponsor’s Nominee: Kevin Spraggett

Anatoly Karpov, the previous challenger to the title, was seeded directly into the second round.
The match-ups:

Kevin Spraggett vs. Andrei Sokolov, 6.5-5.5

Jonathan Speelman vs. Yasser Seirawan, 4.0-1.0

Nigel Short vs Gyula Sax, 3.5-1.5

Artur Yusupov vs. Jaan Ehlvest, 3.5-1.5

Jan Timman vs. Valery Salov, 3.5-2.5

Lajos Portisch vs. Rafael Vaganian, 3.5-2.5

Johann Hjartarson vs. Viktor Korchnoi, 4.5-3.5

There were three upsets in the first round: Spraggett, the sponsors’ nominee who did not have to pass through the qualifying stages, shocked the chess world by eliminating the previous year’s candidates’ finalist.
Johann Hjartarson covered himself with glory by defeating Viktor Korchnoi, and Yasser Seirawan, the American Champion, lost to Jonathan Speelman. Korchnoi and Seirawan were expected to have an easy time with their opponents but they both succumbed.
Seirawan was surprised himself that he lost so easily. In addition to being an active player he also founded the chess magazine “Inside Chess” which came out twice a month. Here is what he wrote:
“Jonathan was a journeyman professional. From 1978-1985 he hovered around the 2550-2590 class. In short, he was strong but not a standout.
“But in 1986 he became something much more than just another pleasant GM. He suddenly began to play very well. Extremely well. Though the victories weren’t automatic, they remained constant. But the blunders stopped, and he virtually stopped losing games. With this new-found strength, he qualified for the candidates’ cycle at the interzonal in Subotica, Yugoslavia.
“Why? Did Jonathan suddenly discover a secret stash of Popeye spinach? He may as well have. For the secret of Speelman’s success is a very unlikely one.
“For many years Jonathan suffered from a debilitating eye disease. He was going blind. Staring at the board for hours at a time gave him terrible headaches. The doctors forbade him from reading books or engaging in activities that would excessively strain his eyes.
“Happily, today Jonathan is no longer going blind. His doctors have arrested his condition through corrective surgery. The result is a totally different player. No longer cursed by eye pains, headaches, or gnawing fears, Jonathan comes to the board with an intense desire to play as well as he can.”
Quarterfinal matches:

Speelman, J vs. Short,N 3.5-1.5

Karpov, A vs. Hjartarson, J 3.5-1.5

Timman, J vs. Portisch, L 3.5-2.5

Yusupov, A vs. Spraggett, K 5.0-4.0

The Short vs. Speelman match was held at the downstairs cinema in the Barbican, London. Now, aside from the two protagonists being countrymen, they actually lived almost next door to each other, so neither of them were happy with the match-up. However, it did assure that at least one Englishman would advance to the Candidates’ semi-finals.
The first two games were hard-fought draws and then came the pivotal third game. Speelman wrote about this at length in his Best Games’ collection. I will summarize the circumstances behind this game.
The thing with the seconds. Short was seconded by GM John Nunn. Speelman’s usual second was GM William Watson, but Watson was friends with both players and has also done analytical work previously with Short, so he preferred to stay out of this one. In his place Watson recommended GM Jon Tisdall, an American-turned-Englishman-turned Norseman, as the replacement second.
The thing with Tisdall’s girlfriend. Jon Tisdall was a resident of Norway and his girlfriend joined him in London after the second game. She happened to buy a Norwegian newspaper on the way and, in the chess column, there was the game between Mikhail Gurevich and Andrei Sokolov (I showed you this last Tuesday) which was played only 10 days previously. When Tisdall saw the game he got really excited as it was the sort of sharp and complicated line against Short’s pet Queen’s Gambit Declined that they were looking for. What’s more he was reasonably certain that the other camp had not yet seen it.
The thing with game accessibility. In 1988 the information age had not yet arrived and the usual source of the latest game scores was the Swiss weekly bulletin Die Schachwoche. The next issue of the bulletin was due to arrive very soon with news on that game and indeed it arrived two days after game 3 of the match. In other words if they were to use Gurevich’s novelty it was now or never.

Speelman, Jonathan S (2645) — Short, Nigel D (2665) [D37]
Candidates qf4 London (3), 1988

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Nc6 8.Qc2 Bxc5 9.a3 Qa5 10.0–0–0 Be7
Surprised by Speelman’s 10.0–0–0, Nigel thought for 12 minutes and then responded with the move which was soon to become the main line. In Sokolov’s game which I showed you last Tuesday he responded 10…dxc4.
11.g4
Speelman said that the main move for Black that he had analyzed was 10…Ne4. So he was on his own hereabouts.
11…Rd8
Of course not 11…Nxg4? 12.cxd5 e5 13.Bg3 Nd8 14.h3 Black’s crucial e5–pawn will fall.
As I showed you last Tuesday the best continuation for Black is considered to be 11…dxc4 12.Bxc4 e5 13.g5 exf4 14.gxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Ne7! Black is doing ok. The soon-to-be tripled f-pawns is not so bad. Let’s carry this on for a few more moves: 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Rhg1+ Kh8 18.Qe4 Ng6 19.Qd4 Qb6 both sides have chances. Beliavsky,A (2690)-Jussupow,A (2630) Dortmund 1998 0–1 45.
12.h3 a6
Afterwards, the Short camp looked at the line and concluded that Black should have played 12…dxc4 13.Rxd8+ Nxd8 14.Bxc4= Nd5 15.Nxd5 exd5 16.Bd3 g6 when there are chances for both sides. That conclusion may be correct as after the text move 12…a6 White’s score against it in international competition is 4-0!
13.Nd2
Speelman: “the critical position. After 41 minutes’ thought Nigel wrongly decided to lash out in the center with …”
13…e5?!
White was more worried about 13…b5.
14.g5! Ne8
Speelman pointed out an “interesting” queen sacrifice here with 14…Ne4 15.Nb3 Qxc3?! 16.bxc3 Bxa3+ 17.Kb1 Bf5 and also revealed that it does not work, for White can escape with 18.Ka2! (18.Bd3? dxc4 19.Bxe4 cxb3!) 18…Bb4 19.Bxe5! Imagine that — he actually calculated all of this during the game!
15.Nb3 Qb6 16.Nxd5 Rxd5! 17.cxd5 exf4 18.dxc6 fxe3 19.fxe3!
Played not to take back the pawn but to open the f-file against the enemy king.
19…Bxg5 20.Kb1 bxc6 21.Bc4 Ra7 22.Rhf1 Bf6 23.Qe4!
POSITION AFTER 23.QE4!
Decisive. 23.Qe4! threatens not only the e8–knight but after the natural 23…Re7 White pole-axes (Speelman’s term) Short with 24.Qxe7! Bxe7 25.Rxf7 in his notes to the game Speelman breaks off here with the remark that White is winning. Just for curiosity’s sake let us carry the analysis further as the following moves are more or less forced: 25…Kh8 26.Rxe7 Bf5+ 27.Ka2 Bg6 28.Rxe8+! Bxe8 29.Rf1 g6 30.Rf8+ Kg7 31.Rxe8 White has a rook, and two pieces for the queen. Much more than enough.
23…Kf8 24.Qxh7
With the killer threat of e3–e4–e5 exposing Black’s weakness on f7.
24…g6
[24…Qxe3? 25.Qh8+ Ke7 26.Rfe1]
25.e4 c5 26.e5 Bg7 27.e6 Bxe6 1–0
After 27…Bxe6 Short resigns without waiting for 28.Qxg6 Re7 (28…Bxc4?? 29.Qxb6) 29.Bxe6 Qxe6 30.Qxe6 Rxe6 31.Nxc5 Rc6 32.b4 the ending is hopeless.
Still groggy from the massacre he just suffered, Short lost again in the 4th game and it was all over.
Semifinal matches:

Timman, J vs. Speelman, J 4.5-3.5

Karpov, A vs. Yusupov, A 4.5-3.5

Final match:

Karpov, A vs. Timman,J 6.5-2.5

And Karpov went on to challenge Garry Kasparov for the world title.
 
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 for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

Challenge for James

The Lakers will begin the second half of their 2018-19 campaign outside the playoff bubble, not quite a departure from preseason projections. Yet, not a few quarters have seen fit to view them as a disappointment, and not simply because they have LeBron James — he with the personal streak of eight straight Finals appearances — on their side. Even as taking an early vacation has been the norm for them since 2013, not a few quarters still believe they should be better (okay, much better) than their sub-.500 record suggests.
To be fair, the Lakers were, indeed, humming for a significant period of time before the injury bug and the prospect of a major trade shook them into a stupor. After a poor start that had them losing five of their first seven games of the season, they got into a groove and went on an 18-9 spurt that culminated in a Christmas Day victory over the vaunted Warriors. By then, they had moved to fourth in the deep, deep West and in line to move further up the ladder. Instead, they have gone 8-15 since, greeting the All-Star break at 10th and seemingly ready to limp to a lottery finish.
Considering how influential James’ leadership had been during their run of success, it’s fair to contend that his absence due to a groin strain — not coincidentally his longest ever since he was chosen first overall in the 2003 draft — hurt their competitiveness. That said, what had them hang their heads more was the shadow of a trade deal that top management wanted at the expense of rotation regulars. To be sure, there can be no questioning why their front office went all out for All-Star Anthony Davis. In the aftermath of a one-sided conversation with the Pelicans that made the purple and gold look desperate, however, there can likewise be no questioning the effects of the non-starter.
Moving forward, the challenge for James is clear: He needs to rally the Lakers behind him and gain momentum for a meaningful playoff berth. And it’s not just because he’s partly responsible for the mess they’re in by pining for Davis in public. More importantly, it’s because his legacy is at stake. When he’s engaged, no one is better than him at maximizing assets on the court. Thusly, he needs to be at his best from here on end. He can no longer pace himself for what’s to come, if for no other reason than because there may be nothing to come.
Advanced metrics peg the Lakers’ schedule to be the ninth-hardest in the league, so their work is, no doubt, cut out for them. In this light, their advancement may yet be one of the highlights of James’ illustrious career. He says he’s ready for the challenge. It’s now time for him to prove it.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Shares climb ahead of high-level US-China talks

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
SHARES bounced back on Wednesday, tracking positive sentiment across the region as investors were once again upbeat on prospects for the US-China trade war negotiations.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) jumped 1.34% or 105.49 points to close at 7,939.24 yesterday. The broader all- shares index likewise rose 1.12% or 54.05 points to 4,856.94.
“PSEi ended the day 1.35% higher, following the trend across Asian bourses. The rally has been fuelled by increased optimism on the ongoing US China negotiations on trade,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. President William Matthew M. Cabangon said via text, adding that investors should be prepared for heightened volatility.
Officials of the United States and China are set to meet on Thursday and Friday for another round of high-level talks as both parties target to reach a deal before their truce ends on March 1.
Wall Street indices ended in positive territory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 0.03% or 8.07 points to 25,891.32. The S&P 500 index gained 0.15% to 2,779.76, while the Nasdaq Composite index picked up 0.19% to 7,486.77.
For Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan, Wednesday’s uptick served as a technical bounce after the PSEi’s drop to the 7,800 level on Tuesday.
“BoP (balance of payments) release also shows a significant contribution to FPI or foreign portfolio investments, which takes into account the foreign buying of shares in our local bourse,” Mr. Tan said in a separate message.
AAA Equities’ Mr. Cabangon also attributed the increase to the passage of the rice tariffication law, which is seen to help augment rice supply in the country.
“The rice tariffication bill also helped boost local stocks, as inflation expectations head lower due to an increase in the staple’s supply. It is worth noting that rice is one of the largest contributors to the national inflation figure,” Mr. Cabangon explained.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimates that the rice tariffication law will bring down the headline inflation rate by 0.6 percentage points this year
All sectoral indices closed in positive territory, except for the services counter which slipped 0.02% or 0.31 point to 1,565.68.
Industrials led gainers, soaring 2.01% or 228.29 points to 11,567.25, followed by mining and oil which surged 1.75% or 148.36 points to 8,591.99. Property also climbed 1.75% or 69.02 points to 4,009.11; holding firms rose 1.46% or 115.35 points to 7,999.22; and financials firmed up 0.24% or 4.39 points to 1,777.78.
Value turnover slipped to P7.80 billion after some 1.47 billion issues switched hands, versus the previous session’s P8.10 billion.
Market breadth was positive with 122 gainers versus 88 losers, while a total of 42 stocks ended flat.
Foreign investors were back on net buying mode, albeit at a narrow P88.43 million, compared to the previous session’s net sales worth P289.39 million.

Peso climbs on dovish Fed bets

THE PESO strengthened to a one-month high against the dollar on Wednesday on stronger bets of “dovish” US Federal Reserve policy minutes.
The peso ended Wednesday’s session at P52.06 versus the greenback, 15 centavos stronger than the P52.21-per-dollar finish last Tuesday.
This was the peso’s best showing in more than a month or since it ended at P52.03 versus the dollar last Jan. 15.
The local unit traded stronger the whole day, opening the session at P52.14 versus the dollar. It dropped to as low as P52.15 intraday, while its best showing stood at P52.03 versus the US currency.
Trading volume slipped to $873.34 million from the $885.6 million that switched hands in the previous session.
A foreign exchange trader saw quiet trading in the morning session before banks pushed the peso stronger in the afternoon.
“In the morning, the peso only traded between P52.10 and P52.15. We saw a quiet market in the morning session, but during the afternoon, we saw active selling among all banks, which they wanted to push the dollar-peso lower,” the trader said in a phone interview.
Meanwhile, another trader said in an e-mail that the local unit strengthened further as “dovish bets on the January Fed minutes heightened” following comments from Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester.
“I would think that we probably have to raise interest rates a little bit later this year,” Ms. Mester told reporters in Newark, Delaware.
Ms. Mester said her view was that the Fed could also end its process of trimming its bond holdings by the end of this year.
The second trader said Ms. Mester’s speech supported a similar comment made by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the January meeting of the central bank.
The Fed will release on Feb. 20 the minutes of its Jan. 29-30 meeting, where it kept its borrowing costs steady between 2.25% and 2.5%.
Meanwhile, the other trader said there might have been intervention from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday as agent banks tried to buy dollars before the market closed.
As the country’s monetary authority, the BSP sometimes conducts “tactical interventions” to temper any sharp swings that may cause the peso to appreciate or depreciate.
For today, the first trader expects the peso to trade between P51.90 and P52.20 versus the dollar, while the other gave a P51.95-P52.15 range. — K.A.N. Vidal with Reuters

Gov’t to identify state properties for land reform

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has issued an executive order directing all government agencies to identify government-owned lands “devoted to or suitable for” agricultural use “for the purpose of eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries.”
Mr. Duterte signed the Executive Order No. 75 on Feb. 15 citing the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.
Section 1 of the EO states: “Subject to the limitations and conditions provided under applicable law, rules and issuances, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) shall acquire all lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture, which are owned by government agencies, and which are no longer actually, directly and exclusively used or necessary for the purpose for which they have been reserved or acquired, for the purpose of eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries.”
Relevant government agencies are also directed to submit a list to the DAR, “indicating the location and area of the said lands, actual use and legal basis of ownership.”
The EO says further that all government agencies are directed to render “prompt and necessary assistance,” subject to applicable laws and regulations, “to fully implement the provisions of this Order.”
The EO takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
In his speech during the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) to Agrarian Reform beneficiaries in Kidapawan City in December last year, Mr. Duterte vowed to fast-track land distribution under his term.
He stressed that his administration intends to “dispose of almost all government lands” through land reform to address poverty and issues caused by land disputes. “If land reform is not implemented, this war is not going to end if people continue to be deprived of land,” Mr. Duterte said.
Also on Wednesday, DAR said a joint memorandum circular to fast-track the processing of applications for land conversion “will be submitted to the Cabinet early next month.”
“Our initial submission will be with the Cabinet on March 4 and after that, we will present it to the President,” Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones was quoted as saying.
The agency said the inter-agency task force created by Mr. Duterte to address issues in the processing of land-use conversion applications “has been meeting several times to abide by the President’s mandate to streamline land conversion processes to 30 days from at least 24 months.”
“The application process for land use conversion from agricultural to residential, commercial or industrial uses, currently concerns the following agencies: Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agriculture, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, National Housing Authority, and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council,” the agency said.
“In pursuing this endeavor, it is foremost in our plans that each step is environmentally viable and socially feasible. It should also protect tillers’ rights and ensure food security,” Mr. Castriciones also said.

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