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Casino Filipino-Davao targets tourists in new marketing campaign

THE CASINO Filipino-Davao is aiming to attract more local and foreign tourists with the launch of its new marketing slogan, “Excitement Begins Now.” Antonio V. Covarrubias, senior branch administration manager, said that currently, they cater to average of 500 clients a day who are mostly locals. “They visit the casino not only for table games and slot machines, they also go for the show, meet friends, live bands, and not necessarily to play,” Mr. Covarrubias said in an interview. “We are now positioning casino as an entertainment destination for tourists, particularly foreigners,… In Davao, we have so many attractions like tourism-related places, and casino is a different form of entertainment and for us is an added excitement when you visit Davao,” he added. — Maya M. Padillo

Nation at a Glance — (10/23/18)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Peso weakens on geopolitical concerns

THE PESO declined due to safe-haven demand.

THE PESO weakened against the dollar on Monday due to safe-haven demand amid lingering geopolitical concerns in the European Union (EU).
The local unit ended Monday’s session at P53.79 versus the greenback, nine centavos weaker than the P53.70-per-dollar finish on Friday.
The peso opened the session slightly weaker at P53.74 per US currency, but strengthened to as high as P53.65. Meanwhile, its intraday low was at P53.805 against the greenback.
Dollars traded dropped to $863.40 million from the $905.02 million that switched hands on Friday.
“I think it’s more of technical bound since it traded around 40 cents lower from the above-P54 level,” a trader said in a phone interview. “I think P53.65 is a good level since the P53.55 is the next level of support.”
The trader added that the local unit traded stronger in the morning session as it was boosted by the weak dollar trading last Friday.
“However, it traded [weaker] due to corporate demand, mainly from oil and other large companies.”
Meanwhile, another trader said the local currency slightly weakened as investors flocked to safer currencies such as the dollar amid “lingering Italian geopolitical and Brexit trade uncertainties.”
Reuters reported that United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to tell the parliament that 95% of the British exit from the EU has been settled, maintaining opposition for a land border with Northern Ireland.
For Tuesday, the traders expect the peso to move between P53.70 and P53.90 versus the dollar
“The peso might strengthen in view of expectations of softer-than-expected US [third-quarter gross domestic product] report,” the second trader noted. — K.A.N. Vidal

Stocks up as SM Prime kicks off earnings season

LOCAL EQUITIES firmed up on Monday as investor sentiment improved in anticipation of the third-quarter earnings season.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index jumped 1.18% or 84.64 points to 7,236.16 yesterday. The broader all-shares index likewise rose 0.89% or 39.08 points to finish at 4,398.73.
“Philippine markets started the week on a positive note as investors gear up for the start of earnings season. Investors brushed off the weaker performance of the US stocks as this was due to the lower than expected housing data, overshadowing solid corporate earnings,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message.
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. was the first PSEi-member firm to disclose its financial performance for the first nine months of the year. The Sy-led company booked a 17% profit increase to P23.44 billion in the nine months ending September, following a 15% uptick in consolidated revenues to P74.56 billion.
Shares in SM Prime were the most actively traded for the day, gaining 1.16% to P34.90 each, with turnover valued at P441.41 million.
Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel Jose F. Perez attributed the market’s increase to the muted net foreign selling figure for the day, which slimmed to P82.88 million versus the P220.42-million net sales posted last Friday.
The main index bucked the general weakness seen in international markets over the weekend. Only the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to rise last Friday, adding 0.26% or 64.89 points to 25,444.34. The S&P 500 index slipped by 0.04% to 2,767.78, while the Nasdaq Composite index dropped 0.48% or 36.11 points to 7,449.03.
Asian markets also ignored Wall Street’s weaker performance, as investors focused on Chinese officials’ assurance of economic growth, even as the Chinese economy expanded by 6.5% in the third quarter, its slowest since 2009.
Most sectoral indices ended in positive territory back home, led by financials which gained 1.73% or 27.98 points to 1,640.53. Holding firms went up 1.48% or 101.96 points to 6,969.33; property climbed 0.67% or 24.26 points to 3,602.07; industrials added 0.53% or 57.52 points to 10,864.35 and services was higher by 0.28% or 4.28 points to 1,491.97.
Only the mining and oil counter recorded losses, slumping 1.16% or 112.35 points to 9,505.45.
Some 688.55 million issues valued at P4.45 billion switched hands, dropping slightly from the previous session’s P4.94 billion.
Advancers beat decliners, 107 to 83, while 38 names remained unchanged.
“With the index breaking out of a significant support area around the 7,130-7,150 level, next resistance should be in the area of its 50- and 100-day moving averages, and at Sept. 24’s high of 7,400-7,430. A caveat, net foreign selling still remains present and total value turnover is still noticeably low,” Papa Securities’ Mr. Perez said. — Arra B. Francia

NCAA S94 elimination round wraps up today

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE TWO-ROUND elimination play of Season 94 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association comes to an end today with a triple-header set at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Also-rans San Sebastian Stags and Arellano Chiefs, both sporting identical 5-12 records, play at 12 noon followed by league-leading and defending champions San Beda Red Lions (16-1) against season hosts Perpetual Help Altas (11-6) at 2 p.m. Rounding out the elimination round is the Letran Knights (13-4) versus the College of St. Benilde Blazers (9-8) at 4 p.m.
Had it rough in the ongoing season of the country’s longest-standing collegiate league, the Stags and Chiefs look to finish things on a positive note with a victory today.
San Beda, meanwhile, is out to build momentum heading into the Final Four where it is the top seed after securing number one with its victory over the Lyceum Pirates on Oct. 18.
Incidentally, the Lions will take on the Altas, their opponents today, in the semifinals where they will have a twice-to-beat advantage.
Also angling to finish strong is third-running Letran, winner of its last six games and looking to add the Blazers to their list of victims of late.
The Knights will face off with Lyceum in the Final Four where they will try to buck a twice-to-win disadvantage.
Meanwhile, James Canlas of San Beda was named NCAA player of the week by the league press corps after having a breakout game in their clash with Lyceum last time around.
The Filipino-Canadian played a key role in their 75-68 victory over the Pirates, finishing with a career-high 18 points to go along with six boards.
In winning the award, Canlas, who is sporting his father’s surname of Kwekuteye on his jersey, beat out teammate Robert Bolick, Mapua’s Cedric Pelayo, and St. Benilde’s Yankie Haruna.

Broner tailor-made for Pacquiao’s next fight?

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
LAST WEEK Filipino boxing icon superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao announced that his next possible fight is in January next year against former world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner of the United States.
Details of the fight are still being finalized but the eight-division world champion said the deal to bring him and Mr. Broner together in the ring in Las Vegas was “90 percent done” and that fans should expect an engaging fight with his secondary welterweight world title on the line.
For fight analyst Nissi Icasiano, for all he brings to the table, Mr. Broner (33-3-1) presents himself as a tailor-made opponent for Mr. Pacquiao (60-7-2) at this stage of the latter’s career.
“At a point in his career wherein he is in his twilight years, Manny Pacquiao is in dire need of a fight that will make him as spectacular as possible. Instead of fighting the best in his weight class which can diminish his sustainable value as a prize fighter, he needs an opponent who is tailor-made to his style, and which will give and leave a lasting impression. If this is Manny’s objective, Adrien Broner is a good choice,” said Mr. Icasiano when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the Pacquiao-Broner fight being set up.
“The projected fight between Pacquiao and Broner will stir interest as people clamor for a follow-up after the Filipino superstar managed to draw shades of his vintage form in his most recent bout against Lucas Matthysse. Conversely, Adrien Broner’s personality is bankable. Broner’s arrogant bravado against Manny’s humble image makes a good story line,” he added.
Mr. Pacquiao, 39, is coming off an impressive seventh-round technical knockout win over Argentinian Matthysse in July in Malaysia to win the World Boxing Association welterweight title.
On the other end, Mr. Broner, 29, a four-division world champion, drew with Jessie Vargas in April and before that lost to Mikey Garcia.
Style-wise, Mr. Icasiano said Pacquiao-Broner is very intriguing for the contrast it has.
“The fight itself draws intrigue because they have contrasting styles. Broner is clearly the flashy boxer, with some observers branding him as the toned-down version of Floyd Mayweather. Meanwhile, we all know Pacquiao has a relentless approach in the ring. It will be very interesting to witness how this bout will unfold,” the analyst said.
The possible January fight is being touted as a prelude to Pacquiao-Mayweather 2, which Mr. Icasiano said is highly likely but said he would rather focus first on Pacquiao-Broner before putting much weight on the reengagement of the two boxing legends.
“It can be said that Manny’s match against Broner is a prelude to the Mayweather rematch. Floyd and Manny are both businessmen. It is very likely that they will allow it to brew before they finally go for it,” he said.
If the Pacquiao-Broner fight pushes through in Las Vegas, it will mark the first time in two years that the Filipino legend will be fighting there.
The last time Mr. Pacquiao fought in Las Vegas was in November 2016 at the Thomas & Mack Center where he beat Mr. Vargas by unanimous decision that reclaimed for him the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.

UP women’s volleyball team looks to develop game at PSL collegiate tourney — coach

THE University of the Philippines women’s volleyball team is set to compete at the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Collegiate Grand Slam (CGS) where it hopes to build its legs in preparation for future tournaments, including in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
One of the six teams seeing action in the first CGS of the PSL, along with Far Eastern University, De La Salle-Dasmariñas, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East, and Colegio San Agustin, the Lady Fighting Maroons are out to develop their game when competition unfurls on Nov. 3.
“My team is composed of very young rookie and veteran members. So, this tournament will help us get the exposure we need,” said UP head coach Godfrey Okumu as they gear up for the CGS, a tournament designed to prepare young players for a possible career in volleyball while also furthering the growth of the sport in the country.
“I believe that my team will learn again how to deal with losses and wins every game. So to me, this tournament can help us grow, especially our young players,” Mr. Okumu added.
While the PSL is no longer a stranger to hosting collegiate teams with its invitational tournaments, the CGS however will mark the first time that the league will have a division solely dedicated to the country’s up-and-coming players.
The league said PSL rules will also be applied in the CGS and teams will be given a chance to use the challenge system to make sure that the officiating will be at par with international standard.
The tournament will be played every Saturday and will be shown live in the league’s official broadcast partner in ESPN5, AksyonTV, and sports5.ph. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Kaya FC-Iloilo proud to be final-bound at Copa Paulino Alcantara, face Davao Aguilas

THE impressive showing of Kaya FC-Iloilo at the Copa Paulino Alcantara continued on Sunday after booking a spot in the final after defeating Stallion Laguna FC, 3-2, in their semifinal clash held at the Iloilo Sports Complex. It is something that the team said is very proud of, seeing it as fulfilment of what it had set out to do at tournament start.
Riding on the hat trick of Robert Lopez Mendy, Kaya nullified a valiant fight back by Stallion to book the win and earn its place in the championship match while also moving a step closer to winning it all and securing a spot in the 2019 AFC Cup.
Kaya is set to face Davao Aguilas FC, which won its own semifinal against JPV Marikina FC, 6-1, also on Sunday.
“With this win the road to AFC stays alive. I’m proud of our players. From the start of the game, we saw the intensity, the grit, and hunger to win the game,” said Iloilo head coach Noel Marcaida after their victory.
“Before the cup started, our main focus was to play this semifinal here in Iloilo. We were successful in that. We wanted the game here because we’re confident in front of our Ilonggo fans. It gives us the extra gas. They’re a part of this win in the semifinals. We thank everyone for always supporting us. We hope we see them in the final,” he added.
Senegalese Lopez Mendy got the scoring going in the fourth minute of the contest before finding the bottom of the net once again eight 11 minutes later.
Stallion though was undeterred by the early onslaught of the hosts, narrowing the gap, 2-1, in the 20th minute care of Fitch Arboleda.
It would continue to put pressure on Kaya after and was consequently rewarded when Carlo Polli levelled the count at 2-2 in the 43rd minute to make it a brand-new game heading into the break.
Boosted by its torrid charge back at the end of the opening half, Stallion came out of the second fold with more spring only to see the door shut on it by Kaya as the latter scored just two minutes after with the third goal of Mr. Lopez Mendy to make it 3-2.
The visiting side tried its best to make up for the goal and come back but Kaya would not allow it to, holding tough all the way to the end to secure the victory.
“All the credit goes to the boys. We had the desire to win this game and to play in the final. The objective is the AFC [Cup]. We got the job done today, but we still have one game to go. We have to focus 100% to win that game. It’s crucial for our season,” said Mr. Lopez Mendy, named player of the match after.
Prior to booking a spot in the Copa final, Kaya topped Group B with a 3-1-0 record to earn home field advantage in the semifinals against Stallion.
In the final, waiting for Kaya is Davao, which got four goals from Korean Kim Sungmin in its rout of JPV in the semis.
The Copa Paulino Alcantara final between Kaya and Davao is set for Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

NBA suspends Lakers’ Ingram and Rondo, Rockets’ Paul

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers’ Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo and the Houston Rockets’ Chris Paul received suspensions from the NBA on Sunday in response to an on-court fight Saturday.
Ingram was banned for four games without pay, Rondo three games without pay and Paul two games without pay.
With 4:13 left in the game and the Rockets up 109-108, Ingram fouled James Harden as the Rockets star headed for the basket. As Ingram jawed at Harden, with the official between them, point guards Paul and Rondo faced off.
Video show Rondo spitting in Paul’s face. Paul then poked a finger in Rondo’s face. Rondo threw the first punch, a left hook that grazed Paul’s right cheek. Paul responded by throwing punches. Ingram then entered the melee with a wild punch.
Ingram, Paul, and Rondo all were ejected.
The NBA’s vice president of basketball operations, Kiki VanDeWeghe, was at the game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He headed the probe, interviewing participants and witnesses, ESPN reported.
VanDeWeghe announced in a statement Sunday: “Ingram has been suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul, confronting a game official in a hostile manner, and instigating the overall incident by shoving Rockets guard James Harden. Rondo has been suspended for instigating a physical altercation with, and spitting and throwing multiple punches at, Paul. Paul has been suspended for poking at and making contact with the face of Rondo, and throwing multiple punches at him.”
The Rockets are scheduled to meet the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night at Staples Center. Paul will miss that game plus a Wednesday game against the Utah Jazz.
Ingram is due to miss a Monday home game vs. the San Antonio Spurs, a Wednesday road game against the Phoenix Suns, a Thursday home game vs. the Denver Nuggets and a Saturday road game against the Spurs. Rondo will miss the Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday contests. — Reuters

Formula One: Raikkonen puts Hamilton’s fifth title on hold

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Lewis Hamilton was made to wait for his fifth Formula One world championship on Sunday after the Mercedes driver finished only third in a US Grand Prix won by Ferrari veteran Kimi Raikkonen.
The victory was the 21st of the 39-year-old Finn’s career and first since the Australian Grand Prix of March 2013, a gap of 113 races dating back to when he was racing for now-defunct Lotus.
Red Bull’s Dutch youngster Max Verstappen took a surprise second after starting 18th in a thrilling finale with the top three cars running nose-to-tail and separated by just 2.1 seconds at the checkered flag.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton’s only title rival, spun down to 15th on the opening lap but fought back to finish fourth — a result that means the championship remains mathematically open going into Mexico next weekend.
Hamilton, on 346 points, has a lead of 70 over his four-times champion rival with a total of 75 remaining to be won from the last three races.
That means even if Vettel wins in Mexico, the Briton need finish only seventh to be sure of the title but Sunday was still a missed opportunity for Mercedes, who got their tire strategy wrong.
Hamilton pitted early during a virtual safety car period but had to make two pits tops to his rivals’ one, losing time on fading tires before being called in.
A late charge over the final 19 laps from fourth was not enough.
Team mate Valtteri Bottas helped by letting him through for third, but the Finn then lost out to Vettel as his tires wore down and finished fifth.
Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen with two laps left but failed to make the move stick and ran wide at turn 18 after giving the Dutchman plenty of space.
The outcome had looked very different at the start, when Vettel, fifth on the grid, spun on the opening lap after making contact with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in the battle for fourth place. — Reuters

No guts no glory

43rd Chess Olympiad (Open Division)
Batumi, Georgia
Sept. 23 -Oct. 6, 2018

Final Standings (Open)
Country Points TB1 TB2
1. China 18/22 372.5 28.5
2. USA 18/22 360.5 29.0
3. Russia 18/22 354.5 29.0
4. Poland 17/22 390.0 28.0
5. England 17/22 340.0 27.5
Total of 185 teams from 183 countries. Georgia as the host country was allowed to field three teams.
Time control is 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.
During the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad there was a Brilliancy Prize awarded every round chosen by a special judging committee led by GM Susan Polgar. After all 11 rounds have been played the committee will then choose the “Overall Brilliant Game”. The winner was GM Tiger Hillarp Persson for his marvelous “the King is an attacking piece” demonstration.
First, let me give you a bit of background. Last year, around April, I wrote a column with the same title as the one you see above, “no guts no glory.” It is about this game, one of the most brilliant I have ever seen:

Short, Nigel D (2660) — Timman, Jan H (2630) [B04]
Tilburg (4), 1991

1.e4 Nf6
In 1985 there was a match between GM Lev Alburt (Champion of the USA) and Nigel Short (British Champion) called the Championship of the English-Speaking World. This experiment was never repeated because Short absolutely humiliated the American Champion by scoring six wins, two draws, no losses for a final score of 7.0-1.0. Not only that — Lev Alburt was the world’s greatest authority on the Alekhine’s Defense and even has a variation named after him, the so-called Alburt Variation 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6. In all four of his White games Short allowed the Alekhine’s Defence and won all of them. In other words he defeated not only Alburt but his opening as well.
Now, as to Jan Timman, around this time he was rated around no. 3 in the world. He used the Alekhine with good effect against Robert Hubner in their 1991 Candidates match and decides to trot it out the Alburt Variation again vs Short. Same result.
2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.0–0 0–0
[8…Bg4? 9.Bxf7+!]
9.h3!
Now that Black is really threatening to play …Bg4 White prevents it so as to maintain his bulkhead on e5.
9…a5 10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd4! 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Re1 e6 14.Nd2! Nd5 15.Nf3 Qc5 16.Qe4 Qb4 17.Bc4!
An excellent move preventing the queen exchange. 17.Bxd5 exd5 18.Qxd5 Be6 frees up Black’s position.
17…Nb6 18.b3! Nxc4 19.bxc4 Re8 20.Rd1 Qc5 21.Qh4 b6 22.Be3 Qc6 23.Bh6 Bh8 24.Rd8! Bb7 25.Rad1 Bg7 26.R8d7! Rf8
Alternatives:
Timman intended to play 26…Qe4 here but suddenly noticed 27.Rxf7!;
26…Bxe5 (hoping for 27.Nxe5?? Qxg2 mate) is refuted by 27.Rxf7! Kxf7 28.Nxe5+ with a family fork.
27.Bxg7 Kxg7 28.R1d4 Rae8 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.h4 h5
And now we see a beautiful finish.
31.Kh2!! Rc8 32.Kg3! Rce8 33.Kf4! Bc8 34.Kg5!! 1–0
An amazing finish.
And now another of my columns, this time entitled “Too much guts you become gory.”

Salem, AR (2652) — Vignesh, N R (2405) [E12]
1st Sharjah Masters 2017

Sharjah UAE (1.18), 23.03.2017
As many of our readers know, GM Salem AR Saleh is an attacking master and the strongest player ever to come out of the UAE. He invariably does well in these giant opens but in this game he got a little too inspired.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.Qc2 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.e4 Nxc3 9.bxc3 0–0 10.Bd3 c5 11.0–0 cxd4 12.cxd4 Qc8 13.Qe2 Ba6 14.Rd1 Bxd3 15.Rxd3 Nd7 16.e5 b5 17.Bg5 Qd8 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.d5 exd5 20.Rxd5 a6 21.Qe3 Rfc8 22.Rad1 Nc5 23.Nd4 g6 24.Rd6 Nb7 25.Rf6 Re8 26.Nc6 Qc5 27.Qb3 Qc4 28.Qf3 Rac8 29.h3 Nd8 30.Nxd8 Rcxd8 31.Rxd8 Rxd8 32.Rxa6 b4 33.Qf6 Re8 34.axb4 Qxb4 35.f4 Qc4
White is a pawn up and has good winning chances, but now a diabolical idea gets into his head — how about Short’s maneuver? What if he can get his king to h6?
36.Kh2 Qc7 37.Kg3 Qc3+ 38.Kh4? h6!
That is a big difference between this and the Short game — Black’s pawn is on h7 instead of h5 and can take away the g5 square from White’s king.
39.Ra7 Qe1+ 40.g3
[40.Kg4 Qe2+ (40…w+?? 41.Kg5 and White’s dream comes true) 41.Kg3 Qe3+ snags White’s rook on a7]
40…Rf8 41.Re7?
[41.e6 draws but White is playing for a win]
41…Qe2! 0–1
And now, to white’s horror, he is mated. Yup, too much guts …
Time to show you the “Overall Brilliant Game” of the 2018 Batumi Olympiad.

Hillarp Persson, Tiger (2544) — Laurusas, Tomas (2484) [A11]
43rd Olympiad 2018 Batumi GEO (7.2), 01.10.2018

Tiger Christopher Robin Hillarp Persson (parents were big Winnie the Pooh fans), or Tiger Hillarp Persson for short was born Oct. 28, 1970 in Malmo, Sweden. He is both a chess grandmaster (GM) and a 1–Dan in Go. This 2–time Swedish Champion is known as an attacking player and usually does well in team competitions. He scored individual bronze medals in the olympiads of Elista (1998) and Dresden (2008).
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.c4 c6 5.b3 Bg7 6.Bb2 0–0 7.0–0 a5 8.Nc3 Ne4 9.Na4 Bxb2 10.Nxb2 Nd7 11.d3 Nef6 12.d4 b6 13.Rc1 Bb7 14.Nd3 Rc8 15.Nfe5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Nd7 17.Qd2
White’s idea is to play 18.e6! fxe6 19.Bh3 Rf6 because now he can follow-up with 20.Qe3 Nf8 21.c5 with pressure on the Black position.]
17…dxc4 18.Rxc4 Nxe5
Black has won a pawn because of the pin on the d3–knight, but it turns out that White’s attacking chances offer more than enough compensation. And attacking chances are dangerous in the hands of the Tiger.
19.Rh4 h5 20.Rd1 Nxd3 21.Qh6 Qd6 22.Rxd3 Qf6 23.Be4
Amongst others, there is a threat of 24.Rxh5 gxh5 25.Qh7 mate.
23…Ba6 24.Re3
[24.Rxh5 Qg7 25.Qxg7+ Kxg7 both of white’s rooks are under attack.]
24…Qg7 25.Qg5 Rcd8 26.Qxe7 Rd1+ 27.Kg2 Qa1 28.Bxc6 Rg1+ 29.Kf3 Qf1 <D> Position after 29…Qf1
The idea is 30…Qg2+ followed by 31.Qxc6.
30.Kf4!
Suddenly everything becomes clear — the white king is not running away, it is running towards.
30…Qxf2+ 31.Kg5! Kg7 32.Rf4 Qxh2 33.Qf6+ Kh7 34.Qxg6+! Kh8
[34…fxg6 35.Re7+ Kg8 36.Bd5+ forces mate]
35.Kh6! 1–0
What an amazing journey!
Before we close our report on the 2018 Batumi Olympiad here is the brilliancy prize winner from round 1 by IM (International Master) Davit Maghalashvili, playing for the 2nd team from Georgia. He is 31 yrs. old and not considered a world title contender, but he is a strong attacker, as you will see.
In the previous game Tiger’s king went up to board to checkmate his opponent this time the White player Renato Frick’s king was forced up the board to be checkmated.

Frick, Renato (2058) — Maghalashvili, Davit (2508) [B59]
43rd Olympiad 2018 Batumi GEO (1.1), 24.09.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be3 Be6 9.f3 0–0 10.Nd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 Nb4 12.c4 a5 13.Nd2 Nd7 14.0–0 f5! 15.Kh1 Bg5 16.Bg1 Qf6 17.Nb1
Repositioning his knight to c3 as it has nothing to do on d2.
17…Qh6 18.Nc3 Bf4 19.Rb1
White is playing as if nothing can happen to him. He should start pushing back with 19.a3 Na6 20.Bd3 when Black has the easier play but White is still ok.
19…Nf6 20.a3 Nh5!
Threatening 21…Ng3 checkmate.
21.Bf2 Bxh2! 0–1
White resigns because after 21…Bxh2 22.Kxh2 Ng3+! 23.Kxg3 (23.Kg1 Qh1#) 23…f4+ 24.Kg4 Rf5 25.Bh4 (25.Kxf5 Qg6#) 25…Rh5 26.Qe1 (26.Rh1 Qg6+ 27.Kh3 Qg3#) 26…Nc2! The ignored knight on b4 gets its revenge. 27.Qf2 Ne3+ 28.Kh3 Nf5 there is no defense.
And what of the Philippine women’s team? Team Captain GM Jayson Gonzales will be reporting on their performance and each of the members have chosen some games to share with our readers. Don’t miss our Thursday column!
 
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

James home game

As expected, LeBron James’ home debut with the Lakers was an unparalleled spectacle. Accompanied by hype that began long before he formally committed to the purple and gold on the first day of free agency in July, his entrance at Staples Center was greeted with ovations from fans with tickets costing as much as four digits. Never mind that the public address announcer sounded bored with the four-time league Most Valuable Player’s introduction following those of the other starters.
If nothing else, the relatively subdued voice-over served as a stark counterbalance to the over-the-top welcome that James received from just about all other quarters. Business partners Nike and Beats celebrated the occasion with building-size billboards, while the Lakers themselves added to the reality-show atmosphere by showing on the Jumbotron before the game a one-and-a-half minute video invocation that, hosted by Alice Cube no less, featured their prized catch and promised “the dawn of a new kingdom.”
Needless to say, celebrities were on hand for the occasion; the usual suspects occupied their usual seats, of course — and noticeably early, too. Meanwhile, James himself arrived in casual wear and, in sporting a Dodgers cap, seemingly more interested in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series than in Game Two of his season. All the same, it was clear to all and sundry that, all the stars studding Staples Center aside, he owned the stage. And once the game began, he wasted no time showing why.
Unfortunately, James finished the night in less than desirable fashion. The Lakers didn’t just suffer their second straight setback to start the season; he had a hand in the outcome, going just one of eight in the fourth quarter, of which he played all 12 minutes and in which a one-point deficit turned into a nine-point loss. So, yes, he was still the brightest star on the court by far. But, no, it didn’t matter one bit. In fact, the lasting memory of the match won’t be any of his highlights; rather, it’s the fight that broke out two-thirds into the payoff period, during which time he acted as peacemaker.
To be sure, James was measured in his reaction. Pressed to consider the development in the aftermath, he preached patience and noted that the Lakers lost to the clearly superior Rockets. He spoke the truth, of course. Nonetheless, that he did so in defeat speaks volumes of the position he has put himself in. At 34 and in spite of his sterling resume, he’s compelled to take the long view. He will continue to be celebrated under the klieg lights, but as the losses pile up, he cannot but realize that his status as the best of the best counts for squat unless and until reasonable help arrives — and when can’t come soon enough.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

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