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Duterte offers support to replace rebels’ ‘revolutionary tax’ — Dureza

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has committed to resuming peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army (CCP-NPA) and has expressed support for the replacement of “revolutionary tax” that the group has been collecting, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza said.
“President Duterte directed during the Cabinet meeting today (April 4) to work on the resumption of peace talks with the CPP/NPA/NDF with clear instructions on the importance of forging a ceasefire agreement to stop mutual attacks and fighting while talks are underway,” Mr. Dureza said in a statement.
According to Mr. Dureza, the President also “committed to provide support, if necessary, in replacement of the revolutionary tax that he asked be stopped.”
In a separate statement, Mr. Dureza argued that the President’s offer of support for the revolutionary group is not tantamount to condoning extortion.
“Not condoning as it must be stopped…Those who wish to get support may be considered. Details, of course, will be discussed if acceptable to both sides,” he added.
As for the target date of the resumption of talks, Mr. Dureza said: “[We] will see when that ‘enabling environment’ becomes apparent.
In his statement on Tuesday, April 3, National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison said his party is “sincere” in its desire to return to the peace table with the government.
For her part, Senator Loren B. Legarda said she “supports the resumption of the peace talks, because stalling the negotiations could only lead to more deaths and suffering and neither the government nor the NDFP will win.”
“As someone who has been involved in facilitating releases of captives by the New People’s Army (NPA) when I was a neophyte senator, I have seen the sincerity of all sides to this conflict and have witnessed the intense desire for peace,” the senator added.
Ms. Legarda explained that “many of the items in the NDFP’s socio-economic reform agenda can already be addressed through existing laws and programs. In fact, the 2018 national budget has provided funding for free public tertiary education and additional funding for our state universities and colleges, free health care services in government hospitals, free irrigation services for small farmers, more budget for social welfare programs, and increased funding to support rural livelihoods and micro, small and medium enterprises. Our laws on environmental protection are already in place and, as author of most of these laws, I am glad that we are gradually seeing stricter enforcement.”
“The Philippine Government and the NDFP should resume peace talks to come up with agreements that are acceptable to both parties and beneficial to the Filipino people. Our people have a huge stake in the peace negotiations, the success of which is a step towards a brighter future for generations to come,” Ms. Legarda also said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

ConCom to include socio-economic rights in proposed new charter

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
The Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked to review the 1987 Constitution plans to include socio-economic rights, namely the right to education, to health and to decent housing, in the new draft charter’s bill of rights.
“We thought that the protection of these second generation rights would be more robust if some of the socio-economic rights would be incorporated in the bill of rights,” ConCom chairman and former chief justice Reynato S. Puno said during a press briefing at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Under the present Constitution, no existing provisions in the bill of rights tackles socio-economic rights. It was only enumerated briefly under the Charter’s declaration of principles and state policies.
Mr. Puno said the inclusion of socio-economic rights in the bill of rights would take on a “progressive” approach. This meant the provisions in the draft charter would have to consider the capacity of government to meet its obligations under the proposed bill of rights.
“This should be done progressively in relation to the ability of the State to really enforce these socio-economic rights (and) to make this right demandable. So this means that Congress would have to look at the entirety of resources and see what can be given progressively to the people when they demand the enforcement of their socio-economic rights,” Mr. Puno said.
He added that the socio-economic rights provisions would encourage Congress “to make the proper appropriations” for its implementation and would make it demandable against the federal government.
“If we don’t do this, then the enforcement of these socio-economic rights will just remain as statement of policies,” he said.
The former chief magistrate added that the ConCom was inclined to adopt the model of South Africa which he deemed “proper and fit” for the Philippines.
The 1996 South African Constitution mandates the State to make basic and higher education “progressively available and accessible.”
It also enumerated the right to access “health care services, including reproductive health care, sufficient food and water,” as well as “social security.”
It also guarantees “the right to have access to adequate housing” and directs the State to take legislative action “to achieve the progressive realization” of the provision.
The inclusion on socio-economic rights as well as environmental rights provisions would be formulated by the Concom subcommittee on rights, obligations, social justice headed by Rodolfo D. Robles before it would be voted upon by the en banc next week.

Duterte to travel to China for Boao Forum

By Arjay L. Balinbin
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte is scheduled to fly to China next week for a working visit and to participate in a forum, Malacañang said.
In Special Order (SO) No. 310, the President designated Executive Secretary Salvador S. Medialdea as the country’s Officer-in-Charge from April 9 to April 12.
The SO said: “The President will be in Boao, China to participate in the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on 09-10 April 2018, and in Hong Kong for a working visit on 11-12 April 2018.”
The purpose of the Boao Forum for Asia, according to its Web site, is “to offer a high-end dialog platform for governments, enterprises, experts, and scholars to jointly discuss economy, society, and environment and other relevant issues.”
The forum was proposed “in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia, and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Minister of Japan.”
The organization “was formally inaugurated on February 27, 2001 in Boao, Hainan Province, China.”

Nation at a Glance — (04/05/18)

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

Peso extends decline vs dollar

THE PESO weakened slightly against the dollar following the new tariffs imposed by China against the US.
The local currency ended at P52.12 against the greenback, four centavos lower than the P52.08-per-dollar finish on Tuesday.
The peso opened the session stronger at P52 versus the dollar. Its intraday low stood at P52.14, while its best showing was at P51.99 against the greenback.
Dollars traded dropped to $504.4 million from the $657.5 million traded on Tuesday.
A trader said the peso weakened against the dollar in the afternoon session following news about the ongoing trade spat between China and the US.
“We traded [weaker yesterday], only in the afternoon, when the news came out that China will be putting also tariffs on US goods worth about $50 billion,” the trader said in a phone interview.
Yesterday, Beijing announced that it will launch another round of tariffs against 106 US imports, including soybeans, cars and whisky, amounting to $50 billion.
This was after it slapped tariffs on 128 American goods including frozen pork, wine and apples.
This is Beijing’s retaliation due to the duties imposed by President Donald J. Trump on Chinese steel and aluminum, as well as the $50-billion tariffs that was the result of a seven-month investigation into alleged intellectual property theft.
“In spite of the initial strength of the peso early today, the recent development on the prospects of a possible trade war between the US and China is rearing its ugly head and suggests a lot of uncertainty in terms of trade between the two largest economies,” Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion, chief economist at UnionBank of the Philippines, said in a text message on Wednesday.
“Although the impact on the Philippine economy is minimal, speculative trading happening cannot be discounted.”
For today, Mr. Asuncion expects the peso to move between P51.80 and P52 versus the dollar, while the trader gave a higher range of P52.05 to P52.25.
“The market is also anticipating the local inflation print to be released [today],” the trader said.
Meanwhile, most emerging Asian currencies edged higher on Wednesday as the dollar was shackled by worries that escalating US-China trade tensions could dent global growth and drag on the US economy.
The US currency has lost about 2.2% against a basket of six major currencies so far this year, with trade tensions adding to earlier concerns that Washington might pursue a weak dollar strategy and the perceived erosion of its yield advantage.
Against a basket of six major currencies, the dollar last traded at 90.133, having edged back from Tuesday’s near two-week high of 90.275.
“Risk sentiment has improved overnight, at least for today, as investors put the fear of an escalating trade war on the back burner. Local currencies are trading with a very robust correlation to risk which is being driven by trade rhetoric,” Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific for Oanda in Singapore, said on Wednesday.
“US-China trade tensions will continue to weigh on regional bourses and causing local currencies, for the most part, to trade in tight ranges on lower inflow.”
Among Asian currencies, India’s rupee was the biggest gainer, up as much as 0.2% to a one-week high. — K.A.N. Vidal with Reuters

San Miguel one win away from another Philippine Cup title

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE San Miguel Beermen are now one win away from their fourth straight PBA Philippine Cup title following an 84-80 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots Pambasang Manok in Game Four on Wednesday night of their best-of-seven finals series to go up, 3-1.
Parading the go-getting mindset that has become their trademark, the Beermen stayed around for much of the game before delivering the telling blows when needed that now have them on the brink of claiming the championship of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.
Magnolia went to work early to establish control, taking a 14-8 cushion midway into the opening quarter and staving off a San Miguel charge-back after to hold sway, 20-14, after the first 12 minutes.
While their rally was rebuffed by the Hotshots, the Beermen continued to gain ground on their opponents in the second canto.
San Miguel outscored Magnolia, 20-14, in the first eight minutes to level the score at 34-all.
Momentum shifted between the two thereafter with the Hotshots eventually settling for a slim one-point lead, 46-45, by halftime.
The pendulum continued to swing to start the third frame, with both teams making runs and counterruns.
Magnolia maintained the upper hand, 60-58, with 6:14 left in the quarter before San Miguel went on an 11-4 blast, led by Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo, the rest of the way and take the advantage, 69-64, entering the final quarter.
Sensing that they gave the Beermen a good leverage heading into the payoff canto, the Hotshots played with a sense urgency at the start of the fourth period.
Aldrech Ramos, Ian Sangalang and Rome Dela Rosa attacked the basket and tried to get their team’s offense going.
Magnolia trimmed its deficit to three points, 73-70, with five minutes lapsing on the game clock.
But the Beermen stayed staunch, keeping repeated attempts by the Hotshots at coming back at bay with tinely baskets and stops.
San Miguel was ahead, 82-75, as the game hit the last two minutes.

June Mar Fajardo
San Miguel bigman June Mar Fajardo made history on Wednesday night by claiming his sixth PBA Best Player of the Conference award. — ALVIN S. GO

The Hotshots tried to surge back, slicing the Beermen’s lead to just two points, 82-80, with a minute remaining.
They had a chance to seize the lead altogether but the three-pointer of Aldrech Ramos with 30 ticks to go failed to connect.
Mr. Santos had the chance to put away the game but his heave in the paint fell short, giving another chance to Magnolia to tie or win the game with nine seconds remaining.
Off a timeout though, the Hotshots failed to execute their play, fumbling the ball and prompting them to foul Mr. Santos, who, in turn, drained the two free throws to seal the deal.
Alex Cabagnot finished with 27 points to lead San Miguel with Marcio Lassiter adding 18 and Mr. Fajardo 16.
Mr. Sangalang, meanwhile, led Magnolia with 22 points.
“Magnolia did a good job dictating the tempo in the first half but we were able to make the adjustments in the second half. Credit to the players because they showed the heart of the champion and we got this,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria after their win.
“We put ourselves in a good position to win the title with this victory, going up 3-1. But as we have seen tonight they would not quit and continue to fight till the final buzzer,” he added, underscoring the need for them to fight and claim the title.
Meanwhile, prior to the start of Game Four, Mr. Fajardo made PBA hiatory by winning his sixth best player of the conference award.
The four-time league most valuable player broke the record of five BPC awards he shared with former teammate and San Miguel legend Danny Ildefonso.
In winning the award anew, Mr. Fajardo accumulated 1,279 points from statistics and votes from media, players and PBA.
Finishing second was Mr. Santos with 670 points followed by Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra (589), Stanley Pringle of GlobalPort (406) and JP Erram of Blackwater (392).

Lady Eagles soar to fifth straight victory

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE hot winning streak of the Ateneo Lady Eagles in Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) continued yesterday after they soared to their fifth straight win with a hard-earned five-set victory over the University of Santo (UST) Tomas Golden Tigresses.
Struggled to take full flight early in the match, the Lady Eagles relied on a strong finishing kick to survive UST in their battle of on-a-roll teams, 25-22, 20-25, 16-25, 25-17 and 15-9.
The two teams did not waste much time getting it on to start the contest.
UST took control early with Sisi Rondina leading the charge as they held an 8-6 advantage by the first technical timeout.
Ateneo though would eventually get its groove, overtaking UST midway into the frame to seize a 16-14 lead at the second technical break.
The Lady Eagles stretched their cushion to 20-16 and angled to pull away before the Tigresses made a 4-1 run after to come within a point, 21-20.
The Katipunan-based spikers sued for time thereafter to regroup, which proved to work as they went on to close out things with a 4-2 sprint to claim the set.
UST and Ateneo continued to go back and forth in the second set, but unlike in the opening frame the Tigresses would do a better job staying the course.
With contributions coming from different directions and keeping their errors to a minimum, they turned a close 16-15 count to a pull-away sprint to level the match at a set apiece.
The Tigresses sustained their collective strong form from the second set to the third.
They raced to a 16-11 edge to start the frame and never looked back en route to a dominant set win and a 2-1 lead for the match.
In the fourth set the teams were at each other’s faces, fighting to a tight 12-all score midway into it.
Ateneo, however, would go on a 4-2 blast after to reach the second technical timeout first, 16-14.
It extended its lead to 21-15 as skipper Maddie Madayag and Jhoana Maraguinot hit the zone on their way to tying the game at two sets apiece.
Got their footing anew, it was Ateneo’s turn to go on a fast start to begin the final set, capitalizing on every opportunity presented to it.
The Lady Eagles soared to an early 8-3 lead.
UST was not to bow down sans a fight though, going on a 6-4 run to come within three points, 12-9.
It was the closest it could get though as it did not score thereafter and Ateneo pushed its way to the win.
The win improved the Lady Eagles to 9-3 and fortified their spot in the Final Four while the Tigresses dropped to 4-8 and saw their playoff hopes put in further jeopardy.
Kat Tolentino led Ateneo with 21 points followed by Maraguinot with 19.
Madayag had 11 points while Jules Samonte and Bea De Leon each had seven points.
Rondina paced UST with 21 points with Tine Francisco and Milena Alessandrini finishing with 10 each.
“We’re happy with the win as our hard work paid off. As you all know we trained during the Holy Week and it was a great feeling to have it result in a win,” said Madayag after their win.
“Our goal is to stay in the top two and despite already assured of a spot in the semifinals we remain hungry and determined to prove ourselves,” she added.
Ateneo returns on April 7 versus the University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons while UST next plays on April 8 against league-leading and defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers.

Philippine jiu-jitsu federation builds its legs

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
BARELY half a decade formed, the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines (JJFP) has been steadily building its legs, creating and facilitating activities that bring together all jiu-jitsu clubs in the country to elevate the level of the sport in the country.
Formed in 2015, the JJFP is the National Sports Association (NSA) for jiu-jitsu in the Philippines, duly accredited by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union (JJAU) and Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF), and led by set of officers representing a mix of experienced sports management professionals, successful businessmen, and highly accomplished and respected leaders in the jiu-jitsu community.
It is currently headed by Ramon “Choy” Cojuangco as president and Jason Lim and Ferdinand Agustin serving as vice-president and secretary-general, respectively.
Since banding together, the JJFP has chalked up several feathers under its cap, winning titles in various international tournaments, including the Asian Beach Games and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
It now counts member athletes of over 2,000 spread all over the archipelago, a testament, JJFP said, to the steadily growing pickup of the sport by the Filipinos.
And with jiu-jitsu currently making its way to the mainstream consciousness like other combats sports karate and taekwondo, JJFP underscored it commitment to further enhancing the growth of the sport in the country while encouraging more people to consider it as something worth doing.
“The federation is open to all jiu-jitsu teams in the Philippines to join us as members. They just have to fulfill the requirements as mandated by the POC,” said TJ Sulit, JJFP assistant secretary-general, during the press conference hosted by the federation on March 28, where it got to detail how far it has come since being formed and its plans moving forward.
“Our goal has always been to form a strong team composed of the best athletes available who we hope to continue to get from our selections,” he added.
The JJFP has 25 national team members right now, which include Margarita Ochoa, Annie Ramirez, Kaila Napolis, Gian Dee, Marc Lim, and Apryl Eppinger.
For 2018, JJFP said it is going to be a busy year for the federation as it sets its sights on, among other things, the Asian Games in August in Indonesia, where jiu-jitsu will be played for the first time.
In the lead-up to it, our national team is set to compete in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships, April 16-29; Los Angeles, Jiu-Jitsu World League, May 19; and JJIF 2018 European Championships, June 8-10.
Also in the sight of the federation is the Manila Southeast Asian Games next year.

LeBron James milestone as Cavaliers wobble Raptors

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James passed another NBA milestone on Tuesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers kept their noses ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a win over first place Toronto.
James’s 27-point performance in a 112-106 victory at the Quicken Loans Arena helped the Cavs improve to 48-30, leaving them one win ahead of the 76ers in the battle for third seeding in the playoffs.
It was the 942nd time James has scored 20 points or more, seeing him vault over Kobe Bryant into third place in the all-time list. Only Karl Malone (1,134) and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (1,122) have had more 20-point games.
Meanwhile the Raptors’ fourth defeat in six games will fuel the anxiety felt by the Canadian franchise as they attempt to lock up number one seeding in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors fell to 55-22 for the season following the loss but breathed a collective sigh of relief after second-placed Boston blew the chance to close within one win of top spot.
The Celtics slumped to a 106-102 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
In Cleveland, however, the 2016 NBA champion Cavs signaled they will be a threat for any team in the postseason as they attempt to reach a fourth straight NBA Finals.
As well as his 27 points, James contributed 10 rebounds and six assists on a night when the Cavs starters shared the scoring evenly.
All five starters made double figures, with Jose Calderon grabbing 19 points and Kevin Love weighing in with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
The Cavs’ defense also successfully shut down the Raptors’ offense, with Kyle Lowry restricted to just five points from his 28 minutes on court.
Lowry — who had raised eyebrows by traveling to San Antonio on Monday to cheer on his former college Villanova in the NCAA championship game — had a miserable night on court, making just one of seven three-point attempts.
It was left to DeMar DeRozan to provide Toronto’s focal point, with the 28-year-old finishing with 19 points.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the fourth-placed 76ers have the Cavs firmly in their sights after a blowout 121-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
J.J. Redick led the Sixers’ scoring with 19 points, while Marco Belinelli finished with 17 and Ben Simmons 15. Eight Sixers cracked double digits as the Nets fell to 25-53 for the season.
The Miami Heat also locked up their place in the playoffs with a 101-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Florida.
Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside both had double-doubles in a game that went down to the wire. Dragic had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Whiteside finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. — AFP

Sho-time! Japanese ace blasts 1st homer

LOS ANGELES — Japanese prodigy Shohei Ohtani blasted a home run on his home debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, just two days after pitching his team to victory over the Oakland Athletics.
The 23-year-old two-way star brought Angel Stadium to its feet after belting a three-run shot out of right field as the Angels made a dominating start to their game against the Cleveland Indians.
Ohtani’s three-run shot came off a curveball from Indians starter Josh Tomlin to cap a six-run first inning by the Angels.
Angels players pretended to ignore a baffled-looking Ohtani as he returned to the dugout ready to celebrate, before they turned around en masse to embrace the rising star. — AFP

Fourteen-time major champion Tiger Woods’s compelling comeback bid drives Masters drama

AUGUSTA — Tigermania has blossomed along with the azaleas at Augusta National, but 14-time major champion Tiger Woods is just one of the contenders at a Masters that promises to be a classic.
“I don’t think there’s one clear-cut favorite,” said Woods, who is vying to pull off a comeback that would rate among the greatest in sport.
His quest to better Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles stalled after he grabbed number 14 at the 2008 US Open.
He owns four Masters green jackets, but hasn’t even teed it up in the stately confines of Augusta National in two years as back trouble threatened to end his career completely.
Pain free at last after spinal fusion surgery last April, Woods has ignited expectations with one runner-up finish and a tie for fifth in five official PGA Tour starts this year — his best finishes since 2015.
Woods himself is at a loss to explain the impressive swing speed and driving distance he never expected to see after having vertebrae in his lower back fused.
“For some reason it has come back,” he said. “All of a sudden I have this pop and my body and my speed’s back and my timing.”
He’ll need all of that, and his vaunted short game and solid putting, on the course famed for the difficulty of its fast, undulating greens.
“This golf course is something else,” Woods said.
The course, however, isn’t the only obstacle standing in Woods’s way, and he knows it.
Former Masters champions Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson signaled their intentions with recent wins, Mickelson ending a near five-year title drought in March and Watson halting a two-year dry-spell at Riviera before hoisting another trophy at the WGC Match-Play.
“I think there’s so many guys playing well at the same time. I think that’s what is making this year’s Masters so exciting, that there’s so many guys,” Woods said.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, vying to complete a career Grand Slam with a first green jacket, boosted his confidence with a victory at Bay Hill in March.
“I feel like I found something with my putting over the past few weeks, and in good time, because obviously you need to putt these greens very well,” McIlroy said. “I’m looking forward to see what the week holds.”
JOHNSON’S NO. 1 UNDER THREAT
World number one Dustin Johnson comes in on a mission, having missed the Masters last year thanks to a freak fall on the stairs that halted the hottest streak of his career in its tracks.
Johnson opened the year with a USPGA Tour Tournament of Champions win, but three players have a shot at toppling him from number one with a victory this week.
Justin Thomas, 24, heads that list, and arrives at the Masters buoyed by a win at the Honda Classic, a runner-up finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship and a fourth-placed finish at the WGC-Match Play.
Should Thomas falter, Spain’s third-ranked Jon Rahm or world number four Jordan Spieth — Masters champion in 2015 — could conceivably overtake Johnson this week.
“I think there’s a lot of players, a lot of the top quality players, young and old, are playing some of their best golf, and I think that’s going to lead to one of the most exciting Masters in years,” Mickelson said.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia faces a tall order in seeking to join Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only players to successfully defend the Masters title.
England’s Justin Rose insists his runner-up finish to Garcia last year left him not demoralized but determined.
DANGEROUS TIGER
The age range of the players tipped to contend is astonishing.
“There are guys from their early 20s to Phil at 47 that have all played well,” Woods noted.
Among that younger crew, Woods is an inspiration and, to those who have played on US match play teams he has helped shepherd in the past two years, a mentor.
“It’s flattering, it’s nice,” Woods said. “But I still want to compete and I want to beat these guys and hopefully this will be a good week.”
McIlroy, for one, thinks it’s not too farfetched to think it could happen this week.
“Any time Tiger Woods is healthy and in this sort of form, he’s dangerous at any golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “But given his history here, I think even more so.” — AFP

Caruana’s big win

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2018
Berlin, Germany
March 10-28, 2018

Final Standings
1. Fabiano Caruana USA 2784, 9.0/14
2-3. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2809, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2763, 8.0/14
4. Ding Liren CHN 2769, 7.5/14
5-6. Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2800, Alexander Grischuk RUS 2767, 6.5/14
7. Wesley So USA 2799, 6.0/14
8. Levon Aronian ARM 2794, 4.5/14
Average Rating: 2786 Category 22
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves followed by 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.
The winner of the Candidates’ Tournament will be facing off against Magnus Carlsen in November of this year for the world title so there was an extra bit of tension when the last game came around.
Before the last round started Caruana was on first place with 8/13. Mamedyarov and Karjakin were half a point behind at 7.5/13 and Ding Liren was a further half point behind at 7/13. In normal circumstances a draw would have been enough for Caruana, but under the tie-break rules of this tournament should either Mamedyarov (vs Kramnik) or Karjakin (against Ding) win then they have the better tie-break points and would be adjudged the winner.
In short, to be sure of victory Caruana had to beat Grischuk, not an easy proposition under any circumstances.
When play started in the last round Wesley So vs Levon Aronian was a no-bearing match and quickly drawn.
The second game to finish was Sergey Karjakin vs Ding Liren, a game both players were trying hard to win. Karjakin seemed to be getting the upper hand but erred on move 27 and was a bit lucky to manage to draw.

Karjakin, Sergey (2763) — Ding Liren (2769) [C84]
FIDE Candidates 2018 Berlin GER (14), 27.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3 0–0 9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Be3 Nd4 11.Bxd4 exd4 12.Nd5 c5 13.a4 Be6 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Qe2 Qd7 17.b3 e5 18.Ra2 b4 19.Nd2 Rae8 20.Raa1 Bd8 21.g3 g5 22.Nc4 Re6 23.a5 Ref6 24.f3 h5 25.Nb6 Qf7 26.Kg2 h4 27.Nd5?
Overlooks a nice tactic.
27…h3+! 28.Kg1
[28.Kxh3? g4+ 29.Kg2 (29.Kxg4 Qe6+ 30.Kg5 Rg6+ 31.Kh5 Rh6#) 29…gxf3+ 30.Rxf3 Rxf3 and wins]
28…Rxf3 29.g4! Kg7 30.Rxf3 Qxf3 31.Qxf3 Rxf3 32.Rf1 Rxf1+ 33.Kxf1 Bxa5 34.Ne7
Black is two pawns up but all of us know in closed positions a knight is better than a bishop, especially when most of the bishop’s pawns are in the same color squares.
34…Kf6 35.Nf5 Ke6 36.Ng3 Bd8 37.Nh1 a5 38.Ke2 d5 39.Nf2 Kd6 40.exd5 Kxd5 41.Ne4 Kc6 42.Kd2 Be7 43.Kc1 Kb5 44.Kb2 a4 45.Ka2 a3 ½–½
Now the only two games left were Grischuk vs Caruana and Kramnik vs Mamedyarov.

Grischuk, Alexander (2767) — Caruana, Fabiano (2784) [C43]
FIDE Berlin Candidates (14.1), 27.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
In the Berlin Candidates’ Tournament Fabi had Black seven times. Against 1.d4 he basically stuck to the formation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 followed by 4…dxc4. Twice he defended against the Catalan (both drawn) and once, against Aronian, there appeared on the board a sharp Vienna Variation which he won when the Armenian’s attack machine ran out of juice.
In four of his Black games his opponent played 1.e4 and without fail he reeled off the Petroff, winning twice, losing once (the one where Karjakin sacrificed the exchange to put his bishop on d5) and drawing once.
Overall his main defenses held out well and there was no need to fall back on any back-up plans. I believe we have to credit Fabi’s chief second former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov for this excellent preparation. Aside from being a very strong player himself, seconding the greats is something he does very well.
3.d4 Nxe4 4.dxe5
As our BW readers know the main line is 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7. The one Grischuk plays is regularly used by his friend GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. The roles are reversed — it is White who offers the exchange of his opponent’s centralized knight.
4…d5 5.Nbd2 Nxd2
Leaving the knight on e4 leads to an inferior endgame for Black: 5…Be7 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Qxd8+ Bxd8 8.Nd4 Bd7. White has something like a 70% score from this line, and just to drive home my point I will give you one example: 9.Bf4 Nc6 10.0–0–0 Nxd4 11.Rxd4 Bc6 12.Bc4 h6 (intending Bg5) 13.b4 a6 14.Kd2! Bg5 15.Ke3 f6 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Rdd1 Ba4 18.Bb3! Bxb3 19.axb3 The weak pawn on e4 proved to be Black’s downfall. Ponomariov,R (2673)-Greenfeld,A (2570) Ohrid 2001 1–0 31.
6.Bxd2
GM Alexei Kuzmin wrote a theoretical in Chessbase Magazine where he shared that at one time he felt that the most promising continuation for White was 6.Qxd2 with the idea of first transferring the queen to the kingside by Qd2–f4–g3 and only then completing the development of the queenside. However, some games of Gelfand, where he met this queen maneuver with the prophylactic …h6 and later even the aggressive …g7–g5, changed his opinion. He now believes that the text move is stronger.
6…Be7
Kuzmin: The “obvious” 6…c5?! allows White to develop his bishop with tempo 7.Bg5 since 7…Be7 8.Bxe7 is bad because the undefended d5–pawn means that Black has to recapture with the king.
7.Bd3 c5
In his article GM Kuzmin studied 7…Nd7, 7…Bg4 and 7…c5 concluding that the latter is the most logical move but even here he prefers White.
8.c3 Nc6 9.0–0 Bg4 10.Re1 Qd7 11.h3 Bh5
Better than 11…Bf5 12.Qc2 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 0–0 14.Rad1 Qe6 15.a3 a6 16.Be3 Rad8 17.b4 cxb4 18.axb4 Rd7 19.Bd4 Re8 20.Re3 Bd8 21.Rde1 when White has all the play. Vallejo Pons,F (2696)-Perez Garcia,R (2426) Lugo 2009 1–0 47.
12.Bf4 Qe6 13.a3 0–0 14.b4 h6!
Eliminating any ideas based on g2–g4 together with Ng5.
15.Bg3 b6 16.Nd4!?
A very original idea which took Caruana aback but it fails on two counts: no. 1 the position at the end is not particularly favorable for White, and no. 2, with 24 moves to go to reach the 1st time control Grischuk has 13 minutes left.
16…Bxd1 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Raxd1 c4
White has the two bishops which would ordinarily be better than bishop+knight, but on the other hand Black’s dark-squared bishop has good squares to work with. I actually prefer Black here.
19.Bc2 b5 20.a4 a6 21.f3 Bg5!
In the post-game press conference Caruana pointed out here the possibility of 21…Nxb4!? 22.cxb4 Bxb4 23.Rf1 Bc5+ 24.Bf2 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 b4 but considering that the tournament situation might require only a draw he did not seriously consider playing it.
22.Bf2
White had four minutes left while Black had 13.
22…Bf4
The point of the bishop maneuver — e5 is a weakness he can work on.
23.Bc5 Rfd8 24.Bd6 Bg3 25.Re2 g5 26.Kf1 Kf7 27.Bc7 Re8 28.Bd6 Rac8!
A far-sighted move. You will see the point later.
29.Ra1 Red8 30.Bb1 Rd7 31.Ra3 d4!
Now we see why the black rooks are on the c- and d- files.
32.axb5 axb5 33.cxd4 Nxd4 34.Rea2 Nc6 35.Be4 Bxe5 36.Bxc6 Rxd6 37.Bxb5 Rd1+ 38.Ke2 Rg1 39.Ke3 Rb1 40.Ra7+ Kf6
The first time control has been reached. Kramnik vs Mamedyarov was still in play but it appeared to be headed for a draw. It was an easy decision for Caruana to make to continue playing on given that his position is clearly better and what’s more White does not seem to have any counterplay.
41.Bd7 Bf4+ 42.Ke2 Rd8 43.Rc2 Rxb4 44.Bc6 c3! 45.Rd7
[45.Rxc3 Rd2+ 46.Kf1 Rb1+ followed by mate]
45…Rc8 46.Be4
[46.Rxc3 Rb6 wins a piece]
46…h5!
To “fix” White’s g2–pawn.
47.Kd3 Rb2 48.Ke2
[48.Rxc3?? Rd2#]
48…h4 49.Rd1 Ke5 50.Ra1 Rd8 51.Rd1
Hereabouts Kramnik vs Mamedyarov was drawn so Fabiano only needed a draw to clinch the title, but he did not want to anger the gods of chess by agreeing to a draw in a completely won position so he went for the full point.
POSITION AFTER 51.RD1
51…Rdb8 52.Ra1 Bd2 53.Ra6 Rd8 54.Rc6 Rb1 55.Kf2 Ra1 56.Rc4 Rd4 57.Rc8 Rb4 58.Ke2 Kf4 59.Kf2 Rbb1 60.Rf8+ Ke5 61.Bd3 Rb2 62.Ke2 Re1+ 63.Kf2 Rc1! 64.Rxb2 cxb2 65.Rb8 Bc3 66.Be4 Bd4+ 67.Ke2 Kf4 68.Rb4 e5 69.Rb7 Kg3 0–1
Fabiano Caruana thus won the Berlin Candidates’ Tournament and with it the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen to a 12-game match for the world title come November 2018 in London, England.
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, 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

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