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Stocks rebound as rate hike concerns ease

Local equities bounced back on Monday, March 12, tracking the positive developments seen in global markets as fears on interest rate hikes started to ease.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) climbed 0.97% or 80.99 points to close at 8,453.50, back in the green after two days of losses last week. The broader all-shares index was likewise up by 0.62% or 31.19 points to close at 5,083.98.

“Today’s PSEi rebound is more of tracking the rise of regional and overseas markets that were buoyed by the possible easing of interest rates pressures in the U.S. Some bargain-hunting is also a factor given the overall market decline last week that have brought relative valuations down,” PCCI Securities Brokers Corp. Research Head Joseph James F. Lago said in an email.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.77% or 440.53 points to 25,335.74 last Friday. The S&P 500 index also added 1.74% or 47.60 points to 2,786.57, while the Nasdaq Composite index gained 1.79% or 132.87 points to 7,560.81.

Papa Securities Corp. Trader Gabriel F. Perez also attributed the market’s increase to the strength of US markets, which also prompted markets in the Asia Pacific region to rally.

Majority of local sectoral indices were in positive territory on Monday, financials leading the charge with a 1.5% increase or 32.76 points to 2,213.51. Property followed with a 1.17% uptick of 44.26 points to 3,818.33; industrial rose 0.67% or 76.71 points to 11,549.73; services also increased 0.67% or 11.81 points to 1,767.17; while holding firms added 0.59% or 49.18 points to 8,426.02.

Mining and oil was the lone sub-index that declined, dropping 0.66% or 76.27 points to close at 11,445.18.

A total of 8.62 billion issues switched hands, valued at P7.20 billion, higher than Friday’s value turnover of P6.58 billion. Decliners narrowly beat advancers, 109 to 106, while 44 issues remained unchanged.

Foreigners continued their selling streak on Monday, as net foreign outflows rose to P731.71 million, against net sales of P573.73 million last Friday.

First Gen Corp was among the most actively traded stock on Monday, after disclosing that its San Gabriel Plant is now contracted with the Manila Electric Company. Papa Securities’ Mr. Perez noted the stock had the highest net foreign buying at P30.8 million.

Sought for an outlook, PCCI Securities’ Mr. Lago said the market may continue trading up, but may still be affected by the faster inflation recorded on February which came in at 4.5%, based on 2006 prices.

“The PSEi will certainly attempt to move back above the 8,500 level but it might be dependent on how investors will come to grips with local inflation that came in higher than expected for the first 2 months of the year,” Mr. Lago said. — Arra B. Francia

Peso trades sideways amid cautious market

The peso inched lower against the dollar on Monday, March 12, as market players took caution on the possible interest rate hikes coming from the central banks here and in the US.

The local currency ended Monday’s session at P52.04 versus the greenback, a centavo weaker than the P52.03-per-dollar finish on Friday.

The peso moved sideways the whole day, opening the session stronger at P51.95 per greenback. Its intraday low stood at P52.07, while its best showing was at P51.92 versus the US currency.

Dollars traded decreased to $507.9 million yesterday from its $592.1 million finish the previous session.

“The peso closed sideways as investors remained cautious on the dollar in view of March rate decisions by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the US Federal Reserve (Fed),” a trader said in an e-mail on Monday.

Chicago Fed President Charles L. Evans said he would prefer to “wait a little longer” than raising the Fed’s interest rates during this month’s meeting as its inflation continued to be low.

“My own preference would be to wait a little bit longer, let the March anomalous inflation rate from a year ago fall out,” Mr. Evans said in a CNBC interview.

For Tuesday, March 13, two traders see the peso to move between P51.90 and P52.10, while the first trader gave a slightly wider range of P51.90 to P52.20.

“Rates are still expected to move sideways ahead of uncertainty to the US February inflation data to be released [today],” the first trader noted. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

San Miguel Beermen eye 3-0 series lead

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

STOLE what was practically a lost game in Game Two of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals, the defending champions San Miguel Beermen try to push the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings on the brink of elimination when they collide for Game Three today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Now holding a 2-0 series lead in their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) semifinal joust, the Beermen are looking to ride on the momentum of their “salvaging” job last time around in their scheduled 7 p.m. match and move one step closer to getting back to the finals and possibly fulfill their quest for a fourth straight Philippine Cup title.

In Game Two on Sunday night, San Miguel used a ferocious charge in the end to pull the rug from under the Kings to stay undefeated in their semifinal pairing.

Guard Marcio Lassiter, who struggled early in the match, starred for the Beermen down the stretch, making the big plays and hitting key baskets, including what turned out to be the game-winning, tip-in basket in overtime to snatch the victory over the Kings.

The sharp-shooting guard pulled his team even at 102-all with two free throws with 15 seconds remaining in OT after which San Miguel was able to force a five-second inbounds violation on Barangay Ginebra’s Joe Devance and set up a winning play.

Off a timeout Mr. Lassiter drove to the basket and made a pass to big man June Mar Fajardo who missed his attempt to the basket.

But Mr. Lassiter was quick to save the day for the Beermen as he tipped in a follow-up shot over Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson for the game-winner with three seconds to go.

The Kings had no timeouts left and were forced to make a play in the backcourt but to no avail as the final buzzer sounded, sending the Beermen and their faithful into celebration.

Mr. Lassiter finished with 25 points and eight boards, a solid support for Mr. Fajardo who had a huge double-double of 33 markers and 19 rebounds.

Chris Ross and Alex Cabagnot had 13 points each while Arwind Santos, who hit key three-pointers in the closing moments of the payoff canto to force the game into overtime, had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

“We were lucky to escape with this win. It would easily have been a 1-1 series but the players just did not want to lose. I salute them. This is a big morale-booster for us,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria after their win.

“We knew it was going to be a tough fight. We just kept coming back in the game and it paid off. This is not over though. We need to win two more. It’s first to four just like them,” Mr. Lassiter, for his part, said.

While they were buried deeper in the series, the Kings are not about to surrender their cause, especially since they believe they are not out of it yet.

“We’re still in it. But we know our work is cut out for us and we’ll just do what we need to do,” said Mr. Devance.

Japeth Aguilar led the Kings with 28 points while Prince Caperal had a career-high 26.

The victor in this series takes on the winner of the other best-of-seven semifinal pairing between the Magnolia Hotshots and NLEX Road Warriors.

The Road Warriors held a 1-0 series lead as they battled in Game Two late yesterday.

Houston Rockets clinch playoff spot

LOS ANGELES — The Houston Rockets clinched an NBA playoff berth with a 105-82 rout of the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday as reigning champions Golden State and the Cleveland Cavaliers both lost.

Even with Most Valuable Player candidate James Harden sitting out with a sore left knee, the Rockets had little trouble from the Mavs.

Only a spate of eight second-quarter turnovers by Houston helped Dallas erase a 15-point deficit and briefly take a six-point lead.

The Rockets soon tidied things up to take a one-point lead at halftime that they wouldn’t surrender after the break.

Point guard Chris Paul scored 24 points and handed out 12 assists and guard Eric Gordon added 26 points for the Rockets, who led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter.

Houston, who saw their 17-game winning streak ended by Eastern Conference leaders Toronto on Friday, improved their league-best record to 52-14.

They’re 1 1/2 games ahead of the Warriors atop the West and Gordon said the Rockets would keep the accelerator down in a bid to claim the top seed.

“We want to finish number one — I think that’s the main goal,” he said.

The depleted Warriors fell, 109-103, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the defending champs’ second straight defeat.

With superstar Stephen Curry missing a second straight game with a sprained right ankle, Kevin Durant scored 39 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Golden State.

But Durant connected on just 11 of 32 of his shots from the field and sharp-shooter Klay Thompson needed 22 shots to score 21 points.

Draymond Green contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who were also missing Andre Iguodala, David West, Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell as they lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season. — AFP

DoJ drops drug charges vs Peter Lim, other suspected narco personalities

The Department of Justice has cleared alleged drug lord Peter Go Lim, confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa, convicted drug lord Peter Co and more than 20 others from drug-trafficking charges in a resolution dated since Dec. 20 last year. 

The Philippine National Police had charged the respondents with violation of Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

Tiger Woods comes up just short as England’s Paul Casey wins Valspar Championship

MIAMI — Tiger Woods came up just short of his 80th US PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, where it was England’s Paul Casey ending a victory drought with a one-stroke triumph.

Woods, the 14-time major champion playing just his fourth Tour event since spinal fusion surgery last April, showed he’s a contender again as he fired a one-under-par 70 to share second on nine-under 275 — one stroke behind Casey who surged to his second US PGA Tour title with a 65 for 274.

“I think I’ve gotten a little better than what I was a couple of weeks ago,” Woods said.

“I keep getting just a little better and a little sharper. Today I wasn’t quite as sharp as I would like to have had it, but I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament.”

Woods’ fusion surgery ended a brief comeback bid last year. He remains in search of his first title since 2013 — but on Sunday it finally looked as if it wasn’t a question of whether that drought will end but when.

He opened with a birdie on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Florida, but gave that stroke back with a bogey at the fourth.

Woods didn’t find another birdie until the 17th, where he drained a putt of almost 45 feet to close within one stroke of Casey’s clubhouse lead and send his massive gallery into a frenzy.

He couldn’t repeat the feat at the 18th to force a playoff, however, another long birdie try coming up a couple of feet short.

Woods finished the day tied for second with fellow American Patrick Reed.

Reed opened his round with a 60-foot eagle putt from the collar of the green at the first. He was 10-under through 17, but dropped out of playoff contention with a shocking bogey at the last, where his first putt failed to make it to the upper tier of the green where the pin was located.

Casey had four birdies and a bogey on his front nine, then seized control with three birdies on the trot at 11, 12 and 13 that moved him to 10-under.

CASEY ‘SO HAPPY’
He said keeping bogeys off his card over the demanding closing holes was key.

“The cleanups on 16, 17 and 18 — fantastic,” Casey said. “I’ve not done that in a long time and that’s the difference. That’s what I need to do.”

The 40-year-old has 17 victories on the European Tour, the most recent coming at the KLM Open in September of 2014.

A three-time Ryder Cup player for Europe, his only previous US tour title came at the 2009 Houston Open.

“To get this one, to get my second one on the PGA tour is emotional. I’m so happy for it,” Casey said, noting that winning any tournament on one of the world’s elite tours is just difficult.

“(Woods) made it look easy for such a long time, and it’s not,” he said.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia put in an encouraging performance as he warms up for the defense of his Masters title, firing a final round 65 to finish alone in fourth on eight-under 276. — AFP

Forest Hills clips Villamor for Founders plum; NOGCC wins in Aviator division of PAL Interclub

BACOLOD — Former pro Judeson Eustaquio fired a one-over-par 71 worth 35 points at Binitin in Murcia town on Sunday and helped Forest Hills defeated Villamor for the Founders Division title in the 71st PAL Interclub.

Eustaquio mixed two birdies with three bogeys over the super-tight layout and spearheaded Forest Hills to a closing 127 as the Antipolo-based squad clung on to win by eight points with a 460 tally.

Villamor mounted a huge comeback and churned out the day’s best score in the division, a 135 led by the 38 of Ricky delos Santos and 37 of Jujith Benedicto and nipped Wack Wack for runner-up honors by four.

“It was a great fightback that just fell short,” said a proud Jun Arceo, the Villamor skipper who failed to count in the final round with a 25. “Overall, it was a great tournament for us and a great win by Forest Hills. They played very well.”

Larry Patnongon and Iñigo Raymundo accounted for 33 each and either 26s of Raffy Garcia or Francisco Santana counted for Forest Hills.

Christopher dela Cruz chipped in with 32 and Jess Toribio, also former touring pro, fired 28 for Villamor.

Wack Wack finished with a wobble with just 112 led by the 34 of Sammy Sy. The exclusive club in Mandaluyong actually tallied just 218 in the final two rounds after amassing 232 in the first two for 450 overall.

Meanwhile, former Philippine Team standout JR Tanpinco and Justin Limjap fired 33 points apiece and led Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (NOGCC) to a wire-to-wire triumph in the Aviator class over at Marapara here.

Maximo Javelona and Deric Locsin scored 23 and 20, respectively as NOGCC closed out with 109 points for 441 and a 41-point win over Sta. Elena.

Mactan Island Golf Club and South Cotabato Golf and Country Club carved out contrasting final days to win the Sportswriters and Friendship Divisions, respectively.

The Interclub’s Platinum sponsors are RMN and Manila Times, while major sponsors are MasterCard, The Philippines Manila Standard, Rolls Royce, Bombardier, TV5, Primax, BusinessWorld, Crossover and Fox.

Other sponsors include Boeing, PAGCOR, Belmonte Hotel, Eton Properties and Asia Brewery, Inc.

Struggling Global Cebu FC plays Yangon United FC

BOTTOM-scraping in Group G of the 2018 AFC Cup group play phase, Global Cebu FC tries to wiggle out of its struggles and come up with a victory as it hosts Yangon United FC today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Holding a 0-1-2 record after three matches in its grouping, currently fourth in the group, Global takes on undefeated group leader Yangon United (3-0-0) needing the full three points that go with a win to stay in contention for a spot in the next round.

A loss could well mean the campaign for the Cebu-based football club, which finished runner-up in the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League.

The two teams met last time around on March 7, with Yangon winning, 3-0, on its home turf.

Former Global player Sekou Sylla was a thorn on his former team, accounting for two of Yangon’s three goals in the second half that gave it the win.

Global had its chances to get on the board early in the contest but its attempts, care of Dominic Del Rosario and Darryl Roberts, failed to punch through.

The loss was a huge blow for Global, which prior to the match was looking to bag the win to give its cause some needed boost.

Set back anew, Global coach Marjo Allado said they remain hopeful that the tide would swing their way from here on, beginning in today’s game.

“All is not lost for us. I am still hopeful of our chances but we need to score goals and we need to win all our remaining matches to advance,” said Mr. Allado.

The match between Global and Yangon is set for 7:30 p.m.

As per tournament format, in the group stage only the top team is assured of automatic qualification to the next round with the team with the best runner-up record among the rest of the groupings in the end advancing as well. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Milo underscores taking the habit of being active

WITH digital distractions proving to be a hinder to developing a healthy lifestyle, particularly among children, beverage brand Milo has decided to step up its different sports programs to underscore further the value of sports in a child’s life.

Under the “Get Your Child Into Sports” campaign, Milo Philippines reaffirms its commitment to grassroots sports development while also angling to bring to the fore the benefits of taking the habit of being active, which it believes would go a long way.

“What has inspired us more than ever are the challenges that kids face right now, such as digital distractions like various devices, television and YouTube. We’re not saying that they should not get into those but these days more and more kids are spending time on them, which leads to physical inactivity which is not really good as it can cause childhood obesity and poor eyesight, among others,” said Robbie De Vera, Milo Philippines Consumer Marketing Brand Manager, in an interview with BusinessWorld as he spoke of the decision to come up with their latest campaign.

“On top of that there is a diminishing number of safe places to play. Here and there parks disappear or playgrounds being turned into houses and high-rise establishments. More and more opportunities for kids to get into sports have been declining. But we want to change the mind-set of Filipinos by getting them active and getting them into sports because we know as a matter of fact that sports is another classroom. It’s a concrete way of teaching values from sports like confidence, teamwork and discipline. This is apart from the physical benefits they can get from it,” he added.

This more “proactive” approach in its sports program will be first seen in its annual summer sports clinics, which will start next month.

Now on its 35th year of staging, the nationwide Milo Summer Sports Clinics aim to teach children a wealth of character-developing values and physical benefits which make them better in sports, and at the same time, prepare them for the challenges of life.

Done in partnership with different sports organizations, the Milo Sports Clinics this year will involve 18 sports, namely, badminton, basketball, bowling, chess, crossfit for kids, fencing, football, futsal, golf, gymnastics, ice skating, karatedo, lawn tennis, parkour, swimming, table tennis, touch rugby and volleyball.

Crossfit, parkour and touch rugby are new additions to Milo’s roster of sports offered as it saw a growing trend and pickup for them, officials said.

Each sports clinic, which carries a corresponding fee, will be handled by expert coaches and instructors who use modern and scientific approaches that will help participants gain appreciation for the different sports, live a healthy and active lifestyle, and embody different good values to become well-rounded individuals.

“Good character and a healthy and active lifestyle are essential for children who want to become champions on and off the court, and this can be achieved through sports. We highly encourage parents to get their child into sports, and enroll their kids in the different Milo Summer Sports Clinics,” said MILO sports marketing executive Luigi Pumaren, himself a product of the clinics.

For more information on the Milo Summer Sports Clinics and Milo Philippines, log on to www.milo.com.ph or the Milo Philippines Facebook page at www.facebook.com/milo.ph. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Anand is still rapid king

11th Tal Memorial
Moscow, Russia
March 2-4, 2018

Final Standings

1. Viswanathan Anand IND 2776, 6.0/9

2-4. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2809, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2763, Hikaru Nakamura USA 2787, 5.0/9

5-6. Boris Gelfand ISR 2695, Alexander Grischuk RUS 2767, 4.5/9

7-8. Daniil Dubov RUS 2701, Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2800, 4.0/9

9-10. Peter Svidler RUS 2760, Iam Nepomniachtchi RUS 2751, 3.5/9

Average Rating 2761 Category 21

Time Control: 25 minutes play to finish with 10 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.

The “Tiger of Madras” is still out on the prowl! After winning the World Rapid Championship in Riyadh last December 2017 Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand emphatically confirmed his worthiness by winning the Tal Memorial Rapid title.

Since the year 2000 Vishy had been involved in one way or the other with the world classical chess championship. He lost his title in 2013 to Magnus Carlsen and then again in their 2014 rematch.

Anand did not qualify for this year’s candidates’ tournament and so for the first time since the turn of the century he is out of the cycle. Some people wrote him off already but he proved his high class by impressive performances in the Rapid circuit. Take a look at this combinative finish in the last round.

Anand, Viswanathan (2805) — Grischuk, Alexander (2792) [B31]
11th Tal Memorial Moscow (8.4), 04.03.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

Anand had 5 Whites and 4 Blacks in this tournament. With White he stuck to 1.e4. Mamedyarov replied with the French, Kramnik and Nakamura responded the classical way with 1…e5 after which we had the Italian Game, while Dubov and Grischuk essayed the Sicilian Defense. Anand responded with the Sicilian Rossolimo both times and won both games.

3…g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6

In round 1 Dubov responded with 4…bxc6 in a recent chessbase theoretical by GM Leonid Kritz he explains that “on the move Black has two basic ways of playing. Both are connected with the development of the black knight. The more active continuation, which leads to dynamic play, is 6…Nf6. The second possibility is based on the idea of setting up a fortress-like position. This is achieved by bringing the knight via h6 to f7. To do this, Black plays 6…Nh6 and then in whatever order 0–0, f6, Nf6. The resulting position may be very stable, but it is also very passive.”

Going passive and waiting for a mistake might work against some players, but Anand goes on to prove that such an approach is like waving a red flag before his eyes. 5.0–0 Bg7 6.Re1 Nh6 7.c3 0–0 8.h3 f5 9.e5 Nf7 10.d3 a5 11.Bf4 e6 12.Qd2 h6 13.h4 Re8 14.c4 d6 15.Nc3 Ra7 16.Na4 g5 17.hxg5 hxg5 18.Nxg5 Nxe5 19.Bxe5 dxe5 20.Nf3 Bf6 21.Nxe5 Rh7 22.Qf4 Bg5 23.Qg3 Rg7 24.Qf3 Qd6 25.Re2 Bf6 26.Rae1 Rg5 27.Qe3 f4 28.Qxf4 Rf8 29.Re3 Rf7 30.Rg3 Rxg3 31.Qxg3+ Rg7 32.Qe3 Rg5 33.Nf3 Rf5 34.Nc3 Bd4 35.Ne4 1–0 (35) Anand,V (2776)-Dubov,D (2701) Moscow RUS 2018.

5.d3 Bg7 6.h3 Nf6 7.Nc3 0–0 8.Be3

White can go for either kingside or queenside castling. I guess this is a case of what mood you are in.

8…b6 9.Qd2

Telegraphing his intention to castle queenside.

9…e5

Black has a lot of possible counters here. One that I like is to bring his knight to d4 via Nf6–e8–f7–e6–d4.

10.Bh6

Nothing is accomplished by 10.Nxe5 after 10…Nxe4 11.Nxf7 Nxd2 12.Nxd8 Nf3+! 13.gxf3 Rxd8 White’s shattered kingside pawns give Black ample compensation for his pawn minus.

10…Qd6 11.0–0–0 a5 12.g4

White will follow this up with Nc3–e2–g3.

12…a4 13.Kb1 Be6 14.Ne2 b5 15.Ng3 Rfd8

Black will be playing …Bh8 next so White immediately exchanges bishops.

16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qg5 Nd7 18.Nf5+ Bxf5 19.gxf5

White’s attack is faster than Black’s but still th ere is nothing decisive yet.

19…a3 20.b3 h6 21.Qg3 Kh7 22.Rhg1 Qf6 23.h4!

Giving up a pawn for the attack. If Black doesn’t accept it then White will continue 24.fxg6+ fxg6 25.h5 followed by Qh3, Nf3–h4–f5 with the attack nevertheless but this time with no material investment.

23…gxf5 24.Qh3 f4 25.Rg5!? Qe6

Of course not 25…hxg5?? 26.hxg5+

26.Rf5 Rg8? <D>

The decisive blunder! After the game the two players discussed 26…Kh8 and it seems that White’s attack is stymied by this move. After 27.Qg4 Nf6 28.Qg1 Rg8³ it seems White’s attack is at an end.

Position after 26…Rg8

27.Ng5+! hxg5 28.Rxf7+!

I have seen the video of the game and after Anand executed this move Grischuk was obviously surprised and taken aback.

28…Qxf7 29.hxg5+ Kg7 30.Qh6# 1–0

A lot of players tune their openings to the time controls. For example I play a lot of bullet (1-minute games) chess and have amassed a very big positive score with this:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6

[5…Ne5 Most players respond 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 and we have a bad version of the same line for Black — his knight on g8 is much better positioned on c6]

6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5

If this was a regular tournament game then we can say that White is over-extended. His queen is positioned where the Black forces can harass it and he has not yet castled. I have a great score with the line (remember, this is in bullet chess) because oftentimes I get to castle kingside and then push the f-pawn forward, making the Black King’s life really miserable. However, I would not dare play it in a game with normal time controls since with a little bit of care Black undoubtedly can get a big advantage.

In the following game Nakamura, a very fast player, tries out a move which I don’t think he would have considered in a normal game. Dubov refuted it over the board.

Dubov, Daniil (2663) — Nakamura, Hikaru (2820) [A18]
11th Tal Memorial Moscow (2.3), 02.03.2018

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5

This system was championed by Salo Flohr and Vladas Mikenas in the first half of the 20th century and bears their name.

4…d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 7.d4 e5 8.Nf3

Accepting the pawn-sacrifice gives Black lead in development: 8.Qe2 Be7! 9.dxe5 Qg6 10.Qe3 Nc6 11.Ne2 Bg4 12.f3 (12.Nd4 Bf5!?) 12…Be6 13.Nf4 Qf5 14.Nxe6 Qxe6 Black has compensation for the pawn minus but nothing more. In Stohl,I (2560)-Li Wenliang (2425) Beijing 1996 the game was agreed drawn right here.

8…Nc6 9.Be2

The main response here is 9.Bg5 Let me show you a Wesley So game. 9…Qg6 10.d5 Nb8 11.h4 h6 12.Be3 Nd7 13.h5 Qd6 14.Bd3 (I’d say White is already in difficulties here. For example where will his king go?) 14…Be7 15.Nd2 Nf6 16.f3 0–0 17.Ne4 Nxe4 18.fxe4 Qa3! 19.Qb3 Qa5 20.Be2 Bc5 21.Bd2 f5! 22.Rf1 fxe4 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.0–0–0 Kg8 25.Rf1 Bd7 26.Kb1 Qb6 27.Ka1 Rf8 Wesley is a healthy pawn up and nailed down the victory on the 69th move. Nepomniachtchi,I (2730)-So,W (2744) Bergamo 2014 CBM 162 0–1 69.

9…exd4 10.Bg5 Qg6 11.0–0 dxc3

Most people would have played Be7 and castled here. I believe Nakamura would not have played this risky move in a game with longer time controls. He probably went over this line with a chess engine which recommended (try it!) 11…dxc3 12.Bd3 Qd6 13.Re1+ Be7 with an equal game and made a mental note to test it in his next blitz game. If he had more time to study the position he would surely have seen Dubov’s stunning reply.

12.Bd3 Qd6 13.Re1+ Be7 14.c5!

Giving up a third pawn.

14…Qxc5 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Re5

Gaining this tempo to possibly double on the e-file is worth the pawn!

16…Qd6 17.Bb5+ Kf8

Not 17…Bd7 18.Bxd7+ Qxd7 19.Qxd7+ Kxd7 20.Rd1+ Ke8 21.Rde1.

18.Qe2 f6 19.Rd1 fxe5 20.Nxe5 Bf5

Black has to give up his queen.

If 20…Qf6 21.Rd8#;

Or 20…Nd5 21.Rxd5 Qxd5 22.Ng6+ Kf7 (22…hxg6 23.Qe8#) 23.Bc4.

21.Rxd6 cxd6 22.Nd7+ Kf7 23.Qc4+ Be6 24.Qf4+ Nf5 25.g4 Rad8 26.gxf5 Bxd7 27.Bc4+ d5 28.Bxd5+ Kf6 29.Qd6+ Kxf5 30.Bc4 Rhe8 31.Bd3+ Kg5 32.h4+! Kh5

[32…Kxh4 33.Qg3+ Kh5 34.f4!]

33.Qg3 Bg4 34.f3 Rd4 35.Kf2 c2 36.Bxc2 Rf8 1–0

Nakamura resigns before Dubov can play 37.Qe5+

Mr. Rey Gamboa, a former top executive of Shell and one of the great Philippine chess patrons, many years ago saw the potential of chess at the faster time controls. This was the inspiration behind the Shell Active Chess Championship. He knew then that the “long game” will soon be replaced by the faster variety. I believe we will see this trend continue in the coming years.

 

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

bobby@cpamd.net

All eyes on Woods at the Masters

Okay, so here’s how the fourth round of the Valspar Championship came and went. Rookie Corey Conners needed only three holes to cough up his lead, and by the time he walked off the 72nd green, he had tumbled all the way to 16th. In his place atop the field was an in-the-40s tour veteran whose career resembled a roller-coaster ride; in between the former All-American’s victories were bouts with injury, a divorce, and general self-doubt.

In short, yesterday’s developments at Copperhead didn’t go as conventional wisdom foresaw. After all, Tiger Woods didn’t win. Paul Casey did. They may have shared the same canvas as evidenced by the similarities in the general descriptions of the state of their respective games, but they most certainly painted with different colors. And for one weekend, striking red was bettered by subdued green. Forget the anticipation of the 14-time major titleholder beginning the final 18 just a stroke off the top of the leaderboard. Never mind the storybook ending for which it would have made.

Certainly, Casey deserved to prevail. It helped that he teed off some 80 minutes ahead, his 50-to-one odds of taking the tournament reflecting how far his score was. He then negotiated the course with no pressure, far from the eight-deep throngs that followed Woods’ exploits as part of the penultimate pairing. And with conditions at Innisbrook providing ample opportunities to go low, he made the most of his situation. He made the turn at three under for the round, surged to the top with three consecutive birdies from the 11th, and kept his lead with pars the rest of the way.

The wait in the locker room was nerve-racking, to say the least. At some points, Casey thought Woods would keep a date with fate. At others, he fretted that Patrick Reed would capitalize on chances. When the battlesmoke cleared, however, his score held up. For the first time since 2009, he was on a United States PGA Tour podium anew. And, given his showing in recent memory, the outcome wasn’t really a surprise; he led the circuit in consecutive cuts made at 27, and among them were three Top-Five finishes in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and 11 Top 10s in the last year.

In a nutshell, the Valspar Championship provided the fireworks it promised when Woods committed to play. And as he treks to Bay Hill this week, all eyes will be on how he keeps his momentum going heading into the Masters. Meanwhile, Casey gets to savor a hard-earned triumph made all the more sweet by the threat of a living legend.

 

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

Rollback for fuel prices tomorrow

Oil companies are rolling back the price of petroleum products this week after two straight weeks of increases.

Gasoline will be reduced by P0.35 per liter, diesel will be down by P0.55 per liter and kerosene will decrease by a hefty P1.20 a liter, the companies that sent their advisories said.

Seaoil Philippines, Inc. will be among the first to roll back prices at 12.01 a.m. on Tuesday, March 13.

“This is to reflect movements in the international petroleum market,” Seaoil said.

The rest will be cutting prices at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Last week, gasoline, diesel and kerosene prices moved up by P0.50, P0.30, P0.80 per liter, respectively. — Victor V. Saulon

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