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UP Maroons compound NU Bulldogs’ miseries

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Fighting Maroons raced to their second straight victory in UAAP Season 82 at the expense of the “luckless” National University Bulldogs, 80-79, on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Had a slow start to the game, the Maroons (3-1) picked things up in the middle quarters to build some distance before holding tough in the end to book the victory that sent the Bulldogs (0-4) to their fourth straight defeat and third one-point loss in the ongoing season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

In the second game, the Adamson Soaring Falcons came from behind to top the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 78-71.

NU got it going early in the paint, with RJ Minerva and Issa Gaye finding their mark and helping their team to a 14-10 lead midway into the opening quarter.

It would maintain control the rest of the quarter despite efforts by Kobe Paras to keep UP in the game, holding a 23-18 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.

In the second frame, the Maroons exploded as Javi Gomez De Liano waxed hot from beyond the arc.

UP rode the momentum and successfully turned the tables on NU at the break, 44-36.

Dave Ildefonso tried to rally the Bulldogs back in the third quarter but Paras And Co. continuously found ways to fend off their opponents.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Maroons still carried an eight-point cushion, 67-59.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams jostled hard.

UP still had control of the game for much of the time but NU kept itself within striking distance.

The count stood at 78-73 with a minute to go and the Maroons on top before Ildefonso made it a four-point affair, 78-74, with 32 seconds to go by splitting his free throws.

Bright Akhuetie still opened the door for the Bulldogs after muffing his free throws with 24 seconds remaining.

Ildefonso pushed NU to within two, 78-76, with 17 ticks left by draining both his free throws off a foul from Jaydee Tungcab.

UP sued for time after, going to Akhuetie anew off the inbounds.

The UP big man was fouled by Enzo Joson with 16 seconds to go.

But Akhuetie made both his charities to hand the Maroons an 80-76 advantage.

The Bulldogs called timeout after to chart a play.

Ildefonso’s number was pressed anew by NU and he delivered with a triple with 11 seconds remaining to make it an 80-79 count.

The Bulldogs fouled Dave Murrell, who missed his free throws and kept the Bulldogs alive.

NU sped back to its court following the defensive rebound and had a shot to win it all.

The outside heave of John Lloyd Clemente, however, fell short, preserving the victory for UP.

Paras led the way for UP once again with 25 points. He remains unbeaten in a Maroons uniform since finally suiting up for the team in their previous game.

Akhuetie had 19 points and 12 rebounds while Gomez De Liano had 17 points, going 5-of-7 from three-point land.

For NU it was Ildefonso who topscored with 25 points, followed by Gaye with 13 points to go along with 13 boards.

Despite winning back-to-back games now, UP coach Bo Perasol reiterated that his team still needs to work some facets of its game, including closing out games, something he said they had a hard time doing against NU.

“We need to learn how to close out games as a team. That’s a process,” said Mr. Perasol postgame.

UP returns to action on Sept. 21 against the University of the East Red Warriors while NU tries to finally notch that elusive first victory in Season 82 versus the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sept. 22.

In the second game, Adamson (3-2) turned to a strong finishing kick to pull the rug from under UST (3-2) to get back on the winning track after losing in its previous game.

The Falcons played catch-up for much of the contest but soared past the Tigers in the end led by Val Chauca and Jerrick Ahanmisi on their way to the dig-deep victory.

Ahanmisi paced Adamson with 24 points followed by Chauca with 18.

For UST it was Soulemane Chabi Yo who led with 17 points with CJ Cansino, Sherwin Comcepcion and Mark Nonoy adding 10 points each.

NCAA: San Beda Red Lions shoot for dozen wins

UNDEFEATED league-leader San Beda Red Lions look to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 games in National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 when they face off with the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers in league action today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Winners of their first two games in the second round after sweeping the first fold of the eliminations of NCAA 95, the defending champions Lions (11-0) try to stay in top form when they reengage the Bombers (4-7) in their 2 p.m. match.

In their first encounter on July 12, San Beda dominated JRU from wire to wire on its way to the 74-52 victory.

It was a balanced attack by the Lions, led by the 17 points each of James Canlas and Calvin Oftana.

JB Bahio had 11 points while point guard Evan Nelle had 11 assists to go along with five points for the Lions.

San Beda set the pace in the first two quarters of the contest and never relinquished the thrust the rest of the way to book the win.

JRU, for its part, goes for back-to-back wins in today’s game.

The Bombers defeated the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 69-63, on Sept. 13, for their fourth win of the season.

Agem Miranda top-scored for JRU in the win, finishing with 16 points, boosted by 50% shooting from the field (7-of-14).

Marq Dionisio had a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds while Ry Dela Rosa dropped 11 points for the Bombers.

JRU was in a dogfight with EAC throughout the contest but managed to extricate itself in the end with a telling 7-2 run late in the fourth period to go up, 67-58, before holding on for the victory.

“We’re thankfully we got this win after tough losses in our previous games. We still have problems closing out games and staying competitive in the end. Hopefully we get to improve on those things,” said JRU coach Louie Gonzalez after their win over EAC.

Meanwhile, playing in the 4 p.m. game are the Perpetual Help Altas (3-7) and season hosts Arellano Chiefs (2-9).

The two teams are currently on a skid with the Altas riding a two-game slide while the Chiefs are in a deeper hole, losing three straight. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

ONE Championship ushers in Century event with media day

BUZZ over ONE Championship’s landmark event in Japan — “ONE: Century” — next month entered a new phase with Asia’s largest sports media property holding a media day on Tuesday at Park Hyatt in Shinjuku in Tokyo.

Present at media day were ONE officials, including ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Esports CEO Carlos Alimurung and President of ONE Championship Japan Andy Hata.

Also in attendance were some of the athletes seeing action in the two-prong ONE: Century offering happening on Oct. 13 at the historic Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Century will feature 22 match-ups, split into two shows of 11 fights.

The matches will feature five Filipinos, two of which are fighting for world titles and one for a grand prix belt.

Part One of Century will be headlined by the atomweight world championship fight between reigning champion Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee and challenger and women’s strawweight champ “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China.

Co-main events are the world grand prix finals in the flyweight and lightweight divisions.

Flyweight will have mixed martial arts legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson against Filipino fighter Danny “The King” Kingad.

In the lightweight division, meanwhile, it will be between Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez of the United States and Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev of Turkey.

Supporting Part One of Century are eight top-notch preliminary fights, including that of Team Lakay strawweight Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang against Japanese Senzo Ikeda.

Part One of Century is the scheduled in the morning and will be broadcast on TNT in the United States.

The second fold of the historic ONE Tokyo event, meanwhile, which will air live across 140-plus countries in the evening, is bannered by the light heavyweight clash of champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang of Myanmar against ONE heavyweight champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera of the Philippines.

Under the N Sang-Vera battle are three world-class co-main events led by the world bantamweight championship fight between reigning champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil and former champ Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines.

The flyweight muay thai world championship fight between champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand and Walter Goncalves of Brazil as well as the featherweight kickboxing world grand prix championship final between Italy’s Giorgio Petrosyan and France’s Samy Sana are the two other co-main events.

Filipino Honorio “The Rock” Banario is part of the main card, fighting Japanese legend and former ONE lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

Also included in Part Two of Century are champion versus champion fights from MMA organizations Shooto and Pancrase. In the lead-up to the ONE: Century, the promotion will also hold esports competitions, namely, the ONE Tekken Tokyo Invitational and the ONE Street Fighter Tokyo Challenge, on Oct. 5 to 6, adding further dimension to it as a group and complementing its standing as “Home of Martial Arts.”

“ONE Championship aims to bring the spirit of martial arts back to Japan with our historic 100th live event. I am extremely grateful to have the support of the best Japanese athletes in the world, and the Japanese people… As a company, our impact on society is enormous. We take this responsibility very seriously,” said Mr. Sityodtong at media day, underscoring their thrust as a group and vision moving forward. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

World Cup madness

FIDE World Cup 2019
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Sept. 9–Oct. 2, 2019

Results of Round 2 (winners)

Ding Liren CHN 2811 vs. Sergei Movsesian ARM 2654 2.5-1.5

Daniil Dubov RUS 2699 vs. Alireza Firouzja IRI 2702 0.5-1.5

Kirill Alekseenko RUS 2671 vs. Johan-Sebastian Christiansen NOR 2558 2.5-1.5

Penteala Harikrishna IND 2746 vs. Vladimir Fedoseev RUS 2664 1.5-0.5

Nijat Abasov AZE 2632 vs. Leinier Dominguez Perez USA 2763 1-3

Wang Hao CHN 2726 vs. Maxim Rodshtein ISR 2684 1.5-0.5

Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759 vs. Benjamin Bok NED 2640 2.5-1.5

Ernesto Inarkiev RUS 2693 vs. Xu Xiangyu CHN 2570, 0.5-1.5

Antom Demchenko RUS 2655 vs. Wesley So USA 2767, 0.5-1.5

Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2718 vs. Aleksandr Rakhmanov RUS 2606 1.5-0.5

Sergey Karjakin RUS 2760 vs. Samuel Sevian USA 2654 2-0

Niclas Huschenbeth GER 2620 vs. Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2732 1-3

Ian Nepomniachtchi RUS 2776 vs. Alexandr Predke RUS 2657 1.5-0.5

Chithambaran Aravindh IND 2609 vs. Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2718 0.5-1.5

Baskaran Adhiban IND 2639 vs. Yu Yangyi CHN 2763 1.5-2.5

Wei Yi CHN 2721 vs. David Anton Guijarro ESP 2674 2.5-1.5

Evgeniy Najer RUS 2635 vs. Anish Giri NED 2780 4-5

Jeffery Xiong USA 2707 vs. M.amin Tabatabaei IRI 2642 3-1

Dmitry Andreikin RUS 2741 vs. GM Rinat Jumabayev KAZ 2630 1.5-0.5

Tamir Nabaty ISR 2658 vs. Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2730 0-2

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2767 vs. Rustam Kasimdzhanov UZB 2657 1.5-0.5

Nihal Sarin IND 2610 vs. Eltaj Safarli AZE 2593 1.5-2.5

Sanan Sjugirov RUS 2662 vs. Teimour Radjabov AZE 2758 1.5-2.5

Daniil Yuffa RUS 2577 vs. Luke McShane ENG 2682 5-3

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2774 vs. Igor Kovalenko LAT 2674 2-0

Gawain Jones ENG 2688 vs. Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2681 1-3

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu GER 2656 vs. Hikaru Nakamura USA 2745 1.5-0.5

Peter Svidler RUS 2729 vs. Andrey Esipenko RUS 2624 3-1

Parham Maghsoodloo IRI 2664 vs. Levon Aronian ARM 2758 0.5-1.5

Maxim Matlakov RUS 2716 vs. Boris Gelfand ISR 2686 2.5-1.5

Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2746 vs. Ivan Cheparinov GEO 2670 1.5-0.5

Anton Korobov UKR 2679 vs. Le Quang Liem VIE 2708 0.5=1.5

7-ROUND 128 PLAYER KNOCKOUT EVENT

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

After the first week of play in the FIDE World Cup the 128-player field has been whittled down to 32:

RUSSIA (12 players). Ian Nepomniachtchi 2776, Sergey Karjakin 2760, Alexander Grischuk 2759, Vladislav Artemiev 2746, Dmitry Andreikin 2741, Nikita Vitiugov 2732, Peter Svidler 2729, Evgeny Tomashevsky 2718, Maxim Matlakov 2716, Dmitry Jakovenko 2681, Kirill Alekseenko 2671, Daniel Yuffa 2577.

CHINA (5 players). Ding Liren 2811, Yu Yangyi 2763, Wang Hao 2726, Wei Yi 2721, Xu Xiangyu 2578

USA (3 players). Wesley So 2767, Leinier Dominguez 2763, Jeffery Xiong 2707.

AZERBAIJAN (3 players). Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2767, Teimour Radjabov 2758, Eltaj Safarli 2593.

INDIA (2 players). Penteala Harikrishna 2746, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2718.

ARMENIA. Levon Aronian 2758

FRANCE. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2774

GERMNAY. Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu

IRAN. Alireza Firouzja 2702

NETHERLANDS. Anish Giri 2780

POLAND. Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2730

VIETNAM. Le Quang Liem 2708

The 32-year-old GM Anton Demchenko hails from the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, Russia. This is the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. It has the rare status of “Hero City.” Back in 1942 the German army occupied the city but a small unit of Soviet sailors refused to give in and defended its port for 225 days from February 4, 1943 up to the time that the town was liberated by the Red Army on September 16, 1943. This heroic defense prevented the Axis Powers from using the port for supply shipments. In commemoration of this heroic feat Novorossiysk was awarded the title Hero City in 1973. But I digress.

GM Demchenko is no stranger to Filipino players. He played in and won the PSC/Puregold International Chess Challenge in Quezon City in 2014. This was a pretty decent tournament with 13 GMs including Ivan Popov, Mikhail Mozharov (both from Russia), Levan Pantsulaia and Merab Gagunashvili from Georgia, and Avetik Grigoryan from Armenia. What we noticed back then was that Demchenko has a kill or be killed attitude to chess — he doesn’t go for draws and fearlessly stirs up the hornet’s nest every time. Out of his winning score of 8/10, for example, he won 8 and lost twice and not once did he agree to a draw.

Wesley So was not having any of that nonsense, however. In the decisive game two of their mini-match he showed ruthless efficiency. First he exchanged off the queens, second saddled his opponent with doubled pawns, third won one of the pawns, and then cashed in. Black was not given a chance to come back.

So, Wesley (2767) — Demchenko, Anton (2655) [D31]
FIDE World Cup 2019 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (2.2), 14.09.2019

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6

[Not as eccentric as it looks. Black’s idea is to play …dxc4 followed by …b7–b5, which explains White’s next move]

4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bg5 Be6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 c6 9.Qb3 Qb6 10.Qxb6 Nxb6 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Nh4 a5 13.0–0–0 Bb4 14.Ne2 Nc4 15.Nf4

[Played not to exchange knight for bad bishop but to prepare Nh5] 15…Bd6 16.Nh5 Be7 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.Bxf5 Nd6 19.Bd3 Rg8 20.Rhg1 [Wesley will be following up with g2–g4, h2–h3 and then reposition his knight to f5] 20…f5 21.Ng3 Bh4 22.Rdf1 Bxg3 23.hxg3 h6 24.Rh1 [White will win either the h6 or f5 pawn] 24…Rg6 25.Rh5 Rf6 [25…Ke7!? 26.Bxf5 Rg5 27.Rxg5 hxg5 28.Bc2 Rh8 might put up more fight] 26.Rfh1 Ke7 27.Rxh6 Rxh6 28.Rxh6 Rg8 29.Kd2 Kd7 30.Ke2! [White will be bringing his king to e5] 30…Ke7 31.Kf3 b6 32.Kf4 Rg4+ 33.Ke5 f6+ [Black’s most logical move is 33…Rg6 but then Wesley’s rook will transfer to the queenside and wipe out the pawns there, e.g., 34.Rh8 Ne4 35.Rb8 b5 36.Rb7+ Kf8 37.b3 Nxf2 38.Bxf5 Rxg3 39.Kf6 threatening a back rank mate 39…Rxe3 40.Rxf7+ Kg8 (40…Ke8 leads to similar lines) 41.Rg7+ Kf8 42.Rc7 Re8 (42…Ne4+ 43.Bxe4 Rxe4 44.Rc8+ Re8 45.Rxe8+ Kxe8 46.Ke6 game over) 43.Rxc6 Ne4+ 44.Kg6 this is an easy win] 34.Rxf6 Nf7+ 35.Rxf7+ [Wesley avoids the trap 35.Kxf5?? Rg5+! 36.Kf4 Kxf6 and Black is the one who wins] 35…Kxf7 36.Bxf5 Rg7 37.g4 Ke7 38.f4 Rg8 39.g5 Re8 40.Be6 1–0

Also in game 2 of his own mini-match the Iranian GM Alireza Firouzja showed some brilliant play to oust Daniil Dubov. White’s 37th move should qualify the following game for the brilliancy prize or at least the “move of the tournament.”

Firouzja, Alireza (2702) — Dubov, Daniil (2699) [B31]
FIDE World Cup 2019 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (2.2), 14.09.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0–0 Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 0–0 7.h3 Qb6 8.a4 a6 9.Bxc6 bxc6

[Back in 1999 when we were preparing for GM Joey Antonio’s world championship tournament in Las Vegas we spent a lot of time on the Sicilian Rossolimo as he had intended to use it with White. GM Joey was a firm believer in the weakness of Black’s doubled c-pawns and in the period between then and now I have seen nothing to dispel that judgement] 10.e5 Nd5 11.a5 Qd8 12.d3 d6 13.Qa4 dxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Rxe5 Qd6 16.Re1 Bf5 17.Na3! Rfe8 [17…Bxd3 is too dangerous because of the open d-file: 18.Bh6 Rfe8 19.Rad1 Bb5 (19…c4 20.Nxc4) 20.Qb3 with c3–c4 coming] 18.Nc4 Qc7 19.Be3 Nxe3 20.Rxe3 Rad8 21.Ne5 f6 22.Qxc6 Qd6 [22…Qxc6 23.Nxc6 Rd7 gives White the tempo for 24.d4] 23.Qxd6 exd6 24.Ng4 Rxe3 25.fxe3 Rb8 26.Nxf6+ Kg7 27.Nd5 Rxb2 28.e4 Bd7 29.Rf1 [Intending Rf1–f6xd6] 29…Be6 30.Nc7 Bd7 31.Nxa6 Rb7 32.c4 Be8 33.e5 Ra7 34.Nb8 Rb7 [34…Rxa5 35.exd6 Ra7 36.Rd1 Rb7 37.Na6 Rb6 38.Nxc5 Rxd6 39.Ra1 White has a decisive advantage] 35.Na6 Ra7 36.Nb8 Rb7 <D>

POSITION AFTER 36…RB6

Firouzja was down to just over a minute on his clock but now unleashed …

37.exd6!! Rxb8 38.Re1 Kf8?

[It is counter-intuitive, but now the king gets stuck on the 8th rank. Better would have been 38…Kf6] 39.Re7 Rd8 40.a6 Rxd6 41.a7! [This is the point of GM Firouzja’s combination. All of black’s pieces will be stuck defending the queening white pawn and White will then be able to happily march up the board with his king] 41…Rd8 [41…Ra6 42.Rc7 Ra2 (42…Bc6?? 43.Rxc6 Rxa7 44.Rxc5) 43.Kh2 Ra3 44.Kg3 Rxd3+ 45.Kf4 Ra3 46.Ke5] 42.Rb7 Bc6 43.Rc7 Be8 44.Kf2 g5 45.Ke3 h6 46.g3 Bg6 47.Rb7 Rxd3+ 48.Kf2 Ra3 49.Rb8+ Kg7 50.a8Q Rxa8 51.Rxa8 Bd3 52.Ra4 Kf6 53.Ke3 Bf1 54.h4 gxh4 55.gxh4 Ke5 56.Ra6 Bxc4 57.Rxh6 Be6 58.Rg6 Bf5 59.Rg1 Kf6 60.h5 Bh7 61.h6 Bg6 62.Kd2 Kf7 63.Kc3 Kf6 64.Kc4 Bf7+ 65.Kxc5 Bg6 66.Kd6 Kf7 67.Ke5 Bd3 68.Rg7+ Kf8 [A beautifully played game, Let us see what magic Firouzja will come up with next round when he faces the tournament’s top seed Ding Liren!] 1–0

20-year-old GM Xu Xiangyu (2576) has not had the most outstanding performances compared with the other hopefuls in the seemingly endless Chinese stable of prodigies. In fact, last year, he was chosen to represent his country in the India versus China summit in Bhubaneswar, India. There, the Indian squad of Srinath Narayanan, Chithambaran VR Aravindh, Chopra Aryan and Murali Karthikeyan squared off against the Chinese team of Lu Shanglei, Bai Jinshi, Xu Yinglun and Xu Xiangyu in a Scheveningen system where each player on one team played all the others in the opposing team twice. Scoring was on a match point system and India won 9-7, their first victory in three tries. If the Chinese were looking for a scapegoat it would have been Xu Xiangyu who lost 3 games and drew 5 without a single win. He was the only one on their team who had a negative score.

Anyway, Xiangyu finished second behind former World Junior Champion Lu Shanglei in the 2018 Chinese Zonal Championship, which qualified him to the 2019 World Cup. He was the lowest-rated Chinese player in the field but turned out to be the revelation of the tournament. He ousted Bu Xiangzhi (2721), someone who outrated him by 145 rating points, in the first round and now pulled off another upset by showering the Russian GM Ernesto Inarkiev with tactical shots. You should take a look at the following game. This was Xu Xiangyu’s first really big international event playing against the elite 2600+ and 2700+ players, an adult tournament and not one of those Under-20 and other youth events he used to participate in. Somebody forgot to tell Xiangyu that usually the first-timers are cowed and play timidly, afraid to make a mistake.

Xu, Xiangyu (2576) — Inarkiev, Ernesto (2693) [E21]
Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE World Cup (11.24), 14.09.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bd2 0–0 6.e3 c5 7.Bd3 Ba6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 d5 10.dxc5 dxc4 11.Bc2 Nbd7 12.cxb6 axb6 13.h4!? Qc7 14.Qd4

[Seriously threatening g2–g4–g5 or h4–h5–h6] 14…Rfd8 15.h5 h6 16.Rh3 Kf8? [Inarkiev is the one to lose his composure. He could have immediately countered with 16…e5! 17.Nxe5 Nc5 18.Qh4 Nd3+ Black is giving as good as he is getting] 17.Rg3 Bb7 18.Qh4 Qd6 19.Rd1 Qe7 20.Qxc4 [Both players missed the combinatiion 20.Rxd7!! Nxd7 (If 20…Rxd7 21.Bb4 Rd6 22.Rxg7! Kxg7 23.Qg3+ followed by Bd6; 20…Qxd7 21.Bb4+ Ke8 22.Qxf6! gxf6 23.Rg8#) 21.Bxg7+ Ke8 22.Qf4 with a winning attack] 20…Nc5 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.Qh4 Be4 23.Rxg7!! [Having missed the brilliancy on the 20th move Xu does not miss this second chance] 23…Kxg7 24.Bxe4 Ncd7 [24…Ncxe4 25.Qxe4 Qd6 26.Qd4! Qxd4 27.Bxd4 the pin on the long diagonal is too strong. Black probably has to give up the exchange by 27…Rxd4 but then White will be 2 pawns up in the knight endgame] 25.Ne5! Rc8 [25…Nxe5 26.Bxe5 Rc8 27.Qg3+ Kh8 28.Qf4 Kg7 29.g4 followed by g4–g5] 26.Nxd7 Rxc3 27.Qg3+! Kh8 28.Nxf6 Qxf6 29.bxc3 Qxc3+ 30.Ke2 f5 31.Bd3 Qb2+ 32.Kf3 Qxa3 33.Qe5+ Kh7 34.Qc7+ Kg8 35.Qd8+ Kf7 36.Bc4 Qa4 37.Qc8 Qd1+ 38.Kf4 Qd6+ 39.Kf3 Qd1+ 40.Be2 Qd5+ 41.Kg3 Qe5+ 42.Kh3 Qb2 43.Bc4 Qe5 44.Qd7+ Kf6 45.Qd8+ Kf7 46.Qxb6 1–0

There are still 5 rounds of action in the ongoing FIDE World Cup. I guess we should be thankful that having the games in Khanty-Mansiysk means that each round starts at 6 p.m. (Manila time) and by 10 p.m. most of the games will be over. Imagine what havoc it will cause your body clock if held in Saint Louis, Missouri where in Manila the games will start at 3 am!

 

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

Pettersen’s triumph

Not a few eyebrows were raised when Europe captain to the Solheim Cup Catriona Matthew used one of four at-large selections on Suzann Pettersen. After all, the latter was just eight weeks removed from a long — okay, extra-long, at north of 600 days — lay-off due to pregnancy and childbirth. Parenthetically, nothing in those eight weeks suggested the 38-year-old Norwegian’s form was ready for the rigors of match play in the sport’s preeminent team-based spectacle; to the contrary, two missed cuts and a 59th-place showing in three events gave all indications that rust remained a factor for the two-time major winner.

Still, Pettersen was confident she would be able to withstand intense scrutiny arising not just from circumstances inside the ropes at the Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course in Scotland. She was ready and willing to take in the pressure that awaited her, she said. When she last wore Europe’s colors at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot in Germany four years ago, she stoked controversy when she refused to concede a putt United States rookie Alison Lee wrongly picked up in a crucial fourballs session. She got the point she wanted, but likewise absorbed the disapproval of just about everybody outside her team. Defeat was then snatched from the throes of victory, with her faux pas becoming a rallying point for the opposition.

Criticism again enveloped Pettersen in the run-up to the 2019 Solheim Cup, but, at least outwardly, Europe expressed the belief her pluses more than offset whatever handicaps she brought with her. And, if nothing else, she had experience borne of a sterling 15-7-3 slate in best-ball and alternate-shot formats. As Matthew noted, “she will be my playing lieutenant on the course. She will be bring an important calmness to the proceedings, even in the practice rounds. All of which will be a big help to the [three] rookies.”

As things turned out, calmness was precisely what Pettersen brought, and exactly at the right time, en route to clinching the Cup for Europe. With the score tied at 13.5 points apiece and her match at all square, she had in her hands the fate of the competition. With an eight-foot putt for birdie awaiting her on the 18th green, the stage was set. Miss, and the US would retain the trophy with a tie. Make, and redemption awaited. She faced a one-or-the-other moment separating heroes from heels. No matter. Proving that she had ice running through her veins, she stroked her putt dead center into the hole.

In retrospect, not even in Pettersen’s wildest dreams could she have concocted an ending as fit for a storybook as the one she crafted. With her steely resolve, she finally put to the past her display of poor sportsmanship in 2015 and capped her career with what can reasonably be deemed Europe’s finest Solheim Cup triumph. It was certainly the most dramatic, and made even more memorable by her shocking decision to retire right then and there. “This is a perfect closure,” she disclosed. “The end for my professional career. It doesn’t get any better.” Indeed.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Bourse extends losses as mart awaits Fed move

LOCAL EQUITIES slumped on Wednesday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision due to be released early Thursday, Philippine time.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) went down 0.21% or 16.94 points to close at 7,915.29, extending the previous session’s losses, while the broader all-shares index similarly slipped 0.16% or 7.77 points to 4,786.43.

“Investors remained cautious for another session as the U.S. Federal Reserve began its two-day monetary policy meeting,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message.

The Federal Open Market Committee is holding a two-day policy meeting during which it is widely expected to cut key interest rates by 25 basis points.

Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez also attributed the market’s performance to anticipation of the Fed’s decision.

“Resistance remains at 8,000 for the last two days of the week. Events to watch out for would be the aforementioned Fed meeting, and the turnout of the FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) rebalancing soon,” Mr. Perez said in an e-mail.

Sectoral indices were equally divided between gainers and losers. Those that lost consisted of property, which plunged 1.15% or 46.68 points to 4,009.42; industrials which dropped 0.93% or 103.92 points to 10,957.73; and services shed 0.78% or 12.66 points to 1,594.24. In contrast, holding firms climbed 0.54% or 42.87 points to 7,898.44; financials rose 0.47% or 8.54 points to 1,796.41; while mining and oil edged up 0.32% or 30.89 points to 9,416.29.

Some 451.06 million issues switched hands valued at P6.74 billion, improving from the previous session’s P5.21 billion.

Stocks that lost beat those that gained, 107 to 90, while 43 issues were unchanged.

Foreign net outflows persisted at P206.65 million, slightly less than Tuesday’s P214.15 million.

Fourteen of the 20 most active stocks ended the day with losses, with Jollibee Foods Corp. falling the most at 3.21%. Shares in International Container Terminal Services, Inc.; Megaworld Corp. and Ayala Land, Inc. plunged 2.48%, 1.56%, and 1.54%, respectively. The same list showed six gainers, led by Phima Energy Corp. (3.77%) and Nickel Asia Corp. (2.44%).

The PSEi failed to mirror Wall Street’s positive performance overnight, with investors also anticipating the Fed’s decision. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 0.13% or 33.98 points to 27,110.80. The S&P 500 index added 0.26% or 7.74 points to 3,005.70, while the Nasdaq Composite index firmed up 0.40% or 32.47 points to 8,186.02.

Asian stocks were mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Topix indices down by 0.18% and 0.49%, respectively. The Hang Seng index slid 0.17%, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.25%, while South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.41%. — Arra B. Francia

Peso climbs ahead of Fed meet

THE PESO continued to recover on Wednesday on the market’s anticipations of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and amid stabilizing oil prices after Saudi reported progress in restoring its oil facility.

The local unit closed at P52.20 against the greenback on Wednesday, stronger by six centavos from its P52.26-per-dollar close on Tuesday.

The peso opened higher at P52.17 versus the dollar. It traded in a tight range, with its weakest point recorded at P52.26, while its strongest level was at P52.15 against the greenback.

Dollars traded on Wednesday thinned to $912 million against the $1.14 billion recorded on Tuesday.

One trader said the peso moved sideways as the market awaited the result of the Fed’s two-day policy review.

“Trading was quiet as people await tonight’s FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting,” the trader said on Wednesday.

“As the rate cut is most probably be a go, the market will closely monitor on the language and tone of Fed (US Federal Reserve) [Chairman Jerome] Powell. The market will pay attention to the direction after the cut, if there will be a further easing along the road of if this was just a mid-cycle adjustment,” the trader said.

Aside from the Fed policy meeting, a second trader said Saudi’s efforts to restore its facility also boosted the peso.

“We saw the peso has improved a little bit as oil prices stabilized. The [US-China] trade negotiations are also still a factor to consider as all these things are still up in the air,” the second trader said.

Oil prices cooled on Wednesday as Saudi Arabia said full oil production would be restored by month’s end while caution ahead of an expected US interest rate cut kept wider financial markets in tight ranges.

Brent crude futures dipped 0.26% to $64.38 a barrel, having conceded about 65% of their gains made after the weekend attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

US West Texas Intermediate crude lost 0.5% to $59.06 per barrel, paring back around half of its gains after Saturday’s attack.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Tuesday sought to reassure markets, saying the kingdom would restore its lost oil production by month-end having recovered supplies to customers to the levels they were prior to weekend attacks.

A US official told Reuters on Tuesday the United States believes the attacks originated in southwestern Iran, an assessment that could further increase the rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh.

For today, the first trader sees the peso playing around P52.10-P52.50 against the dollar, while the second trader sees the local unit moving within the P52.00-P52.30 band. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

Duterte orders jail revamp due to corruption

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered a revamp of the country’s jail system due to corruption, his spokesman said yesterday.

Bureau of Correction guards at the national jail in Muntinlupa City would be transferred to the provinces, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told reporters.

“It’s a total revamp,” the spokesman said, adding that the president would remove all officials and workers at the BuCor headquarters in Muntinlupa.

Mr. Duterte ordered the overhaul “because of the corruption there,” Mr. Panelo said “He wants to stop it.”

The president earlier fired Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor E. Faeldon after he allowed the illegal release of about 2,000 ineligible felons for good conduct. The president also ordered an investigation of prison officials by the Ombudsman for corruption.

The Ombudsman has ordered the suspension of about 30 jail officials in connection with the botched release of ineligible prisoners.

Less than 700 felons convicted of heinous crimes have surrendered. The Justice department has said police would re-arrest the rest of them without a warrant if they fail to surrender by Sept. 19.

The Justice department and Department of Interior and Local Government earlier this week issued the revised rules implementing the law on the early release of inmates for good conduct.

The law disqualifies convicts of heinous crimes from early release, but the prisoners were freed in the absence of a counterpart provision in the old implementing rules.

Under the new rules, all recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents and convicts of heinous crimes are excluded from the program. Heinous crimes include murder, rape, destructive arson, parricide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and violations of certain provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Also yesterday, Justice Secretary Menardo I Guevarra called new BuCor Director-General Gerald Q. Bantag to fix anomalies at the bureau.

“I told him to focus on three major objectives, in order of urgency. No. 1, clean up the good conduct time allowance mess,” the Justice chief said, referring to a program that releases prisoners earlier for good conduct. He also asked the new chief to fully computerize the jail system and stop illegal drug trade inside prisons, he said.

Mr. Bantag was the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology regional director in Region 4 before he was appointed by Mr. Duterte on Tuesday.

The former jail warden has been accused in the murder of 10 inmates after a grenade attack inside his office in 2016.

Meanwhile, three BuCor officials have asked the Court of Appeals to order their release from the Senate after they were cited in contempt by the blue ribbon committee and detained there for allegedly lying under oath.

The BuCor legal chief Fredric Santos, document chief Ramoncito Roque and Bilibid Hospital doctor Ursicio Cenas filed a petition for habeas corpus — a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court.

“There is absolutely no factual or legal basis for the order citing the petitioners in contempt,” according to a copy of their petition.

Opposition Senator Franklin M. Drilon earlier said Mr. Faeldon was not only incompetent but also lied under oath to evade accountability for the planned early release of ex-Calauan Mayor Antonio L. Sanchez.

The release of the former politician, who was sentenced to seven life terms in 1995 for the rape and murder of two University of the Philippines students in 1993, was suspended after a public outcry and a Senate investigation of the plan.

Mr. Guevarra has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the reported sale of hospital passes to inmates at the Bureau of Corrections.

The Justice chief had also ordered a separate probe of corruption at the bureau after reports that parole grants have become for sale.

During a Senate hearing early this month, a witness accused some prison officials of promising families of convicts to release them earlier for a fee. — Gillian M. Cortez

8 coast guards convicted for Taiwanese death

A MANILA trial court has convicted eight Filipino coast guards who shot and killed a Taiwanese fisherman in Batanes in 2013.

The Coast Guard men were sentenced to eight years to 14 years and eight months in jail for homicide, according to a copy of a decision dated Sept. 4 but released only yesterday.

Convicted were Philippine Coast Guard Commander Arnold Enriquez dela Cruz, seamen Edrando Quiapo Aguila, Mhelvin Aguilar Bendo II, Andy Gibb Ronario Golfo, Sunny Galang Masangcay, Henry Baco Solomon, Nicky Renold Aurello, and petty officer Richard Fernandez Corpuz.

The court said the coast guards, who claimed they shot Taiwanese fishermen in Philippine-protected waters in self-defense, committed homicide because there was no intent to kill.

The coast guards shot Taiwanese Hong Shi Cheng in the neck after giving warning shots when they caught Taiwanese fishermen illegally fishing near Balintang Island in Batanes province in northern Philippines in 2013.

While there was no intent to kill, Mr. Hong died without legal justification, the court said.

The court also ordered the convicts to jointly pay the victim’s benefactors P50,000 as civil indemnity and P50,000 in moral damages. — Gillian M. Cortez

Palace says president misspoke on ambush

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte misspoke when he admitted ordering the ambush of a mayor last year, the presidential palace said yesterday.

“In-ambush kita, animal ka, buhay pa rin (I ambushed you, you animal, but you’re still alive),” the president said in a speech on Tuesday night, referring to Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot.

But presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said what the president intended to say was “Inambush ka na, buhay ka pa (You got ambushed but you’re still alive).”

“That has been his line as shown by the transcripts of some of his previous speeches every time he touches on the topic of General Loot’s ambush,” he added.

The spokesman blamed it on a president who speaks the Visayan language and who is not proficient in Filipino, the national language.

Mr. Panelo said Mr. Duterte had not ordered the ambush of Mr. Loot. “It is silly and absurd to conclude that PRRD is behind the ambush just because he misspeaks the Pilipino language which is not his native tongue or first language,” he said.

“The Filipino nation by this time is already familiar and used to the language of the president who invariably uses a mixture of English, Bisaya and Pilipino in communicating with the nation,” he said.

Mr. Loot, who has been accused of involvement in narcotics trafficking, had survived an ambush in May last year, four months after Mr. Duterte publicly threatened to kill him. — ALB

Davao Customs bans pork imports

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) Port of Davao has banned the importation of pork and other pork products from countries affected by African swine fever.

The bureau has partnered with the Agriculture department and Bureau of Animal Industry to prevent the outbreak of the disease in Davao, spokesman Norman V. de Asis said.

The agency is strengthening protocols for pork imports as well as physical examination, he said.

Local hog raisers earlier asked the government to tighten inspections at Davao seaports and airports to prevent the entry of African swine fever. — Maya M. Padillo

Agri company pushes hybrid rice

SEEDWORKS Philippines, Inc. seeks to increase areas in the Davao region for its US-88 hybrid rice variety to help rice farmers increase output, President and General Manager Carlos Saplala said yesterday.

Mr. Saplala told reporters they have covered about 10,000 hectares for the US-88 hybrid rice variety and will increase this by 50%.

“The Davao region is very conducive to produce rice because of good soil and with this kind of variety it has very good grain quality,” he said.

The company is pushing its long-grained rice variety after a campaign in Central Luzon.

Aside from benefiting from the local climate, the hybrid rice variety is also tolerant to typical crop diseases such as bacterial leaf blight that impede the production of traditional rice varieties.

Mr. Saplala noted that if farmers plant the US-88 rice, they can sell this from P1 to P2 higher because of good quality. — Maya M. Padillo

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