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Why are so many Chileans protesting?

By Tyler Cowen

THE PROTESTS in Chile have mostly come as a surprise, which should caution against simple explanations for them. In fact, caution is warranted whenever the question is how to interpret civil unrest.

In the case of Chile, it has the highest real wages in Latin America, income inequality has mostly been falling, and life expectancy is above average for the region. By Latin American standards Chile has a low rate of crime and a high degree of public order. Chile has had open and honest elections, and peaceful transfers of power, since 1990.

So if you think the protesters are complaining about conditions in Chile — well yes, of course. But you still need a theory of why people in Chile’s neighboring countries, which are generally doing worse along multiple dimensions, are not also taking to the streets. That is difficult to explain, and it suggests that there are multiple and complex causes of the unrest in Chile, and perhaps in many other countries too.

There have been a few attempts to blame the protests on “neoliberalism” in Chile and the history of “the Chicago Boys.” But again, the puzzle is why many in worse-off Latin American nations aren’t even more upset. Neoliberalism, for instance, seems to have allowed Chile to avoid the relative decline of Argentina. A good rule of thumb is that if your hypothesis can’t explain cross-sectional variations across nations or regions, it probably isn’t very well thought through.

Second, a protest against poor conditions is not the same as a protest against inequality. Many Chilean complaints revolve around the pension system, health care, water rights, public transportation, schools and corruption. Are Chileans upset that their transport options aren’t better? That’s a complaint in absolute terms. Or are they upset that they are riding the subway while many of the wealthy have private cars with drivers? That’s a relative complaint.

The answer will depend on the protester, and in virtually all protests around the world there will be those with both motives. But some North American commentators try to equate these two grudges and subsume them all under the heading of inequality. That just won’t wash.

Your interpretation of this question, whether the complaints are absolute or relative, will influence how you try to address the protests. Is the answer to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor? Or is it simply to improve public services?

As a general matter, it is not easy to find systematic correlations between high income inequality and social unrest. In many cases, income inequality leads to an uninvolved or dispirited population, just as in the U.S. many of the worse-off individuals are also the least likely to vote.

So often the response to poor objective conditions has a lot to do with the subjective framing of those conditions. And in that regard it may be useful to point out several relevant features of the Chilean situation.

Perhaps most important, Chile’s democracy has been successful for long enough that expectations are relatively high, and to some extent Chile considers its peers to be the other OECD nations (Chile is the first OECD member in South America). Note that Chile has high income inequality by OECD standards, but not by Latin American standards.

Another observation: Income inequality is often more galling when different economic classes encounter each other on a regular basis. So much Chilean economic and social activity is concentrated in Santiago, just as in South Korea it is in Seoul and in Singapore it is in… Singapore. In all three countries, I believe, feelings of inequality and envy are worse for that reason. By contrast, if you are a lower-middle-class person in, say, Mississippi, you may view the mansion and private plane of Bill Gates as if from a different universe.

I’ve also found Chile to have a relatively tough set of social expectations in terms of class, dress and educational background, and a relatively narrow set of expectations for women. These pressures for conformity may contribute to discontent.

A related point is that Chile has a relatively small percentage of indigenous citizens compared to many other Latin American nations. Therefore many poorer Chileans may, if only subconsciously, see themselves as less successful versions of wealthier Chileans, rather than perceiving themselves as belonging to a different group altogether, with a separate language and customs. I have loved my time in Chile, where I have visited virtually every region, and enjoy the Chilean people. Yet I find there is something a little monotonous and oppressive in its national spirit.

These are all speculations, I realize, and hardly definitive answers. Take them in that spirit — and by the same token, beware of simplistic theories drawn from domestic politics about civil unrest in faraway places.

 

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Ateneo sweeps way to finals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles earned a direct trip to the finals of Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) after completing a sweep of the elimination round with an 86-64 victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Displaying their trademark steadiness on both ends of the court throughout the contest, the Eagles were not to be denied of win number 14 in the ongoing tournament to roll straight to the finals and render the semifinals a step-ladder.

Earlier in the day, the De La Salle Green Archers and University of the East Red Warriors ended their Season 82 campaigns on a winning note, defeating the Adamson Soaring Falcons and National University Bulldogs, 89-63 and 79-77, respectively.

Ange Kouame and Thirdy Ravena helped Ateneo get early traction, 9-4, with five minutes lapsing in the opening quarter.

UP though would fashion a charge back in the next minute on the lead of Bright Akhuetie and Kobe Paras, overtaking the Eagles, 10-4.

Momentum swung back and forth after, before the count settled at 21-20, with the Maroons on top, after the first 10 minutes.

The nip-and-tuck race continued in the second frame with the two teams fighting to a score of 31-27 in favor of the Eagles midway into the quarter.

Ateneo though made a strong push the rest of the way and built a double-digit cushion, 45-32, at the half.

At the start of the third canto Akhuetie and Paras tried to jolt the Maroons to a fight back.

But the Eagles kept UP at bay as they further extended their lead to 20 points, 58-38, at the 4:21 mark with Will Navarro making his presence felt on offense.

Ateneo continued to pour it on to build a 65-44 advantage heading into the payoff quarter.

With momentum greatly in their favor, the Eagles came out swinging to start the fourth with Isaac Go on the firing end.

It was a 24-point lead for Ateneo, 73-49, at the eight-minute mark.

UP continued to show fight but with little headway.

The score was at 75-55, and the Eagles still on top, with 3:40 left in the game and it was all Ateneo from there.

Kouame top-scored for the Eagles with 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five blocks, followed by SJ Belangel with 14 points, Navarro 13 and Ravena 11.

For UP it was Paras who led with 13 points with Akhuetie and Javi Gomez De Liaño adding 11 points each.

“We know this is a huge accomplishment as far as basketball is concerned, going undefeated. But the job is not done for us. This is just the season before the season,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin of their 14-0 accomplishment, the first in the UAAP in more than a decade.

“It’s going to be harder for us but I’m proud of the effort of these guys,” he added.

EXITING WITH A WIN
In the preceding games, meanwhile, La Salle (7-7) and UE (4-10) exited the tournament with victories.

One-and-done player Jamie Malonzo saved his best for last as he led the Archers to the 89-63 rout of the Falcons, finishing with 34 points, boosted by seven triples, and 12 rebounds.

Justine Baltazar also tallied a double-double with his 14 points and 13 rebounds in a game where La Salle took a lead as big as 30, 66-36, late in the third frame.

Graduating Archers player Andrei Caracut also had 14 markers in his final UAAP game.

For UE, it was another one-and-done in Rey Suerte who showed the way.

Suerte, a star player in Cebu, uncorked 25 points, including the go-ahead basket late in the game, to cap off his short UE career and tow his side to the 79-77 win over NU.

With their losses, meanwhile, Adamson and NU capped off their campaigns with 4-10 and 2-12 records, respectively.

Nats force World Series rubber match

HOUSTON — Stephen Strasburg overcame a bumpy opening frame to pitch 8 1/3 sterling innings, and Anthony Rendon drove in five runs as the Washington Nationals forced a decisive Game 7 of the World Series with a 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Rendon finished 3-for-4, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning and a two-run double in the ninth.

The result extended a historic run for road teams, who have won each game of this Fall Classic, a first in postseason history for that specific feat.

The Nationals will send Game 1 starter and ace right-hander Max Scherzer to the mound Wednesday in the finale. He will be opposed by Astros right-hander Zack Greinke. Scherzer, a late scratch prior to Game 5 due to neck spasms, declared himself fit for Game 7 after throwing in the outfield on Tuesday afternoon.

Strasburg (2-0) allowed two runs and three hard-hit balls in the first inning, but he blanked the Astros for the remainder of his outing. He wound up yielding five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

After Strasburg retired the first batter in the ninth, Sean Doolittle entered and set down two of the next three hitters to even the series.

George Springer greeted Strasburg with a double off the left field scoreboard on the first pitch of the first. Following a wild pitch, the Astros erased a 1-0 deficit when Springer scored on a Jose Altuve sacrifice fly. One out later, Alex Bregman delivered a solo homer to left field, with Strasburg eluding additional damage when Juan Soto caught a 364-foot blast from Yuli Gurriel at the wall in left-center.

Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (0-2) allowed an opposite-field, run-scoring single to Rendon in the first. Excluding his perfect frame in the second, Verlander labored over his five-inning stint. He stranded two runners in the third inning and two more in the fourth but surrendered solo homers to Adam Eaton and Soto in the fifth, with Soto smacking a 413-foot blast to right for a 3-2 lead.

Verlander allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with a season-low three strikeouts and fell to 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA over seven career World Series starts.

Rendon rendered a controversial umpiring decision moot with his first homer of the series in the seventh. Trea Turner was ruled out on interference when he clipped Gurriel, who was stretching while making a play at first base. Two batters later, Rendon belted a two-run homer off Astros right-hander Will Harris, marking the first run Harris allowed following 10 scoreless appearances in this year’s postseason. — Reuters

NLEX Road Warriors race to 4th win in a row

THE impressive form of the NLEX Road Warriors in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup continued on Wednesday as they racked up their fourth straight win with a 111-91 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Using a fiery run in the third quarter, the Road Warriors created considerable distance which they capitalized on and used as springboard to extend their streak that pushed them to a share of a tie at the top of the standings at 7-1 with the idle TNT KaTropa.

Import Manny Harris led the way for NLEX in the win with a triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

The contest was tight from the get-go with the teams not budging an inch.

Rain or Shine took the opening quarter, 27-23, before NLEX surged in the second to claim a 51-49 advantage by the halftime break.

In the third quarter, the complexion of the game changed as the Road Warriors began to assert their will over the Elasto Painters.

They opened things with a 17-6 run in the first six minutes of the frame to build a 68-55 advantage.

Rain or Shine tried to claw its way back but found it hard as it continued to trail, 83-65, with one quarter left to play.

In the fourth canto it was a familiar refrain with NLEX going on a fast start.

It was a 98-77 count for the Road Warriors with 4:32 to go and they were not to be threatened seriously after.

Kiefer Ravena finished with 12 points and six assists while Poy Erram added 12 points and eight rebounds for NLEX.

For Rain or Shine it was new import Richard Ross who top-scored with 20 points on top of eight rebounds and four assists.

Rookie Javee Mocon added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Elasto Painters, who dropped to a 2-7 record. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Agatha Wong determined to keep her SEA Games title

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

A MONTH before the start of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA)Games here, wushu athlete Agatha Wong shared that she has been busy preparing and looking forward to winning another gold medal for the country in the regional sporting meet.

Part of the 12-athlete Philippine wushu team seeing action in the tournament happening from Dec. 1 to 3 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Ms. Wong, 21, said the target is to have her in tiptop form come the Games so she can give her best and position herself to a better angle to win.

Back in the 2017 edition of the SEA Games in Malaysia, the College of Saint Benilde product Ms. Wong got gold in the taijiquan event, coupling it with a silver medal in taijijan.

Ms. Wong’s impressive showing continued in the Asian Games in Indonesia last year where she won bronze in the women’s taijiquan and taijijan all-around final.

“When we compete, we always give our best. We always assure ourselves of that. In this SEA Games, we will give our best,” said Ms. Wong, who graced the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, along with teammate Daniel Parantac, on Tuesday at the Amelie Hotel Manila as she talked about the kind of mindset the Philippine wushu team has heading into this year’s SEA Games.

She went on to say that they have been hard in training, even going to China to further enhance their skills.

“China has the resources that no one else does. We improved a lot during our training there,” she said.

Apart from Ms. Wong and Mr. Parantac, also part of the Philippine team are Jessie Aligaga, Arnel Mandal, Carlos Baylon Jr., Francisco Solis, Clemente Tabugara Jr., Divine Wally and Jenifer Kilapio in sanda; and Thornton Sayan, Jones Inso and Johnzenth Gajo in taolu.

The 2019 SEA Games is touted to be the biggest to be staged in the Philippines, involving 11,000 athletes and officials from the 11 member nations, 9,000 volunteers, 530 events and 56 sports.

Forty-four venues have been short-listed for the event scattered in different parts of the country, including the world-class facilities at New Clark City in Tarlac.

The last time the country hosted the SEA Games was in 2005.

CSB AniGators represent Team PHL to HADO World Championships

THE De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) AniGators claimed the crown in the inaugural National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) HADO Pilipinas Tournament Finals held on Oct. 25.

The AniGators beat the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Crim Pythons to also nab the coveted prize of being the Philippines’ first team representative to the HADO World Championships that will happen in Tokyo, Japan, this December.

The five-member team, who finished the tournament with no recorded loss, is composed of members Niccolo Perez, John Basoc, Jael Dango, Mika Lariosa, and Fiel Julo.

The Philippine contingent will face HADO teams from around the world for the international title and cash prize worth ¥2 million.

HADO Pilipinas, a dynamic techno sport that elevates the pulsating challenge of dodgeball by incorporating augmented reality (AR) into the mix, was introduced last July as a breakthrough tournament in the NCAA’s 95th Season. Its entry marked an innovation in local sports from ABS-CBN’s subsidiary, ABS-CBN Themed Experiences, Inc., as it seeks to bring unique Kapamilya experiences in engaging and interactive themed attractions and activities.

Meanwhile, fans will get to experience what it’s like to play HADO in the COSLANDIA 2019 at the SMX Aura on Nov. 3, as well as the opening of the HADO Camp inside the ABS-CBN Compound.

Davis’ 40 pts, 20 rebounds carry Lakers past Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in 31 minutes, and the Lakers used a third-quarter burst to roll past the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-91, in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Davis set a franchise record for free throws made by hitting 26 of 27 attempts, converting 18 in the third quarter to spark a 22-0 run that allowed the Lakers to blow away the Grizzlies. Memphis failed to score in the final 5:47 of the third.

LeBron James had 23 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who won their third consecutive contest. Avery Bradley added 12 points. Rookie point guard Ja Morant scored 16 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. — Reuters

Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup 2019 successfully concludes at the Clark International Speedway

THIS year’s edition of the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup (HPDC) successfully concluded with its sixth round happening at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga on Oct. 5 and 6.

Fourteen-year-old Alfred Jakob Sablaya emerged as the overall winner of the Cup, which is part of Honda’s program to develop young riders in motorcycle racing using a specific race machine, such as the CBR150R — a 150cc, MotoGP DNA motorcycle.

Sablaya was dominant right from the qualifying race, fending off tough challenges from Chino Hung and Marco Gil Ventinilla.

In the first race it continued to be tight among the racers but Sablaya was not to be denied of the top spot as he continued to be unbeaten with a total time 14:42.046, ahead by 8.070 seconds of second-running Ventinilla.

The second race sealed for Sablaya the Cup win a he tallied a total time of 14:30.843, ahead with a difference of 16.392 seconds than the next racer.

Hung took the second spot overall with Ventinilla coming in third. Kokoy Mangibin finished fourth and Kurt Villanueva fifth.

As one of the benefits in joining the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup, Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI) will support Sablaya as he joins the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Try-Outs, happening on Oct. 29-30 at Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup try-outs will determine who will join the prestigious race event for its 2020 season, and Sablaya may be the next Filipino rider to join the ranks of the previous Filipino riders including HPI current international rider Troy Alberto.

Apart from searching for the best talents around, the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup is also part of Honda’s ONE DREAM campaign, dedicated to uniting all motorcycle riders through fun and exciting activities. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

FIDE Grand Swiss 2019

FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss 2019
Douglas, Isle of Man
Oct. 10-21, 2019

Final Top Standings (GM all)

1-2. Wang Hao CHN 2726, Fabiano Caruana USA 2812, 8.0/11

3-8. Kirill Alekseenko RUS 2674, Levon Aronian ARM 2758, David Anton Guijarro ESP 2674, Magnus Carlsen NOR 2876, Hikaru Nakamura USA 2745, Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2732, 7.5/11

9-13. Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759, David Paravyan RUS 2602, David Howell ENG 2694, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2718, Le Quang Liem VIE 2708, 7.0/11

Total of 154 participants: 133 GM, 2 WGM, 16 IM

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 former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet from 2012-2018, Arkady Dvorkovich, is a chess enthusiast. He must have inherited this from his father, Vladimir, who was an international chess arbiter. When Dvorkovich was elected president of FIDE in October 2018 he instituted several changes, and one of these was the tie-up with the Isle of Man organizers to establish the FIDE Grand Swiss. Starting this year the winner of the Isle of Man Open was to be seeded into the Candidates tournament, the event which will determine the challenger to the world championship.

The Candidates’ has eight players who will play a double round-robin. The eligible players so far are:

Runner-up from World Championship 2018 – Fabiano Caruana

2019 World Cup Champion — Teimour Radjabov

2019 World Cup Runner-up — Ding Liren

Winner of FIDE Grand Swiss — Wang Hao

2019 FIDE Grand Prix champion — (not yet determined, so far Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is leading)

2019 FIDE Grand Prix runner-up — (not yet determined, so far Alexander Grischuk is in 2nd position)

Highest rated player not otherwise qualified — (not yet determined, so far Anish Giri is the highest)

Wild Card — player to be nominated by the organizer.

Speaking about no. 8 above, the wild card nomination, the organizers cannot just put forth anybody’s name, there is a list of also-rans to choose from. Currently, there are around seven players who are eligible for the nomination but naturally the organizers of the Candidates, the Yekaterinburg Chess Federation, would prefer to nominate a Russian and, by virtue of finishing third in this event, the St. Petersburg player Kirill Alekseenko has put himself into strong contention.

You know, the top players usually decide who they are going to try to beat and against whom they will be content with a draw before the game, and when you are an up-and-comer most of them will try to beat you and take some risks to do so. If you are lucky you might catch them when they go beyond the bounds of acceptable risk. That is why you have the occasional flash-in-the-pans who you never hear from again. Alekseenko on the other hand after his World Cup performance is no longer considered an outsider and, to coin a Star Trek expression, his opponents will have their “shields up” when facing him. It thus becomes harder to get a win — you won’t be getting much opportunity to spring some tactical surprise in the opening. Here is his crucial penultimate round win against the “Minister of Defense” Sergey Karjakin.

Karjakin, Sergey (2760) — Alekseenko, Kirill (2674) [D02]
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man (10.5), 20.10.2019

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nd7 3.d4 Nb6 4.Bg2 Bf5 5.0–0 e6 6.Ne5 c6 7.c4

Karjakin took 40 minutes over this move. It was only after Black’s next move that I realized what he was thinking about — a piece sacrifice for 3 pawns.

7…f6!?

Alekseenko accepts the challenge. Not to be outdone he had by this 7th move already consumed more than an hour.

8.cxd5

More or less forced, otherwise he loses a pawn for no compensation.

8…fxe5 9.dxc6 e4 10.cxb7 Rb8 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.Bg5

[12.f3 should be considered]

12…Be7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Qxd4 16.Qc2 Qc4 17.Qxc4 Nxc4

Despite the exchange of queens the game is quite interesting. White wants to put his rook on the 7th rank and decides on the Rfd1, Bc6+, and Rd7 maneuver.

18.Rfd1 Nxb2 19.Bc6+ Kf8 20.Rd7 Nd3!

[20…Nc4 21.Rc1 Ne5 22.Rc7 does not force the white rook out of the 7th rank]

21.Rd1 Nc5 22.R7d2

[22.Rc7?! Be5 23.Rc8+ Ke7 Black is already on his way to untangling his pieces and making his extra piece count]

22…Kf7 23.Rc2 Be7 24.Rb1 Rhd8 25.Rb5 Na6 26.Bf3 Nb4 27.Rc4 Nd5

Black has already consolidated.

28.Rc6 Rd7 29.Bg4 Nc7 30.Rb3 Bd6 31.Bf3?! Nd5 32.Kg2 Ke7 33.Bxd5 exd5 34.Re3+ Kf7 35.Rf3+ Ke7 36.Re3+ Kf6 37.Rf3+ Ke6 38.Re3+ Kf6 39.Rf3+ Ke5 40.Re3+ Kf5 41.Rf3+ Ke6 42.Re3+ Kf7 43.Rf3+ Kg8 44.Rc8+ Rd8 45.Rfc3 Kf7 46.R3c6 Ke7 47.Ra6 Rdxc8 48.bxc8Q Rxc8 49.Rxa7+ Rc7

With the passed pawn on the 7th rank destroyed it is now Black who is playing for the win. White’s plan of course is to exchange off all the pawns as KR vs KRB with no pawns is a draw.

50.Ra5 Bc5 51.e3 Kd6 52.Ra6+ Kd7 53.Ra4 Ra7 54.Rh4 Rxa2 55.Kf3

[55.Rxh7? Bxe3 is lost for White. 56.Rxg7+ Ke6 the pawn on f2 cannot be saved]

55…h6 56.Rg4 Bf8 57.Rf4 Be7 58.Rf7 g6 59.h4 Ra6

For the next few moves Black tries to force the exchange of rooks.

60.Rh7

Of course White should keep the rooks on the board to maximize his drawing chances. No good therefore is 60.Rf4? Rf6.

60…Rf6+ 61.Kg2 h5 62.Rh8 Rf8 63.Rh6 Rg8 64.Rh7 Ke6 65.Kg1 Rf8 66.Rg7 Kf6 67.Rh7 Rf7 68.Rh8 Bf8 69.Rg8 Kf5 70.Kg2 Rf6 71.Rh8 Ke6 72.Rh7 Rf7 73.Rh8 Ke7 74.f4 Kf6 75.Rg8 <D>

POSITION AFTER 75.RG8

75…Bc5!

Finally Alekseenko hits upon the winning plan — he gives up trying to force the exchange of rooks and goes for the e3–pawn. This would in turn pave the way for pushing his d-pawn down the board.

76.Rd8 Ke6 77.Rg8 Kf5 78.Kf3 Rf8 79.Rg7 Re8 80.Rf7+ Ke6 81.Rb7 Ra8! 82.Rg7

Other moves lose faster:

82.Rb3? Ra3;

82.Rb1? Ra3 83.Re1 Rxe3+ 84.Rxe3+ Bxe3 85.Kxe3 Kf5 86.Kf3 d4 and wins.

82…Ra3 83.Rxg6+ Ke7 84.Rg5 Rxe3+ 85.Kg2 Kd6 86.Rxh5 d4 87.Rh8 d3 88.h5 Kd7 89.Rh7+ Kc6 0–1

Surveying the field in the forthcoming Candidates tournament, I still think that Fabiano Caruana has the best chance of advancing into a rematch vs Magnus Carlsen for the world title. He is a universal player, equally strong in the opening, middlegame and endgame, able to attack with the forces of good and evil behind him, very willing and able to grind out for 100+ moves in search of the full point, resourceful in defense, and always with a drop of poison, never failing to spot tactical resources. In the following game he outplays “Fire on Board” himself Alexei Shirov.

Shirov, Alexei (2664) — Caruana, Fabiano (2812) [B90]
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man (3.1), 12.10.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bc1 Nf6 8.Be3 e5 9.Nb3 Be7 10.f3

The English Attack in the Sicilian Najdorf. Both players have a lot of experience with the line.

10…Be6 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.g4 0–0 13.g5 Nh5 14.Rg1 b5 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 f5 17.h4

Black was of course threatening to take the g5–pawn by …f4 followed by …Bxg5, but I believe a younger Shirov would have tried 17.0–0–0! f4 18.Bf2 Bxg5 19.Qb4 followed by Nb3–a5–c6 and Bh6 with a lot of play on the White squares.

17…Qe8!

Caruana regroups his pieces and winds up controlling more real estate than Shirov.

18.0–0–0 Bd8 19.Na5 Bb6 20.Nc6 Nf4 21.Bxb6 Nxb6 22.Qb4 Qd7 23.c4 Kh8 24.Kb1

[24.cxb5 Nbxd5 25.Qb3 axb5 26.Bxb5 Rac8! 27.Rxd5 Rxc6+ 28.Kb1 Nxd5 29.Qxd5 Qa7! this move, attacking the undefended g1 rook, ensures that Black stays on top]

24…Rae8 25.cxb5 Nbxd5 26.Qb3 e4 27.Rxd5 Nxd5 28.Qxd5 exf3 29.Qd2 Re4

Here time trouble causes both sides to make mistakes. In the next move, for example, Shirov should not have abandoned the back rank. 30.Bd3 would have been better.

30.Rg3? Qe6 31.Bd3 Re3?

And here 31…Re1+ 32.Kc2 axb5 followed by …Rc8 wins.

32.Rg1 f2 33.Rc1 axb5 34.Nb4 Rf3 35.Bxb5 Qe4+ 36.Nc2 Rc8 37.Ba6 d5 38.a3?

[38.Rf1 only move]

38…d4 39.Bxc8 f1Q 40.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 41.Ka2 d3 42.Ne3 Rf3 43.Bxf5 Qxe3 44.Qa5 Qe8 45.Qd5 Qg8 46.Be6 Qf8 47.h5 Re3 48.g6 d2 49.Bf7

[49.Qxd2? Rxe6]

49…Re2 50.Qd3 Rh2 51.Qf3?? Rg2!

The winning move.

52.Qd3

[52.Qxg2 d1Q]

52…Qb8 Targeting mate on b2. 0–1

 

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

Controversial umpire’s call

Nationals manager Dave Martinez may or may not have deserved to be thrown out of the game yesterday. He did have some choice words against umpire Sam Holbrook, who made an eminently disputable runner interference call at the top of the seventh. And he did continue his tirade after the inning was over. Still, there was no disputing the subjective nature of the arbiter’s decision, not to mention its potential to alter the World Series. In fact, it was so controversial that Major League Baseball needed over four and a half minutes — tantamount to an eternity under the circumstances — to uphold, and a post-match on-record explanation from chief baseball officer Joe Torre to defend.

Given the stakes and the emotions that they stoked, Martinez could have been given a pass for his actions. Never mind that he was so worked up two players had to physical restrain him from going after Holbrook. There was a reason no manager had hitherto been thrown out of a World Series set-to in 23 years. And, more importantly, there was a reason he worked up a lather. On the road and facing elimination, the Nationals were hard-pressed to pad their margin — at the point of dispute the slimmest — in hopes of keeping the championship bid alive, and they didn’t need human error to further highlight the Sisyphean nature of their endeavor.

Thankfully, the Nationals won, and Martinez will no longer have to wonder if his outburst, however justified, cost them the hardware. Today, however, he will want to be more restrained. They will again be at hostile Minute Maid Park, again play the roles of vast underdogs, and again have to exceed themselves in order to prevail against the Astros. If there’s anything going their way, it’s that they have nothing to lose in their aim to keep the string of uninterrupted road wins in the World Series going. They also have supposedly decommissioned Max Scherzer on the mound to give them a fighting chance.

In any case, Martinez won’t be fazed. He wasn’t shaken when the Nationals opened the best-of-seven affair with the worst odds since the Rockies in 2007. He stayed even keeled after they won the first two contests. And he kept his eye on the prize despite seeing his charges succumb in each of the three middle outings at home. That said, he’s crossing his fingers he won’t be placed in the same situation as yesterday’s, when his will was tested and he could have cost them the title. Losing is one thing. Losing by one’s own hand is quite another.

 

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.

Stocks rise above 8,000 on improved outlook

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) finished above the 8,000 level on Wednesday as investors returned to the local market on an improved outlook.

The bourse closed at 8,020.06 after rising by 28.87 points or 0.36% at yesterday’s session. The broader all-shares index also added 13.94 points or 0.29% to end at 4,801.11.

“The bulls were finally able to pierce 8,000 and re-establish a beach-head at 8,020,” PNB Securities, Inc. President Manuel Antonio G. Lisbona said in a mobile-phone message. “Value turnover is still a bit on the thin side, but should improve if the bulls are able to keep the market above 8,000.”

Mr. Lisbona said the local bourse attracted back investors who anticipated “a year-end rally that should follow through until around January.”

“The economic picture moving forward is rosy, given tame inflation and an accommodative monetary policy stance on top of the positive economic effects of the government’s infrastructure program,” he said.

Luis A. Limlingan, sales head at Regina Capital Development Corp., traced the PSEi’s growth to “window dressing” as the US-China trade talks and the reporting of corporate earnings drew positive sentiments from investors.

The main index moved opposite the decline in most foreign markets. Wall Street was flat on Tuesday — the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both inched lower by 0.07% and 0.08% while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.59%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.57%; Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 0.44%; China’s Shanghai SE Composite index slipped 0.5%; and South Korea’s KOSPI index lost 0.59%.

At the PSE, sectoral indices ended mixed. Property increased 18.43 points or 0.44% to 4,207.22; financials advanced 28.64 points or 1.49% to 1,940.95; and holding firms added 5.09 points or 0.06% to 7,828.98.

On the other hand, mining and oil lost 42.57 points or 0.45% to close at 9,243.34, while the industrial index slid by 14 points or 0.13% to 10,473.73. Services fell by 10.72 points or 0.7% to 1,515.97.

Value turnover stood at P5.99 billion, lower than Tuesday’s P6.63 billion, with 1.13 billion shares changing hands.

Gainers beat decliners 90-80, while 54 stocks were unchanged.

Foreign investors remained bullish with a net buying of P619.53 million from Tuesday’s P432.68 million.

If the PSEi, which has risen by 3% this month, can keep its growth momentum on Thursday, it will be the index’s best performance since January, said Christopher John Mangun, research head at AAA Southeast Equities, Inc.

“November will be a very interesting month as we will see the direction that the market is going to take until the end of the year,” he said in an e-mail.

Peso strengthens on Fed rate-cut prospect

By Luz Wendy T. Noble

THE PESO rallied against the dollar on Wednesday amid market expectations of another rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, whose members were set to decide on policy hours later.

The peso closed at P50.885 against the greenback, 20.5 centavos stronger than a day earlier, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines. It was also its strongest level for the trading day.

The peso opened at P51.07 and weakened to as much as P51.09 a dollar.

Trade volume rose to $1.05 billion from $1.036 billion on Tuesday

“The peso closed stronger today, among the best in three months, ahead of the widely expected decision by the Federal Reserve to cut its short-term interest rates,”

Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said in an email.

He also cited improved global risk appetite that resulted in gains in some emerging market currencies.

The Fed’s policy-setting committee was largely expected to announce a quarter-percentage-point cut to the overnight benchmark lending rate when it releases its latest policy statement, Reuters reported.

US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a news conference to elaborate on the decision half an hour later.

A rate cut would be the third this year, bringing the policy rate to a target range of 1.5% to 1.75%. Investors will also be tuning in for clues as to whether policy makers feel like they have acted appropriately to address the potential headwinds to the US economy or if more easing was needed.

Meanwhile, the US GDP report will be published hours before Fed officials wrap up a two-day policy meeting. The Fed cut rates in September after lowering borrowing costs in July for the first time since 2008.

The world’s biggest economy posted a 2% growth in the second quarter. The economy is expected to grow by less than 2.5% this year from 2.9% last year.

Mr. Ricafort expects the peso to trade from P50.70 to P51 a dollar today.