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Kings take lessons from huge win over Beermen

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

EMERGING VICTORIOUS in a grind-it-out contest against the San Miguel Beermen last Sunday, defending Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings said they are satisfied with the result and that they took some lessons from it which they hope to ride on moving forward in the tournament.

A 110-107 overtime victor, the Kings had to dig deep and relied on a solid effort from its core to outlast the Beermen and improve to a 3-3 card midway into their campaign.

Import Justin Brownlee led Barangay Ginebra’s big win, playing without relief en route to finishing with 39 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

LA Tenorio had 16 points and six assists while Greg Slaughter and Scottie Thompson had 13 markers each and combined for 31 rebounds.

“Well, just two heavyweights going at it and really going at each other and took an extra round to see who could win this one. But I like the game because we played within character, we played within the kind of character that we wanted to play in, I thought we competed well,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone following their victory.

The winningest coach in PBA history went on to say that getting the needed support for Mr. Brownlee, especially from their bigs, would go a long way in the midseason tournament where they hope to repeat as champions.

“We know we’re gonna get Justin’s numbers. We know our guards are going to contribute but we just got to be able to grind it out with our bigs… It’s that second, third, fourth effort that you’ll love to see from Greg and Japeth [Aguilar] and I thought we got that tonight,” Mr. Cone said.

The playoff intensity atmosphere of the game should also help his team, Mr. Cone said, as they try to pick things up in the midseason tournament which has started up and down for them.

“It was a great game. I told the guys, I think about 6 minutes to go in the timeout that hey this is a great game, this is a fun game that’s great to be a part of. For us it was playoff intensity because, we were coming off from two losses and they were struggling early, both of us needed this very badly so there really is a lot of playoff intensity on this game. I certainly felt it, our players felt it,” Mr. Cone said.

Barangay Ginebra now hopes to add on the win when it plays the NLEX Road Warriors on June 23 in Batangas City.

Woodland fends off Koepka to win US Open

PEBBLE BEACH, CA. — Gary Woodland held his nerve to claim his first major with a three-shot victory at the US Open on Sunday, bringing Brooks Koepka’s two-year reign to an end.

Woodland had not managed a top-10 finish in his first 27 majors before last year’s PGA Championship, where he tied for sixth, but he handled the final round with the composure of someone who had been playing for golf’s biggest prizes his entire career.

Ending his round in style with a birdie at the last, Woodland carded a two-under 69 to keep Koepka from becoming the first man in more than a century to sweep three straight US Opens.

“Just glad it was over,” smiled Woodland. “I didn’t let myself get ahead at all today.

“Didn’t ever let myself think the tournament was over.

“So I just stayed in it.”

World number one Koepka went down fighting, finishing with a three-under 68 to leave him three short of Woodland’s winning total of 13-under 271.

Justin Rose began the day one shot back of Woodland but the Englishman crumbled on the back nine with three bogeys for a three-over 74 and a tie for third at seven-under with Xander Schauffele, Chez Reavie and Spain’s Jon Rahm.

It was a remarkable display of determination and guts by the 35-year-old Woodland, who seven times before had held a 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour event and seven times could not close the deal.

As Woodland made the turn with a two-shot lead, faint cracks in his composure began to show as Koepka trimmed the advantage to one with a birdie at 11.

With tension building with each shot, Woodland kept his cool and collected his first birdie of the back nine at the par five 14th to reclaim a two-stroke advantage and turn the US Open into a two horse race.

Rose, who saw the red-hot putter that had come to his rescue so often during the week suddenly turn cold, had his bid for a second US Open title seriously wounded with back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13 and then killed off completely with another at 15 that dropped him five off the pace with three to play.

Down to the closing two holes and a relentless Koepka had one last opportunity to put pressure on Woodland with a birdie at the 18th that would have left his opponent clinging to a one-shot lead coming home.

But Koepka watched his nine-foot putt slip by the cup, settling for a par to give Woodland some breathing room.

“I hit a good putt, it just dove right across the front,” said Koepka. “Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.

“I thought it would be nice to put some pressure on him, one shot going into the last hole.

“Nothing I could do. I gave it my all. I give it my all every time and sometimes it’s not meant to be.”

A maiden major now within his grasp, a relaxed Woodland capped off his round in spectacular style, rolling in a 30-foot birdie at the last to trigger a standing ovation and chants of “Gary, Gary.”

Tiger Woods, a three-time US Open winner, had ended the third round 11 shots back of the leader but still gave himself a chance of winning a 16th major on Sunday.

Those slim hopes disappeared quickly when he bogeyed four of his opening five holes.

Woods hit back with six birdies, including one at the 18th, for a two-under round, his lowest final round at a US Open in a decade but still 11 back of winner. — Reuters

Palicte must be at his best versus Ioka, says analyst

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

FILIPINO Aston “Mighty” Palicte returns to the ring as he takes on Japanese Kazuto Ioka on Wednesday for the vacant World Boxing Organization super flyweight title at the latter’s home turf of Japan. It is a fight that one analyst said requires for the Philippine fighter to be at his utmost best.

Set at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, the two fighters will go at it to claim the title vacated by Filipino Donnie “Ahas” Nietes, who is now out pursuing bigger fights.

Incidentally, both Messrs. Palicte (25-2-1) and Ioka (23-2) had a shot at holding the title previously but were not able to complete them, with Mr. Palicte narrowly missing it after a split draw decision with compatriot Nietes in September last year and Mr. Ioka losing to Mr. Nietes in December for the title via split decision.

Considering the circumstances leading up to the fight, local combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano said Mr. Palicte has to be ready for he is not only facing a highly capable champion fighter in Mr. Ioka but also someone who is aching for redemption in front of his hometown crowd.

“Of course, Ioka aims for redemption in this fight against Palicte. Losing to a veteran like Donnie Nietes who is quite small in stature at 115 pounds was already a big blow. This is a great fight for him if he wants to reinsert his name into the winner’s column,” said Mr. Icasiano when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the Palicte-Ioka fight.

“Palicte is a long-limbed power puncher and has a fearsome reputation as a finisher. A victory will resonate so much on his part. Aside from that, a win over Palicte will make him a four-division world champion,” the analyst added.

Doggedly determined his opponent will be, Mr. Icasiano said Mr. Palicte has to bring it and fight to his strengths if he is to bag the WBO title.

“For Palicte, he has to fight like the bigger man in the ring. Palicte has a distinct three-inch height and 1.5-inch reach edge over Ioka. He has to put those advantages into good use by establishing the jab, pace and distance. Make Ioka come to him,” said Mr. Icasiano of Mr. Palicte, who won over Puerto Rican Jose Martinez by knockout in January this year.

The analyst declined to call the match, seeing the outcome as very open and saying that fans should expect an exciting fight between two highly capable fighters.

“This is going to be an interesting and entertaining fight, I will say. Palicte has the size and power. Obviously, he is the younger competitor between the two. On the other hand, Ioka is the more skillful boxer. The Japanese hasn’t had more bouts than Palicte, but he has been on the world title stage on numerous occasions,” Mr. Icasiano said.

Vargas in key meeting with POC board

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee President Ricky Vargas is set to meet the POC board in an executive session today to clarify issues hounding the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games later this year.

Heeding the call of the International Olympic Committee to settle once and for all issues raised by the local council, Mr. Vargas will meet board members in an executive meeting at the Philsports compound in Pasig City.

Expected to face the POC president are questions pertaining to his role in the Phisgoc Foundation, Inc., the group that now claims to be on top of preparations for the 30th SEA Games in the country from Nov. 30 to 10 Dec. 10, despite the absence of a POC Board approval.

The board members raised a howl, saying that what they approved was not the foundation but just the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (or simply Phisgoc), with former Foreign Affairs Secretary and now Taguig Congressman-elect Alan Peter Cayetano as its chairman, with Mr. Vargas and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez as co-vice chairmen.

The POC board went on to say that the original Phisgoc now seems inactive with the Phisgoc Foundation, incorporated by Mr. Vargas with Ramon Suzara, Donald Caringal, Tom Carrasco, Ed Picson, Dexter Estacio and Monica Ann Mitra, now leading the preparations.

Mr. Vargas is also expected to be questioned about his deal with an apparel company seeking to become the official supplier of Team Philippines in the biennial meet.

The POC board said the scheduled meeting is to set the record straight and not part of a “power grab” as claimed, members said, by Mr. Vargas.

Mr. Vargas took over from Jose Cojuangco Jr. as POC president last year. Mr. Cojuangco was president of the committee for 13 years prior to the change. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Coyle rules frantic Stage Four of Le Tour de Filipinas

LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY — Aussie Jessie Coyle of Team Nero Bianchi of Australia outsprinted Malaysian Adian Mohd Shukri of Team Sapura Cycling of Malaysia to the finish to rule Stage Four even as Dutchman Jeroen Meijers of Taiyuan Miogee Cycling Team of China clung to the Air21 purple jersey in the 10th Le Tour de Filipinas here on Monday.

The 24-year-old Coyle bucked a sore rib he sustained from a Stage Two crash a couple of days back to edge the 21-year-old Mohd in a frantic ending to reign supreme in the 183.7-kilometer, Legazpi-Sorsogon (via Gubat)-Legazpi Stage Four with both submitting the same clocking of four hours, 28 minutes and 41 seconds.

German Mario Vogt, Mohd’s teammate who ruled the Pagbilao-Daet Stage Two Saturday, claimed his second podium finish and wound up at third in 4:29:13, which was the same time registered by the peloton that included Meijers — the individual general classifications leader. When Coyle reached the balloon arc at the finish, he screamed in jubilation as he claimed his very first lap win in an International Cycling Union (UCI) race.

“It’s my first UCI win, it’s an amazing feeling because it is such a strong field,” said Coyle, who hails from Sydney. “It’s awesome to get this kind of result and seeing that my hard work as well as the whole team is paying off.”

For Meijers, who took the lead after topping Stage One in Tagaytay on Friday, he employed the same tactic he did in Stage Three and checked every attempt launched by his closest pursuer, Singaporean Goh Choon Huat of Terengganu Inc. TSG Cycling Team of Malaysia, to keep his stranglehold of the top spot.

After four grueling stages, Meijers remained untouchable at No. 1 with an aggregate time of 17:03:19, while Goh stayed at No. 2 in 17:04:04. Meijers could end up using the fifth and final stage, which will still start and end here in Legazpi but will pass through Donsol beach, as his coronation ride as his 45-second lead over Goh could be safe enough to preserve the win. Unless, of course, something untoward happened to the big guns in this event sponsored by Air21, Cargohaus, NMM, Ufreight and SPL and backed by the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office with ONE Sports by Cignal as official coveror.

“We’ll try to be a little cautious because anything can happen in a race,” said Meijers.

“But mostly, we’ll keep the same plan of defending the purple jersey as much as we can.” Samuel Hill of Team Nero, who ruled the Daet-Legazpi Stage Three Sunday, had a crash in the final 40 kms in Sorsogon and was nearly hit by the team car of Oliver’s Real Food Racing of Australia, which instead sideswiped a Filipino marshal. Both suffered wounds and bruises.

There were, however, no changes in the top 10 as Aussie Angus Lyons of Oliver’s Real Food Racing of Australia kept his place at third in 17:04:57 and Eritrean Daniel Habtemichael of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines stayed at fourth in 17:05:32.

Filipino Marcelo Felipe also of 7Eleven remained as the top Filipino rider at No. 10 in 17:05:55.

Rounding up the top 10 were PGN Road Cycling Team’s Sandy Nur Hasan (17:05:44) and Aiman Cahyadi (17:05:51), Team Ukyo’s Kohei Yokotsuka (17:05:51) and Naoya Yoshioka (17:05:53) and Team Sapura Cycling’s Muhsin Al Redha Misbah (17:05:54). In the team race, Team Ukyo stuck to No. 1 with a total clocking of 51:15:11 followed by Taiyuan Miogee Cycling Team at second with 51:18:12 and PGN Road Cycling Team of Indonesia at third with 51:18:48.

Ceres-Negros FC begins two-legged 2019 AFC zonal semifinals today in Bacolod

TOP LOCAL CLUB Ceres-Negros FC resumes its 2019 AFC Cup bid today. Hosting Vietnamese champion Hanoi FC in the first leg of their two-legged ASEAN Zone semifinal today at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City.

Advanced to the next round of the Asian Football Confederation tournament by topping Group G in classification play, the “Busmen” try to advance to the zonal final for the third straight year by getting the better of Hanoi in their pairing.

Ceres will be at full strength when it takes on Hanoi, with a roster that includes tournament top scorer Bienvenido Maranon, Martin Steuble and Stephan Schrock.

Facing one of the best teams in Southeast Asia in Hanoi, Mr. Maranon said they are not expecting anything easy in the semifinals.

“I am looking forward to facing them. I know they have one of the best squads in Southeast Asia and both home and away matches are sure to be difficult,” Mr. Maranon was quoted as saying by the official AFC Website as saying in the lead-up.

The first leg of the of the Ceres-Hanoi ASEAN Zone semifinals will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live over 5-Plus and FOX Sports.

Second leg of the semifinals will be played in Vietnam at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on June 25. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Go For Gold-PH dragonboat squad shines in competitive China race

JUST A WEEK after collecting two gold medals in a big race in Singapore, the Go For Gold-Philippine Dragonboat Team brought home another pair of golds from a highly competitive meet in China.

The Filipino paddlers from the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Dragonboat Federation PCKDF ruled both the 500m and 250m small boat open category of the prestigious 2019 Beijing International Dragonboat Tournament where the best under-23 teams in China participated.

The Nationals clocked two minutes and 30.85 seconds in the 500m in asserting their mastery over Chinese squads Dubula (2:39.88) and Beijing Fuxing Dragon Warriors (2:41.12) after winning the 200m (1:10.56) in dominating fashion.

It was a follow up to the twin victories of the Go For Gold-backed paddlers in the recent DBS Marina Regatta in Singapore.

Assistant team captain Ojay Fuentes, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday when the Filipinos emerged victorious, was ably supported by a solid crew featuring Archie Baylosis, Kim Gabriel Baylosis, Daniel Ortega and Roberto Pantaleon.

Seasoned paddler Norwell Cajes also contributed to the success together with Leo Jane Remarim, Jonathan Ruz, John Paul Selencio, Jerome Solis, drummer John James Pelagio and helmsman Christian Burgos.

“Resulta po ito ng lahat ng pag-pupursige namin sa training. Gagawin po namin lahat para mag-tuloy-tuloy ito hanggang sa SEA Games,” said Fuentes in Filipino.

The national paddlers from the PCKDF, the legitimate body in the country in the sport, was also impressive in Singapore with a 1:00.76 clocking for the gold in the 10-seater premier women’s division 200m that duplicated their feat in the 20-seater mixed category.

“These victories will definitely help boost the confidence of our team going into the SEA Games,” said Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go, who dabbled in the sport a few years ago.

Besides dragonboat, Go For Gold is also a staunch supporter of SEAG-bound national athletes from skateboarding, wrestling, sepak takraw, cycling, triathlon and chess, among others.

The future of chess?

7th Altibox Norway Chess
Stavanger, Norway
June 3-14, 2019

Final Standings

1. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2875, 13.5/18

2-3. Yu Yangyi CHN 2730, Levon Aronian ARM 2752, 10.5/18

4-5. Fabiano Caruana USA 2819, Wesley So USA 2754, 10.0/18

6. Ding Liren CHN 2805, 8.5/18

7-8. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2779, Viswanathan Anand IND 2767, 8.0/18

9-10. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2774, Alexander Grischuk RUS 2775, 5.0/18

The organizers of this event had a new format to deal with the problem of excessive draws (in their opinion) among the elite players.

Players receive two hours for each classical game, with a 10-second increment only after move 40. No draw offers are allowed until move 30. Classical games are worth two points for a win, but in case of a draw players get half a point and play an Armageddon game for the remaining point.

In the Armageddon game White has 10 minutes to Black’s 7, with a three-second increment from move 61. In case of a draw the player with Black gets the full point.

If there’s a tie for first at the end of the tournament a blitz playoff will take place, each player getting three minutes for the entire game with a 2-second increment after every move.

Only the classical games are rated.

So, to summarize, players will get the following points per round:

Win main game: 2 points

Lose main game: 0 point

Draw main game and lose Armageddon: 0.5 point

Draw main game and win Armageddon: 1.5 points

Magnus Carlsen won the event by three points over his closest pursuers, but the intention to avoid draws was not achieved. Out of a total of 45 games only 11 (roughly one-fourth) were decisive and the rest had to go to Armageddon with its “pieces falling off the board” randomness.

Here are what the standings would be if we only consider classical games:

1-2. Ding Liren CHN 2805, Magnus Carlsen NOR 2875, 5.5/9

3-4. Wesley So USA 2754, Fabiano Caruana USA 2819, 5.0/9

5-6. Levon Aronian ARM 2752, Yu Yangyi CHN 2730, 4.5/9

7-8. Viswanathan Anand IND 2767, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2779, 4.0/9

9-10. Alexander Grischuk RUS 2775, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2774, 3.5/9

Both Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren won two games and drew seven. Take note that Magnus finished no. 1 while Ding Liren was way down in 6th place. The difference between the two is that in the seven Armageddon games that they played Carlsen was given the win in six while Ding only won one. A prime example of the “randomness” mentioned above is Wesley So in a superior position and needing only to draw against Aronian instead falling for mate in 1. Many people, including this writer, were rather dissatisfied with the results of this experiment.

In fact, it could be said that the new format was a temptation for some players, especially specialists in blitz and speed chess like Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL), to just go straight for the draw in the classical portion and then try to win in the Armageddon. Take a look at his games — more often than not he would offer a draw immediately after passing the 30th move.

But let me make this clear — the world champion Magnus Carlsen is arguably the best rapid and blitz player in the world, but to assume that he would have tried to win more games had he not had the Armageddon to fall back on is pure speculation and not borne out by the games — Carlsen appears to be going for a win at all times, except perhaps for his 30-mover versus MVL — Sveshnikovs every Black game, no quick draws, etc. Take a look at his very powerful victory over Alexander Grischuk.

Carlsen, Magnus (2875) — Grischuk, Alexander (2775) [D85]
7th Norway Chess 2019 Stavanger NOR (3), 06.06.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3

Nowadays the trend is to avoid 7.Nf3 Bg4 and to play Be3 right away. Later on, when the white queen has moved to d2, then perhaps he can play Nf3 because …Bg4 the knight is not pinned and can move, for example, to g5.

7…c5 8.Rc1 Qa5 9.Qd2 0–0

Going into the endgame with 9…cxd4 10.cxd4 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2 is not attractive for many players because the White side is easier to play. The typical arrangement for his pieces is 11…0–0 12.Bd3 e6 13.Ne2 Nc6 14.Rc4 Rd8 15.Rb1 Radjabov, T. (2751)-Kamsky, G. (2729) 2008 Dresden Olympiad 1–0 36.

10.Nf3 Bg4 11.d5 b5

A new idea. In the 2014 version of Norway Stavanger Grischuk managed to defeat Kramnik with 11…Nd7 12.c4 Qa3 13.Be2 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Bd4 15.Bxd4 cxd4 16.0–0 Ne5 17.Qxd4 Nxf3+ 18.gxf3 Qxf3 19.Rc3 Qe2 20.f4 Qxa2 21.f5 Kramnik, V. (2783)-Grischuk, A. (2792) Stavanger 2014: 0–1 (40).

12.Be2 Nd7 13.0–0 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 c4 15.Be2 Rfd8 16.f4 Nb6 17.Bf3 Qa3 18.h4

Grischuk thought Black was just lost here.

18…e6 19.h5 Na4 20.hxg6 hxg6 <D>

POSITION AFTER 20…HXG6

Black’s queen and knight are stuck in the queenside [so naturally Carlsen opens as many lines as possible in the kingside.]

21.f5! exf5

[If 21…Nxc3 22.fxg6 fxg6 23.Bg4 Nxe4 24.Bxe6+ Kh7 25.Qe1! White’s attack is winning]

22.exf5 Qd6 23.Bf4 Qb6+

Grischuk cannot interpose with the bishop because then 23…Be5 24.Bxe5 Qxe5 25.fxg6 fxg6 26.Bg4! Rxd5 27.Qh6 Qg5 28.Be6#

24.Kh1 gxf5 25.d6 Rab8 26.Bd5 Nc5 27.Bg3 Ne6

Grischuk saw that 27…Ne4 28.Bxe4 fxe4 is refuted by 29.Rxf7! Kxf7 30.Qd5+ Kg6 31.Qxe4+ Kf7 32.Rf1+ Kg8 33.Qe6+ Kh7 34.Rf5 with mate coming up.

28.Rxf5 Rxd6 29.Bxd6 Qxd6 30.Qe3 Qb6 31.Qf3 Rf8 32.Rf1 Nd8 33.Rh5 Qc7 34.Qe4 1–0

Mate is unavoidable.

Ironically enough the best game of Wesley So was in Armageddon, played in the last round against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. MVL is sort of a difficult opponent for Wesley. Out of 40 games played in all time controls Wesley has only won four times, and most of them in blitz. On the other hand MVL has 10 victories and this includes eliminating Wesley from the 2015 World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. This was a very painful loss as the Filipino ace had already defeated the Iranian hope Parham Maghsoodloo in the first round, Hungarian GM Csaba Balogh in the second and the Vietnamese no. 1 Le Quang Liem in the third. If he had gotten past MVL he would enter the quarterfinals, the big money rounds.

So, Wesley (2754) — Vachier Lagrave, Maxime (2779) [E61]
7th Altibox Norway Chess Armageddon 201 Stavanger (9.3), 14.06.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.e3 0–0 5.Be2 d6 6.Nc3 Bf5 7.0–0

In the Isle of Man Open last year MVL had a nice win after 7.Nd2 e5 8.d5 e4 9.g4 Bc8 10.g5 “winning” a pawn, but Black strikes back hard. 10…Nfd7 11.Ndxe4 f5 12.gxf6 Nxf6 13.Ng3 Bh3 14.e4 Nbd7 15.Bg5 c6 16.Qd2 Qa5 17.f3 Ne5 18.Rg1 cxd5 19.cxd5 Rac8 Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn. Jumabayev,R (2605)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2780) Douglas 2018 0–1 36.

7…a5 8.Nd2 e5 9.d5 Na6 10.e4 Bd7 11.a3 Nc5 12.b3 c6 13.Rb1 cxd5 14.cxd5 Qc7 15.Re1 Rfc8 16.f3

Perhaps better was 16.a4 to prevent Black’s …a5–a4.

16…Bh6

This was a 10-min vs. 7-min game so we should not really criticize Black’s moves too much, but 16…a4! would be very strong here. After 17.b4 Nd3! 18.Bxd3 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Rxc3 20.Be2 Rac8 Black is the one going for the win.

17.Kh1 a4! 18.b4 Bxd2!

Obviously 18…Nd3 no longer works because the Black queen does not have a check on b6. After 19.Bxd3 Qxc3 20.Nc4! White has grabbed the upperhand.

19.Bxd2 Nb3 20.Bg5 Nh5 21.Na2 Qc2 22.Qxc2 Rxc2 23.Nc1 f6 24.Nxb3 fxg5?

This is a mistake. Better is 24…axb3 25.Be3 Rxa3 26.Bd1 Rc4 27.Rxb3 Ra1 28.Rg1 Ba4 29.Rd3 Bxd1 30.Rdxd1 Rxd1 31.Rxd1 f5! 32.exf5 gxf5 33.Rb1 Nf6–+ the crucial pawn on d5 falls and Black wins.

25.Na5 Nf4 26.Bf1 Rac8?

Another mistake and this one is decisive. Black probably thought that saving the pawn with 26…b6! was useless because after 27.Nc4 Wesley wins one of the pawns anyway, but there is a difference. After 27…Bb5! 28.Nxb6 Bxf1 29.Rxf1 Ra6 Whie is still a pawn up but his advantage is now minimal.

27.Nxb7 R8c3 28.Nxd6 Rxa3 29.b5!

This passed pawn will win the game for White.

29…Rb3 30.b6 Rcb2 31.Rxb2 Rxb2 32.b7 Rb6 33.g3 Nh3 34.Rc1 Kf8 35.Rc8+ Ke7 36.b8Q Rxb8 37.Rxb8 Kxd6 38.Rd8 Kc7

Trying to save the knight with 38…Nf2+ 39.Kg2 Nd1 does not work because of 40.Bb5.

39.Rxd7+! Kxd7 40.Bxh3+ g4 41.Bf1!

Of course not 41.Bxg4+? Kd6 White cannot stop the queening pawn on a4.

41…a3 42.Bc4 gxf3 43.Kg1 g5 44.g4 Kd6 45.Kf2 1–0

Whether or not the mix of classical chess with armageddom will be the tournament format of the future remains to be seen. What seems obvious to me is that the new format did not contribute anything towards making the players go into more aggressive chess.

Armageddon is a “fun chess,” just like the bullet chess (1-minute games) that is so popular in the chess servers. For serious chess though I don’t recommend it.

 

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

bobby@cpamd.net

Back in business

Considering the countless ways in which the blockbuster trade between the Lakers and Pelicans can be viewed, it’s no surprise that both praise and criticism have been heaped in equal measure. From the vantage points of the dramatis personae, however, there can be no questioning the necessity of the deal pushing through. For one quarter, it represents the consummation of a pursuit for a superstar that was highly publicized and thereby resulted in bruised egos and fractured chemistry. For the other, it provides an opportunity to minimize the pain normally associated with reboots. Simply put, a win-win situation was reached, making the development a rarity in the cutthroat National Basketball Association.

For the Lakers, the impending arrival of all-world Anthony Davis underscores their continued relevance, but for all the right reasons. Even as franchise annals are littered with examples of headline-hogging acquisitions, their less-than-respectable showing on and off the court in recent memory appeared to rob their name of significant luster. Their 2018-19 campaign closed with a whimper and resulted in a sixth straight absence from the playoffs. Meanwhile, they suffered from trade-deadline stumbles, top management upheaval, and a poorly executed coaching transition. And yet, the embarrassments they were subjected to failed to prevent them from ultimately claiming their target.

There is still much to be done for the Lakers, to be sure. They had to gut their roster for Davis, leaving them with just five players under contract after their agreement with the Pelicans is formalized. The grapevine has them still on the prowl for a third marquee name, but the legitimacy of their effort depends on timing. Depending on when they get to include The Brow on their payroll, and hinging on his appetite for waiving a $4-million trade kicker, they will have anywhere from $23 to $32 million to play around with. The cachet will be good for one max-salary slot (to offer, say, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, or Jimmy Butler) or a couple of mid-level free agents (among them J.J. Redick, Malcolm Brogdon, and Danny Green), and then rounded out by scrubs on scale.

Nonetheless, the Lakers cannot but be considered legitimate contenders, especially with the West wide open following the de facto weakening of the otherwise-dominant Warriors. If nothing else, their odds in Las Vegas reflect the dramatic rise in their estimation; as spotty as their immediate future may be, they’re now 3/1 favorites to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy this time next year. Indeed, Davis is that good, and his partnership with James guarantees the purple and gold an unparalleled inside-out presence.

Whether the Lakers manage to meet outsized expectations is anybody’s guess. If there’s anything the 2019 postseason proved, it’s that absolutely nothing can be etched in stone. That said, this much is clear: They’re back in business.

 

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

‘A little accident’ — Duterte on boat sinking

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter

SPEAKING for the first time on the June 9 sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel, President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday described the incident as a “little maritime accident,” and reiterated anew that the Philippines is “not ready to go to war” with China.

In his speech at the 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary celebration held at Sangley Point in Cavite City on Monday evening, Mr. Duterte said: “In this matter of the incident na nagbanggaan iyong mga (on the collision of the) fishing boats… with all the galit (anger), even urging sending grayships doon sa (to) China Sea, alam mo gusto ko yan, kung ako lang. Gusto ko ng aksyon. (I want that, if it were up to me. I want action.) But I am not in my boyhood age anymore. I have a duty, a burden, sometimes more than I can carry.”

He stressed there are rules being followed by the government in dealing with the issue, saying: “There will be rules for a military confrontation; there will be rules for a mistaken identity attack; there’s a rule for fishermen’s boats. There is a rule for aircraft carrier bumping a fishing boat.”

“That is a maritime incident. ‘Wag kayong maniwala sa pulitiko na bobo. Gusto papuntahin ang Navy. (Don’t believe the stupid politicians who want to send the Navy.) You do not send grayships there… Alam na miscommunication ‘yan. (That’s miscommunication.) We are not ready in a nuclear war.””

“Dalawang bangka lang ‘yan (Those are just two boats), now you go there and create a tension. Hindi ako gago na Presidente…. (I’m not an insane President).”

“It is a maritime incident. I will not issue a statement because there is no result of an investigation. Give the other party the right to be heard.”

“Wag muna tayo makialam (Let’s not meddle). Do not allow a little maritime accident…”

PINOL TO HEAD GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Also on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol was named chairman of the government response to the controversy over the June 9 sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement on the Cabinet cluster meetings held Monday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said the government response will be “focused primarily on assisting the 22 affected fishermen, with Region IV-B CORDS (Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security) (Energy) Sec. Alfonso Cusi as as co-lead.”

“Sec(retary) Piñol has been directed to tap all available government resources — including assistance from DA and DSWD — to assist our countrymen, with components of the support package to come from other government agencies,” Mr. Nograles also said.

“Aside from this, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Region IV-B Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) have conducted initial inquiries regarding the incident to determine the extent of the liabilities involved and in order to ascertain the most effective legal means to obtain justice for our countrymen. These efforts will be complemented by further investigations to be jointly led by the Maritime Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard.”

PALACE’S ACCOUNT
Mr. Nograles said the “joint meeting of the Economic Development and Security, Justice, and Peace clusters was held to tackle issues relative to the West Philippine Sea/Reed Bank incident that resulted in the sinking of the fishing boat F/B Gem-Vir 1 that endangered the lives of its 22-man Filipino crew — who were later fortuitously rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.”

He added, “Initial action has already been taken, with the filing of a strongly-worded diplomatic protest that was handed over to the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese Government on June 13.”

In an interview with ANC, Mr. Piñol said in part, “this is just a simple maritime incident which should be handled at our level. I don’t understand why people are blowing this out of proportion. In fact, some people have even come up with theories about CIA involvement.”

For his part, the captain of the rammed boat has backed out of a scheduled meeting with President Rodrigo R. Duterte due to an illness, according to San Jose Mayor Romulo Festin of Occidental Mindoro.

“May sakit, kaya nag-backout. Tinanong ko kung ayun dahilan niyan, sabi niya, ayun daw…Wala daw kasing tulog,” Mr. Festin said in a phone interview on Monday. (He is not feeling well, that’s why he backed out. I asked him if that’s his reason and he said it is….He was not able to sleep well.)

Mr. Festin said Mr. Insigne, along with the owner of F/B GimVer 1, and the crew cook, were already in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, at dawn when he asked to be dropped off.

“Nandun na sila sa Roxas, Oriental Mindoro para sumakay ng Roro sa Calapan (They were already in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro to transit via roll-on/roll-off vessel in Calapan),” said the mayor. “Talagang hindi na raw niya kakayanin papuntang Maynila, kaya bumaba na daw siya (He can’t really go as far as Manila, so he just asked to be dropped off).”

“‘Yung iba gusto na nilang umuwi sa kanilang mga barangay….Ayun nga bibigyan ko ng pamasahe. Sabi ko, maghintay-hintay muna kasi darating pa ‘yung director ng DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) kung ano maiko-commit nilang suporta,” said Mr. Festin. (Some of them already wanted to return to their barangay…So I gave them money so they could go home. But I also told them to wait a while because the director of DOLE will arrive to commit their support.) — with Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

IRR out on switching of mobile networks

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) released on Monday the guidelines for the implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act, which allows mobile users to switch networks and service types without changing their numbers.

Memorandum Circular No. 03-06-2019 set the implementing rules and regulations for Republic Act No. 11202, which was signed into law in February. It will take effect 15 days from its publication in a newspaper.

Based on the rules, any subscriber who does not have an outstanding balance with a network provider, has used a mobile number for at least 60 days and is not blacklisted by any network provider may apply to switch networks and retain his or her mobile number.

The service may be availed from a mobile number portability service provider (MNPSP), which will be chosen by telecommunications companies (telcos) within four months from the rules’ effectivity.

Telcos Globe Telecom, Inc. and PLDT, Inc. are required to take an equal share in the capital expenditure for software, hardware and other facilities that the chosen MNPSP will need to acquire.

The MNPSP’s operating and maintenance costs will also be shared with the telcos, depending on their to-be-determined agreement.

The application to switch from network to network and from postpaid to prepaid service is free of charge, as the rules said “no fees and charges related to the mobile number portability service shall be collected from the subscribers.”

Subscribers who wish to avail themselves of the portability service must request from his or her network provider a nine-digit unique subscriber code. This code will be processed by the network provider the subscriber is switching into. The porting process must not take longer than 48 hours.

In the case of subscribers wishing to move from prepaid to postpaid service or vice-versa, a network provider must complete the porting process in 24 hours.

The Mobile Number Portability Act is intended to promote consumer welfare by “(fostering) the freedom to choose and to respond to quality, price and other relevant considerations without the consumers having to change their mobile numbers whenever they change mobile service providers or subscription plans.”

Fratman in Castillo hazing convicted

A MANILA court has found Aegis Juris fraternity member John Paul S. Solano guilty of obstruction of justice in connection with the September 2017 hazing-murder of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III.

Judge Carolina J. Esguerra of Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 14 sentenced Mr. Solano to a minimum of two years, four months and one day to four years, two months, and one day of imprisonment for violation of Section 1 (i) of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1829, on “Penalizing obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders.”

Mr. Solano, however, was cleared of perjury charges.

The court said “it is clear that he gave false and fabricated information to mislead the police or prevent them from apprehending those responsible for the death of Castillo.”

“Consequently, his liability for violation of Section 1 (i) of Presidential Decree 1829 has been proven beyond reasonable doubt,” the court ruled.

Mr. Castillo was declared dead on arrival at the Chinese General Hospital on Sept. 17, 2017, after attending the welcoming rites of the fraternity.

The accused initially told authorities that he saw Mr. Castillo’s body at the corner of H. Lopez Boulevard and Infanta Street in Tondo, Manila, while he was passing by and stopped a vehicle and brought him to the hospital.

The court cited Mr. Solano as saying that he made the incorrect statements “due to uncontrollable fear for his life and for fear of being implicated/charged with the death of Castillo.”

“Along this line, accused’ fear of being implicated in the death of Castillo is not imminent. Had accused spoken of true incidents prior to bringing Castillo to the hospital, the matter would have been investigated first by the police before hailing him to court should they find that they acted in complicity with the others in bringing Castillo’s injuries,” the court said.

“(T)he fear which the accused claims to have overtaken him is not, in contemplation of law, as imminent as he believed, and is even speculative at that. Thus, his defense that he acted under the impulse of uncontrollable fear for his life or limb has no leg to stand on,” it added.

The court also acquitted Mr. Solano from the charge of violation of Section 1 (f) of PD 1829 or obstruction of justice for making or presenting any document with knowledge of its falsity, saying it was not Mr. Solano who made the Judicial Affidavit.

The parents of Mr. Castillo said they are “very happy with the conviction” for obstruction of justice.

“It can be shown, ‘yung cover-up na nangyari (cover-up that transpired). And hopefully, we will file cases again doon sa mga kasama, even ‘yung mga lawyers na involved doon sa cover-up (against those, even the lawyers, involved in the cover-up),” Mr. Horacio Castillo, Jr. told reporters.

Bail hearing at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 20 is still ongoing for the 10 members of the Aegis Juris fraternity charged with violation of Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 8049 or Anti-Hazing Law.

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