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#COVID-19 Regional Updates (03/18/20)

IBP national office workers to get half of 13th month pay

THE INTEGRATED Bar of the Philippines (IBP) will release early half of the 13th month pay and salaries of its national office employees located in the National Capital Region while Luzon is under enhanced community quarantine due to the novel coronavirus disease. In a statement, IBP National President Domingo Egon Q. Cayosa said these will be given to IBP National employees and legal aid clerks for the purchase of food supply and basic necessities. “Please prudently use the advanced benefits and salaries for basic necessities to weather lockdowns,” Mr. Cayosa reminded employees. “Observe the quarantine protocols prescribed by authorities and health experts.” For IBP chapters outside the capital, Mr. Cayosa said, “We have also directed the Chapters with enough resources to do the same for allowances from Chapter funds that are due to the Legal Aid Clerks.” Mr. Cayosa also recommended to President Rodrigo R. Duterte to suspend hearings and processes in all quasi-judicial and administrative tribunals in the country and to function only with “minimal staff on a rotation or on call basis.” Work from home arrangement was also recommended. The Supreme Court on Monday issued an administrative circular directing the drastic reduction of operations in all courts until April 15, maintaining only skeletal staff to act on “urgent matters.” All hearings are suspended except on matters involving bail and habeas corpus, promulgation of judgement on acquittals, reliefs or those arrested during the period. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Iloilo businesses encouraged to stay open, but customers shy away

THE ILOILO City government offices get disinfected as part of measures to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus. — BW/ERSSANTIAGUDO

ILOILO CITY — The Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods Restaurant chain, popular among locals and tourists, is temporarily closing three branches in Iloilo as customers dwindle following the community quarantine declared by both the provincial and city governments to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

One of the biggest taxi operators in the city, Light of Glory Taxi, has also announced that it might suspend services soon.

lloilo Business Club (IBC) Executive Director Maria Victoria Lea E. Lara said while the private sector is mandated under the local quarantine guidelines to remain open though with shortened operating hours, many simply could not sustain the daily costs.

“While we want to follow our mandate to open, but who will we serve? No one is leaving their houses. We don’t really know,” Ms. Lara told BusinessWorld.

She said the impact is felt by both small enterprises and big businesses.

“Our local economy is service oriented and now we are reeling from the huge drop of sales and bookings… Trucks coming in from Manila will also surely face delays following the strict border restrictions. The logistics support and supplies needed by the restaurants and other establishments will be significantly affected,” she said.

Happy C. Abenir spokesperson of the Iloilo Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants Association (IHRRA), said the tourism sector is “taking a big hit.”

“There are already no flights coming in to Iloilo and there is less movement of people. Accommodation sector, local hotels, and travel tours are all crying for help because there are no tourists and customers,” Ms. Abenir told BusinessWorld in a separate interview.

Restrictions are also in place at the borders of the provinces and main cities of the entire Western Visayas Region, which covers Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras.

As of March 17, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the region.

“We are balancing the business side and how to maintain the work force at a level that the business can survive. We are aware of the plight of the workers and the business sector is doing all it can do in terms of saving the employees,” Ms. Abenir said.

Both the IBC and IHRRA officials, however, said job cuts and business closures are inevitable if the current COVID-19 national situation does not improve and the community quarantine is prolonged.

“We anticipate the job losses and it is a scenario if this will continue,” Ms. Lara said.

For now, Ms. Abenir said, “We are looking at what we can do, particularly in areas which needs assistance and how we will be able to help. We are closely coordinating with the local governments and DoH (Department of Health).” — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Davao businesses rush to migrate to online platforms amid COVID-19

DAVAO CITY — The Davao City business chamber has sought the help of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector to map out a scheme that establishments can adopt to maintain operations amid the COVID-19 threat.

“Our major concern is to keep business flowing while observing maximum precautions in line with government’s. We are closely coordinating with the city government of Davao on the matter,” Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) President John Carlo B. Tria told BusinessWorld via phone Tuesday.

The Davao City government declared a community quarantine Sunday, setting restrictions on the movement of people at the borders.

DCCCII, meanwhile, said establishments have committed to continue to function as normal as possible while preparing to slowly migrate to e-commerce platforms for trade transactions and other online options for daily operations.

Shopping malls remain open but with shortened operating hours.

More local consumers, meanwhile, have been patronizing mobile application services for food and grocery delivery.

Small Basket, a third party delivery service that caters to orders from the supermarkets and various retail shops of homegrown New City Commercial Corp. (NCCC), appealed to its clients as early as last Saturday to understand their “dire situation” given the sudden “high volume of orders.”

As of this week, the next open slot for a Small Basket delivery is March 23.

Mr. Tria said they are also working with the city government for an economic plan that will address the disruptions and expected losses from COVID-19.

“The common sentiment of the business sector now is how to continue doing business amid the COVID-19 scare,” he said.

There are no confirmed cases in the city as of March 17.

In an earlier phone interview, Arturo M. Milan, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “We need to stand and fight this virus by not shying away from our regular routine but doing what we are supposed to do for as long as we implement the necessary protocols… or else our economy will collapse.” — Maya M. Padillo and Carmelito Q. Francisco

Nationwide round-up

WESM maintains operations, contingency measures in place

OPERATIONS IN the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) is “business-as-usual” amid the Luzon-wide lockdown due to the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said on Tuesday. Following the Department of Energy’s (DoE) advisory last March 15, the WESM operator implemented its business continuity plan, providing possible risk scenarios during the enhanced community quarantine from March 17 to April 13. This includes its coordination with the government’s Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the release of status updates on its market operations to all trading participants and stakeholders. If a confirmed COVID-19 case forces a lockdown of the Robinson Equitable Tower building in Pasig City, where IEMOP is based, or an employee tests positive of the disease, the electricity market operator assured that it will still be able to continue normal operations. On Wednesday, the DoE also asked suppliers of oil, coal, and steam to extend the deadline of payments of obligations and dues by energy generation firms to 30 days after April 14. It also called for the postponement of independent power producer administration payments, as well as universal and environmental charges to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM). Payments to the IEMOP, feed-in-tariff allowance remittance to the National Transmission Corp. and payments of Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism and Incremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment to PSALM and the National Power Corp. (NAPOCOR) were also asked to be deferred.

NEA
Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) instructed all electric cooperatives (EC) across the country to ensure continued power services following the imposition of the Luzon-wide quarantine. In an advisory, NEA ordered all 121 ECs nationwide to operationalize their respective Vulnerability and Risk Assessment and Emergency Restoration Plans for Crisis Management, and for management to implement strategies to maintain their operations and support infrastructure. It also advised all community-owned power distribution utilities to implement their Business Continuity Plans. “Possible or assumed scenarios should be considered, including delayed payments by the consumers,” NEA Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong said in a statement. The agency, which is tasked to implement rural electrification, stressed that power services to “critical loads” — such as hospitals and medical facilities, government offices, basic utility service providers, as well disaster risk reduction and management offices, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines — must be unimpeded. — Adam J. Ang

Bill filed on protection of volunteer workers during emergencies

VOLUNTEER WORKERS during times of calamities or emergencies such as the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will get protection for omissions if a bill passed by the House of Representatives gets enacted into law. Under House Bill 6091, or the Emergency Volunteer Protection Act, volunteers who commit omissions while in the performance of their duties during emergency situations will not be held liable. The bill was passed on third and final reading on March 10. The proposed law provides the following conditions: the volunteer was properly licensed, certified, or authorized by the appropriate authorities, either government entities or non-government organizations, for the activities undertaken in an emergency at the time of the act of omission; and the harm was not caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer. Volunteers who commit acts of misconduct constituting a crime under the Revised Penal code or an offense in any special penal law will not be covered. The approved bill was transmitted to the Senate on March 11. — Genshen L. Espedido

French Open organizers push tournament to Sept.

PARIS — The organizers of the French Open on Tuesday postponed the claycourt Grand Slam tournament until Sept. 20–Oct. 4 from its May start amid the coronavirus outbreak, with the new dates colliding with numerous events on the scheduled global calendar.

The French Open, the first major tournament to be hit by the spread of the coronavirus, had been initially scheduled to be played from May 24–June 7 at Roland Garros, but instead will now start just a week after the final of the US Open.

“While no one today can predict what the health situation will be like on May 18 (when qualifications were due to start), the lockdown measures in force make it impossible to prepare for it and therefore to organize it on the dates initially planned,” the French tennis federation (FFT) said in a statement.

The men’s ATP Tour had previously announced a six-week suspension due to the pandemic that has ground global sport to a halt while the WTA, which runs the women’s tournaments, had postponed events till May 2.

The International Tennis Federation has also suspended all its events, including next month’s newly launched Fed Cup finals in Budapest.

The new French Open dates mean that action at Roland Garros will begin seven days after the US Open concludes on Sept. 13.

This will leave players contesting a claycourt major right in the middle of what is traditionally the hardcourt swing of the tennis season and with almost no opportunity to play any warm-up events on the slow surface.

The Grand Slam will also clash with the previously scheduled Laver Cup, which is a team event featuring the best of Europe against a World team and has previously drawn top players such as Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Federer has already confirmed his participation for the fourth edition in Boston this year.

It will also clash with ATP tournaments in Metz, St. Petersburg, Chengdu, Sofia and Zhuhai and WTA events in Guangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo and Wuhan.

The decision of the FFT did not seem to have gone down well with the players.

“Excusez moi???,” said two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka on Twitter.

Argentine Diego Schwartzman also vented his frustration in a Spanish tweet: “Once again, we found out on Twitter.”

“This is madness. Major announcement by Roland Garros changing the dates to one week after the US Open. No communication with the players or the ATP.. we have ZERO say in this sport. It’s time. #UniteThePlayers,” said Vasek Pospisil, who sits on the ATP players council.

The ATP, WTA and the ITF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

FFT president Bernard Giudicelli said the organization had communicated with the ATP, the WTA and the ITF and also informed the other Grand Slam organizers about their decision.

“For us it was unthinkable [to cancel], the only thing we had in mind was the interest of the tournament and of the players,” Giudicelli told reporters.

A new roof on the main Philippe Chatrier court has already been installed but is not in service yet and needs more testing until the end of April, added officials.

The FFT said that ticket-holders for the French Open could either be reimbursed or change their tickets for the new dates.

“It is a difficult but courageous decision that we have taken at this exceptional and evolving time since this weekend,” said Giudicelli.

“We are acting responsibly, we must stand together in solidarity in this fight for everyone’s safety.”

The coronavirus outbreak has infected over 190,000 and killed more than 7,500 people worldwide as the epicenter of the pandemic has switched from China to Europe. — Reuters

NFL legend Brady to leave New England after 20 years

NEW YORK — Six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady said on Tuesday he is leaving the New England Patriots after 20 years with the team, stunning fans of the National Football League franchise and adding a dramatic twist to the league’s offseason.

With free agency beginning on Wednesday, the 42-year-old quarterback left no doubt in a social media post that he would not return to New England. During his celebrated tenure he set many NFL records, including most victories and appearances in the Super Bowl and most playoff wins. He won a record four Super Bowl Most Valuable Player trophies.

“Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for our incredible TEAM accomplishments,” Brady wrote in a Twitter post that instantly went viral.

He did not elaborate on his plans or next steps in his career. Previously, he has said he wanted to continue playing and was unlikely to retire.

“I had hoped this day would never come, but rather that Tom would end his remarkable career in a Patriots uniform after yet another Super Bowl championship,” team owner Robert Kraft said in a written statement.

“Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement to allow that dream to become a reality.”

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who formed one of the NFL’s most enduring and successful partnerships with Brady, said in a written statement that the quarterback was one of the Patriots program’s “original creators.”

“Sometimes in life, it takes some time to pass before truly appreciating something or someone but that has not been the case with Tom,” said Belichick. “He is a special person and the greatest quarterback of all-time.”

Belichick selected out of Michigan Brady in 2000 with the 199th pick of the NFL draft. Brady spent his first season as a backup, then stepped in for the injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 as starting quarterback. He led the team to its first-ever Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2001–2002 season.

Brady also had detractors who accused him of cheating in 2015 by ordering Patriots employees to improperly lower the pressure of footballs before an NFL playoff game. Brady was ultimately suspended four games for the incident that became known as “deflategate” even though he denied wrongdoing.

Speculation over where he may land next has been rampant for months, as the Patriots’ most recent season ended in a humiliating at-home defeat against the Miami Dolphins, followed up by a shock loss to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs.

Suitors have reportedly included the Los Angeles Chargers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the latter an early betting favorite. — Reuters

Durant, three other Nets test positive for COVID-19; Lakers under quarantine

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has tested positive for coronavirus, the Athletic reported on Tuesday, less than a week after the global outbreak prompted the suspension of the National Basketball Association season.

“Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this,” 10-time NBA All-Star Durant was quoted as saying.

The Nets had said earlier on Tuesday that four of its players were isolated and under the care of team physicians after testing positive for coronavirus but did not identify the individuals.

Durant signed with the Nets last summer but has been sidelined by an Achilles injury sustained during last season’s NBA Finals when he was playing for the Golden State Warriors.

“The organization is currently notifying anyone who has had known contact with the players, including recent opponents, and is working closely with state and local health authorities on reporting,” the team said.

“All players and members of the Nets travel party are being asked to remain isolated, closely monitor their health and maintain constant communication with team medical staff.”

Three of the players were asymptomatic while one was showing symptoms of the rapidly spreading virus days after the Utah Jazz reported that two of its players had tested positive for coronavirus.

The Nets last played against the Lakers in Los Angeles on March 10. A day later, the league suspended its season until further notice, as the coronavirus pandemic hit major sporting events across the globe.

LAKERS UNDER QUARANTINE
Meanwhile, members of the Lakers are reportedly under quarantine for 14 days and will be tested for COVID-19.

The Lakers participated in a team conference call on Tuesday after the Nets disclosed that four of their players tested positive for coronavirus, including Durant.

The Nets had the Lakers as their last opponent before the NBA decided to suspend the season.

Brooklyn was on a West Coast swing with Durant in tow and had been scheduled to play in the first fan-free game at Chase Center in San Francisco last Thursday against the Golden State Warriors. But the Nets instead flew home after the NBA called off all games last Wednesday night starting with the contest between Utah and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

To date, the Nets’ foursome and two members of the Jazz — All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — and Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons are known to have tested positive for the virus.

The NBA is on hiatus for at least 30 days and not expected to play again for eight weeks, if not longer. — Reuters

Olympian says IOC’s push to stage Tokyo Games insensitive to athletes

CANADIAN Hayley Wickenheiser, a six-time Olympian, has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of being insensitive and irresponsible for pushing ahead with the Tokyo Games in the face of a growing threat from the coronavirus outbreak.

Wickenheiser, who competed in five Winter Games in ice hockey and the 2000 Summer Olympics in softball, questioned the IOC’s full speed ahead approach to staging the July 24-Aug. 9 Games which she said had been done without acknowledging the challenges posed by the global pandemic.

“This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics,” Wickenheiser said in a statement on Twitter. “Athletes can’t train. Attendees can’t travel plan. Sponsors and marketers can’t market with a degree of sensitivity.

“I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.

“We don’t know what’s happening in the next 24 hours, let along in the next three months.”

Wickenheiser, a member of the IOC’s athlete commission who is working towards becoming a medical doctor, has been on the frontline in efforts to contain the coronavirus in Canada.

She said she could only imagine the anxiety athletes were feeling at the moment and that it was an injustice to them saying for certain that the Games will go ahead.

Wickenheiser made the comments after the IOC met with international sports federations on Tuesday and stated it remains fully committed to the event being staged in four months’ time despite the global spread of coronavirus.

“No one knows at this point and that IS my point,” said Wickenheiser, winner of four ice hockey Olympic gold medals. “To say for certain they will go ahead is an injustice to the athletes training and global population at large.

“We need to acknowledge the unknown. #COVID19”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Greece’s reigning Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi told Reuters the IOC was putting the health of elite athletes at risk by telling them to continue training for the Tokyo 2020 Games as the coronavirus rages.

“The uncertainty of not knowing of where you’re going to train tomorrow, as facilities close and qualification events are cancelled all over the world, would be terrible if you’ve been training your whole life,” said Wickenheiser.

“It’s the biggest sporting event in the world. It would be wonderful to look forward to.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought, and over the past few days my perspective has changed.” — Reuters

Philidor refuted?

This is a continuation of IM Robert Ris’ analysis where he tries to prove that the Philidor Defense has been refuted. We reproduce it here with the special permission of Chessbase.com, which has also very generously agreed to make the video available to our readers. The main article is here:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/fast-and-furious-with-im-robert-ris-2020-4

If you want to go to the video directly here is the link:

https://videos.chessbase.com/Video/2020-01-30%20Philidor%20with%20exd4

There are just two lines more to take up. We have had to compress some of the variations due to space limitations.

Van Haastert, Edwin (2408) — Broekmeulen, Jasper (2283) [C41]
NED-chT 0708 Netherlands, 2008
[IM Robert Ris]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bf4 0–0 7.Qd2 d5

This is the main line but if you are not familiar with the position it is hard to play this move.

8.Ndb5

[8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 leads to comfortable play for Black]

8…Bb4

If 8…Na6 then simply 9.exd5. The major alternative here is 8…c6 9.Nc7 and then it is either:

• 9…Bb4 10.f3 (10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxa8 Qf6 12.Be3 Nxc3 13.a3 Ba5 14.Bd3) 10…d4 11.Nxa8 Nd5 (11…dxc3 12.bxc3!) 12.exd5 Re8+ 13.Be2 Qf6 14.0–0–0 dxc3 15.Qd4 Aitbayev,A (2321)-Kazhgaleyev,M (2618) Astana 2011 1–0 (27);

• or 9…d4

• 10.Ne2 is not so good because of 10…g5! 11.Be5 (11.Nxa8? gxf4 12.Qxf4 Na6 13.0–0–0 c5 0–1 (50) Varga, Z. (2592)-Bacrot, E. (2712) Mainz 2004; 11.Bxg5 Nxe4! the rook on a8 is immune: 12.Qxd4 Bxg5 13.Qxd8 Rxd8 14.Nxa8?? Bd2+ 15.Kd1 Nxf2#) 11…Nbd7 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 is 13.Qxg5+ (best) 13…Kh8 14.Nxa8 Re8! 15.Qd2 (15.0–0–0? Nxe4 16.Qh5 Nxf2 17.Rxd4 Bg5+ 18.Kb1 Qxd4 19.Qxg5 Qd1+ 20.Nc1 Ne4 (20…Nxh1 21.Qf6+=) 21.Bd3 Qxd3 22.cxd3 Nxg5 Black has the better endgame because of White’s out-of-place knight on a8) 15…Nxe4 16.Qxd4+ Qxd4 17.Nxd4 Bb4+ 18.Ke2 Ng3+ 19.Kf3 Nxh1 20.Bd3 Bg4+ 21.Kxg4 Nxf2+ 22.Kf3 Nxd3 23.cxd3 Rxa8 24.Nf5 ½–½ (53) Huschenbeth, N. (2465)-Schneider, I. (2511) Deizisau 2011)

• 10.Nxa8! is best 10…dxc3 11.Qxd8 Rxd8 12.bxc3 (12.Bxb8? cxb2 13.Rb1 Bb4+ 14.Ke2 Nxe4 things are looking unpleasant for White) 12…Nxe4 (12…Nbd7 13.f3) 13.Bd3 Nc5 (13…Bd6 14.Bxd6 Nxd6 15.0–0–0 Kf8 16.Rhe1 Nd7 (16…Rd7 17.Re3 Ne8 18.Be2; 16…b6 17.Nc7 Rd7 18.Bf5 Nxf5 19.Re8#) 17.Nc7 Nf6 18.c4 b6 19.c5 bxc5 20.Ba6 White is winning. Nijboer, F. (2558)-Broekmeulen, J. (2322) Maastricht 2008. 1–0 (30)) 14.Bxb8 Nxd3+ 15.cxd3 Bf5 16.Bf4 Rxa8 17.Ke2 White is simply an exchange up. Lang, M. (2444)-Mrkvicka, J. (2484) ICCF email 2008 1–0 (47).

9.0–0–0

[9.exd5? Re8+ 10.Be2 Ne4 11.Qd3 Bf5]

9…c6

[9…Nxe4? 10.Qxd5 Qxd5 11.Nxd5 White’s pieces are way more active]

10.Nc7 Nxe4 11.Qd4

The move 11.Qe3 does not have a great score 11…Nxc3 (11…Bxc3 12.bxc3 g5 13.Qxe4 Qxc7 14.Qxh7+ Kxh7 15.Bxc7 Bf5 16.f3 Nd7 17.g4 Bg6 18.h4 gxh4 19.c4 Rac8 20.Rxh4+ Kg7 21.Ba5 1–0 (25) Gyimesi, Z. (2553)-Nevednichy, V. (2548) Nova Gorica 2004) 12.bxc3 Ba3+

• 13.Kb1 Na6! 14.Nxa8 (14.Bxa6 bxa6 15.Nxa8 Qa5) 14…Qa5 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Ka1 Be6 17.Bc7 (17.Nc7? d4 18.Rxd4 Bc1 19.Nxe6 Bxe3 20.Rd3 Bxf4 21.Nxf4 Qa4 0–1 (30) Kotronias,V (2613)-De la Villa Garcia, J. (2472) Benasque 2009) 17…Qa4 18.c4 (18.Rb1 d4! (18…Qxc2? 19.c4 Qa4 (19…Be7 20.Rhc1) 20.Qb3 Qxb3 21.Rxb3 Bc5 22.Rb8 1–0 (22) Korneev, O. (2587)-Pirrot, D. (2417) Bad Wiessee 2007) 19.Qxd4 Qxc2 20.c4 Bxc4 21.Rb2) 18…dxc4 19.c3 Qc2 20.Rb1 Rxa8 21.Ba5 Bf5 22.Bb4 Qa4 23.Rbe1 Bxb4 24.cxb4 h6 25.Qc3 Bd3 26.Re5 Rb8 27.Ra5 Qxb4 28.Qxb4 Rxb4 29.Rxa6 Rb7 30.Re1 Rc7 0–1 (30) Bick,G (2203)-Priyadharshan, K. (2484) Philadelphia 2016)

• 13.Kd2 Nd7! 14.Nxa8 Bc5 15.Qg3 (15.Qd3 ½–½ (39) Jacko, V. (2279)-Thiede, L. (2446) Austria 2015 15…Nf6 16.f3 Bd7 17.Nc7 Bb6 18.Nb5 cxb5) 15…Nf6 16.Bd3 Nh5 17.Bc7 Qf6 18.Qe5 Qh6+ 19.Ke1 Bd7 20.Bf5 Re8 21.Bxd7 Rxe5+ 22.Bxe5 Qg5 23.Kf1 Qxe5 24.Re1 Qxc3 25.Nc7 Nf6 26.Bf5 Qd2 27.Re2 Qc1+ 28.Re1 Qf4 0–1 (28) Volokitin, A. (2671)-Kobalia, M. (2634) Budva 2009.

11…Bxc3

He can also take with the knight: 11…Nxc3 12.bxc3 Ba3+ 13.Kb1 Nd7 14.Qa4 (probably White should take on a8 14.Nxa8) 14…Be7 15.Nxa8 Nc5 16.Qxa7 Ne4 17.Be5 Bc5 18.Qa4 Qe7 19.Bd3 (19.f4 Qxe5) 19…Qxe5 20.Bxe4 in this position Black is much better although Grischuk went on to win the game. Grischuk,A (2763)-Mamedyarov,S (2726) Astana 2012 1–0 (51).

12.bxc3 g5?!

[12…Qe7 13.c4 (13.Rd3 Be6 14.Nxa8 c5 15.Qe3 c4 16.Rd4 Qa3+ 17.Kd1 Nxc3+ 18.Kd2 Nb1+ 19.Kd1 Nc6 20.Nc7 ½–½ (45) Savchenko,B (2596)-Rapport,R (2704) Riga 2014 20…Qb2 21.Be5 Bf5) 13…Qa3+ 14.Qb2 Qa5 15.Nxa8 Nxf2 16.Be2 Nxh1 17.Rxh1 Na6 (17…Re8?! 18.Bd2 Qc5 19.Re1 dxc4 20.Nc7 Re4 21.Bf3 Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1) 18.Bd2 Qd8 19.cxd5 Qxd5 20.Bxa6 bxa6 21.Re1 White is clearly better. Durarbayli, V. (2609)-Travadon, L. (2412) Sitges 2019 1–0 (24)]

13.Bg3 Nxg3 14.hxg3 Qxc7 <D>

POSITION AFTER 14…QXC7

Initially the engines think that White is losing here but now …

15.Rxh7! Kxh7 16.Qf6!

[Bd3 and Rh1 are coming]

16…Rh8 17.Re1 Be6 18.Qxg5 Bf5 19.Bd3 Bg6

[19…Bxd3 20.Rh1#]

20.Qf6 1–0

Kotronias, Vasilios (2598) — Sedlak, Nikola (2564) [C41]
SCG-chT Vrnjacka Banja (6), 2006
[IM Robert Ris]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bf4 0–0 7.Qd2 c6 8.0–0–0 b5 9.f3 b4

This is the advantage of playing 7…c6 instead of 7…a6, because now the white knight cannot go to d5.

10.Na4!

The knight looks awkward on the edge of the board but it also prevents the march of Black’s a-pawn.

Putting the knight on e2 with 10.Nce2?! is a bit inaccurate 10…c5 11.Nf5 Bxf5 12.exf5 Nc6 White has to take some time to reposition his knight on e2. 13.Kb1 (13.g4 Qa5 14.Kb1 c4 15.Nd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 d5 0–1 (67) Pourramezanali, A. (2430)-Kazhgaleyev, M. (2457) Hamedan 2018) 13…d5 (13…c4) 14.g4 d4 15.g5 Nd5 16.f6 Bd6 17.fxg7 Re8 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Ng3 Nc3+ 20.Ka1 Qe6 21.b3 Nxd1 22.Bc4 Qe3 23.Qxd1 Ne5 24.Bd5 Rad8 25.Ne4 d3 26.Kb1 Kxg7 27.Nf6 d2 28.f4 Nd3 29.Bc4 Nf2 30.Nxe8+ Qxe8 0–1 (30) Hansen, E. (2557)-Stevic,H (2620) Skopje 2013.

10…Bd7

[10…c5?! should be met by 11.Nb5! (the knights on a4 and b5 look crazy but not so easy to profit from that) 11…Qa5 12.b3 Bd7 13.Bxd6 (13.Nxd6 is also good 13…Bxa4 14.bxa4 Qxa4 15.Kb1 followed by Nf5, Bc4. Not so easy for Black to attack while with his knight on f5 White is in a good position) 13…Bxd6 14.Nxd6 Bxa4 15.bxa4 Qxa4 16.Kb1 Qa3 17.e5 Nfd7 1–0 (51) Pijpers, A. (2465)-Milosevic, M. (2306) Porto Carras 2018 18.e6! fxe6 19.Qe1 with the idea 19…Rf6 20.Qe4]

11.b3

[11.g4 c5 12.Nf5 Bxa4 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Bxd6 Qe8 15.Bxc5 a5 leads to very sharp play but I am not sure White should go into this]

11…d5

[11…c5 12.Nb5 transposes to the game of Pijpers]

12.g4!

[12.e5 isn’t so great 12…Nh5 13.Be3 c5 14.Nxc5 Bxc5 15.g4 Nf6 16.exf6 Qxf6 suddenly Black gets excellent play 17.Kb1 Re8 18.Bf2 a5 19.h4 a4 20.Qg5 axb3 21.cxb3 Qb6 22.Rh2 (22.Qxd5) 22…Nc6 23.Nxc6 Bxf2 24.Nxb4 Qxb4 25.Rxf2 Rxa2 26.Kxa2 Ra8+ 27.Kb2 Qa3+ (27…d4!! 28.Qc1 Be6 29.Bc4 Bxc4 30.Qxc4 Qa3+ 31.Kc2 Qa2+ 32.Kc1 Qxf2 33.Qxd4? Rc8+ 34.Kb1 Qc2+ 35.Ka1 Ra8+) 28.Kc3 (28.Kc2 Rc8+ 29.Bc4 dxc4 30.Rxd7 cxb3+? (30…Qxb3+ 31.Kc1 Qa3+ 32.Rb2 Qa1+ 33.Rb1 Qc3+ 34.Kd1 Qxf3+=) 31.Kb1) 28…Rc8+ 29.Kd2 Qb4+ 30.Ke3 Re8+ 0–1 (30) Sadzikowski, D. (2576)-Plat, V. (2551) Poland 2018]

12…dxe4 13.fxe4

White’s pawns are hanging but what matters are the open files to Black’s king.

13…c5

[13…Bxg4 14.Be2 c5 15.Bxg4 Qxd4 16.Qxd4 cxd4 17.Bf3! White is winning material because of the threatened e4–e5]

14.Nf5 Bxa4 15.Qxd8 Bxd8 16.bxa4 Nc6 17.e5 Nxg4 18.Bg2 Ngxe5 19.Rhg1 Rc8

[19…g6 20.Bxe5]

20.Bxc6! Nxc6 21.Rxg7+ Kh8 22.Rd6! Bc7 23.Be5! 1–0

Sedlak resigns because after 23.Be5 Bxd6 (23…f6 24.Rdd7) 24.Rg8+ Kxg8 25.Nh6# beautiful line.

Well, I think you will agree with me that IM Robert Ris makes quite a compelling argument.

Once again, thanks to him and to Chessbase.com for the chance to show our readers this important analysis, and also for making The Fast and Furious video on Philidor with exd4 available to our readers for free.

 

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

Changing address

In retrospect, Tom Brady spent the 2019 season giving hint after hint that he was prepared to leave the Patriots. Not that the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League really planned to; familiarity and prolonged success provided ample reasons for him to stay. Rather, he felt he needed to show all and sundry that sentiment would be taking a back seat to sense, and that he, as a result, was prepared to cut ties with the only franchise for which he has ever suited up. Respect, he insisted, was due him for all his physical and financial sacrifices, and if he wasn’t going to get it in-house because the so-called Patriot Way cuts no slack, then pack his bags he must.

And so Brady did what he had to, giving warning signs en route. In August, he negotiated a salary that would net him much less than his market value, but he got, in exchange, the freedom of choice once his one-year contract extension lapsed. Over the next two months, he and personal trainer and business partner Alex Guerrero put their homes in Massachusetts up for sale. In December, he stepped down from his longtime position as regional ambassador for an annual fund-raising event to benefit the disabled. Meanwhile, he seemed to have no qualms openly displaying his frustrations with the Patriots’ offense, all the way through their disappointing wild-card loss last January.

Still, there can be no doubt Brady tried to continue his career in New England. As a free agent, he met with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and then with owner Robert Kraft, in an effort to get commitments on remuneration he believed reflected his worth. With the latter deferring to the former, however, the very ruthlessness that punctuated his achievements wound up working against him. The signs of decline he appeared to finally show last year reinforced the arguments that projected contributions no longer justify his own assessment of his value. The end result: they gave him a number he was not happy with, ultimately compelling him to walk away.

By all accounts, Brady will be signing with the Buccaneers, who just so happen to have ample cap space to welcome him at his asking price AND an offensive line with which he figures to do wonders. Head coach Bruce Arians has a well-deserved reputation as a “quarterback whisperer,” and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is certain to adjust to his strengths by instituting formations that lead to shorter air time. To be sure, his body of work speaks for itself, and he’s likely to thrive in his new environs. And if, by chance, he doesn’t, it won’t matter a whit; there can be no erasing what he has done, and why, if and when he opts to exit stage left, his place as the best of the best is already secure.

 

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.

Local employment startup Penbrothers accepted into 500 Startups Global Launch program

California-based venture capital firm 500 Startups recently kicked off the 500 Startups Global Launch, a program connecting high-flying post series A startups from all over the world. The 16-week Singapore Launch program helps startups grow in Southeast Asia through the sharing of deep market insights, firsthand coaching and exposure to the fund’s network of talent and potential investors. Companies accepted in the Singapore Launch program are going through an intensive immersion in Singapore’s business scene through May this year.

Some of the startups participating in the program include startups such as the wellness app Naluri, travel tech app Atta, gaming subscription service Go Games and buy-and-sell platform for clothing Clotify to data workspace company Datagran.

Of course, the Philippines is also represented: Manila-based Premium Employment platform Penbrothers (PB) is proud to fly the Filipino flag as part of the prestigious program.

Founded in 2014 by Guilherme Faria and Nicolas Bivero with the support of Gabrielle Pratte, Penbrothers helps startups and SMEs from all over to scale up their business by providing talent sourcing and HR management services.

The solutions provided by Penbrothers could prove especially useful for Singaporean businesses in particular, where the pool of talent in the island nation can be small. Penbrothers hopes that their inclusion in the program will encourage Singaporean startups to consider sourcing more employees from the Philippines, something that their counterparts in other countries have already been doing.

“I genuinely believe that the best talent in the world is right here in the Philippines! Everyone knows about the exceptional English & significant cost savings – what I find far more important is the characteristics of the Filipino workforce, which are resilience, adaptability & loyalty!” exclaimed Penbrothers Managing Director Josef Werker.

Co-founder Guilherme Faria previously bared that he was actually inspired to start Penbrothers after encountering problems while trying to expand operations for his other startup, Luxclusif. Though he quickly found local talent to work with, Faria laments that he was unable to offer employment benefits due to the difficulties of registering in the Philippines. This is when Nicolas brought the idea of creating a platform to solve that problem. Penbrothers was born.

“It’s all too often that we see ambitious, idealistic startups with compelling visions sadly ruined by an inability to keep up with rising costs of doing business. Companies like Penbrothers can save the day, and programs like the 500 Startups Global Launch make connecting with them easier than ever,” added Faria.

“Hiring talent is often one of the biggest concerns startups have. With the rise of productivity tools and people analytics platforms, which has helped make remote working more transparent and manageable, Penbrothers is well-positioned to help startups access an expanding talent pool in the Philippines. We’re excited to have them join our program and launch in Singapore in the next few months, and help startups in Singapore build and scale their teams.” said Ee Ling, 500 Startups Country Head of Singapore, Innovation and Partnerships.

About Penbrothers

Penbrothers helps startups and enterprises from all over the world by providing the very best in human resource, payroll and enrollment services. With over 100 global clients under our belt, Penbrothers is the number one platform for connecting up-and-coming businesses with the very best talent that the Philippines has to offer.

About 500 Startups

500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. It is one of the most active venture capital firms in the world. Since its inception in Silicon Valley, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,400 companies via its 5 global funds and 17 thematic funds dedicated to either specific geographic markets or verticals. Its 100+ team members are located in 20 countries around the world in order to support the 500 Startups global portfolio of investments which spans more than 75 countries. Notable investments in the 500 portfolio include Credit Karma, Twilio, Canva, Grab, Bukalapak, The RealReal, Talkdesk, Knotel, Udemy, and Ipsy. Beyond providing seed capital, 500 supports startups via their Seed Accelerator Programs which emphasize digital marketing, customer acquisition, lean startup practices, and fundraising for pre-Seed companies. 500 Startups further contributes to the development of innovation ecosystems by supporting startups and investors through educational programs, events, conferences, and partnerships with corporations and governments around the world.

Church-goers find new ways to gather on live-streaming platform KUMU

This month, live-streaming platform KUMU partnered with Favor Church to extend it’s mission to foster inclusivity and promote community by connecting the church’s congregation online.

Favor Church is streaming all five of its scheduled Sunday services live via KUMU. Users can now attend the services online and send virtual gifts which will all go to the church.

Established in October 2015 by senior pastors and couple James and Kate Aiton, Favor Church started out as a small community that gathers for prayer meetings inside a small condo unit. After a year, the community multiplied into a full-fledged church family.

“As a community, we are excited to partner with KUMU to bring our church experience to the world through this amazing app,” said Pastor James. “KUMU has such a positive and uplifiting social family that we believe it’s the perfect fit for our message of hope. This will make church services and content accessible to those who would never have the ability to step through our doors, and for us to reach and help many people. You’ve never seen church done like this before.”

“KUMU’s partnership with Favor Church comes in a very appropriate time when everyone is encouraged to practice social distancing,” says Mica Pineda, Kumu’s head of campaigns. “KUMU is thrilled to be Favor’s online platform in making church more accessible to its members and reaching other users globally in spreading hope and the gospel.”

IdeaSpace launches Opportunity Fund for Philippine startups

Philippine start-up accelerator IdeaSpace has formally launched an Opportunity Fund to invest in startups within and outside of the IdeaSpace portfolio. The Opportunity Fund aims to cater to early stage to pre-series A startups, particularly to founders who may be looking for funding to help make key business and strategic decisions.

IdeaSpace is a non-profit organization supporting early-stage technology entrepreneurship in the Philippines. To date, IdeaSpace has mentored and supported 91 startups under its incubation and acceleration program and has invested over P200 million worth of support into the Philippine startup ecosystem.

IdeaSpace President Butch Meily sees the Opportunity Fund as a vehicle for IdeaSpace to support founders and startups as they work to build stable, scalable, and sustainable businesses.

“We started the Opportunity Fund with the support of our Chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, to widen our net and to find dynamic, investment-worthy startups within and beyond the IdeaSpace ecosystem and to earn additional revenues to support IdeaSpace in the future,” shares Meily.

During the early stages of its Opportunity Fund, IdeaSpace first invested in Coins.ph for P1 million, eventually netting a 5x return after the startup was acquired by Indonesian tech platform provider Go-Jek. Since that initial investment, IdeaSpace has deployed its resources to its portfolio startups, which include 1Export, Experience Philippines, Cocotel, Airship, TimeFree Innovations, and to startups outside of the IdeaSpace network such as Acudeen, and Qwikwire,

“Our initial investment in Coins.ph showed us that there is another way for us to potentially support startups in their entrepreneurial journey,” noted IdeaSpace Executive Director Diane Eustaquio. “Not all founders go into our acceleration program and there’s still a lot of talent and leadership potential in the ecosystem. The Opportunity Fund is a way for us to support those founders and through our investment, show them that they’re on the right track.”

The accelerator is now looking for startups to invest in through its Opportunity Fund, as part of its efforts to grow its own resources while supporting founders as they pursue technopreneurship.

IdeaSpace evaluates startups in areas such as business model, traction, financials, and team competencies. With the Opportunity Fund, IdeaSpace hopes to help startups secure the resources they need to grow their business.

“IdeaSpace is looking for teams that have proven their ability to execute, their commitment to building and growing their startup, their ability to secure and keep business, and their ability to manage their resources,” shared Meily. “We are hoping that with the Opportunity Fund, we can bring the attention of more corporations, financial institutions, and investors to more Philippine startups that can take on larger, more long-term investments, be it through business partnerships or through additional funding.”

Lockdown may push growth below 6%

By Luz Wendy T. Noble
Reporter

MOODY’S Investors Service slashed its economic growth outlook for the Philippines to below six percent this year, factoring in the impact of the Luzon lockdown and the rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

In a report sent to reporters on Tuesday, the debt watcher further trimmed its 2020 forecast for the Philippine economy to 5.4%, from the 6.1% penciled in last February and the 6.2% estimate given last year.

If realized, Moody’s latest estimate would be slower than the 5.9% economic expansion recorded in 2019.

This would also be below the 6.5%-7.5% target set by the government, although Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia has said up to 1.2 percentage points could be shaved off this year’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth if the coronavirus outbreak continues until yearend.

Moody’s said rising global recession risks due to the pandemic prompted a downgrade of its growth forecast for emerging Asia to 4.7%. It also lowered growth outlook for China (4.8%), Thailand (1.8%), Malaysia (3%), and Vietnam (6%).

“Our new baseline assumes a pullback in consumption and ongoing disruption to production and supply chains in the first half of 2020, followed by a recovery in the second half,” Moody’s said in a report.

“Also, rising rates of infection would drive global sentiment even lower, heightening asset price volatility, and tightening financing conditions, which could snowball into deeper economic contraction,” it added.

Sought for comment, Christian de Guzman, senior vice-president at the Sovereign Risk Group of Moody’s said the downgraded outlook for Philippine growth factored in the lockdown of the main island of Luzon, which began on Monday.

“The main factors behind the revision of the Philippine forecast are downward shifts in our view of external demand, the rising rate of infection domestically and the imposition of measures to contain the outbreak, including the community quarantine on Metro Manila, which has since been expanded to Luzon,” Mr. De Guzman said in an e-mailed response to BusinessWorld.

The Health department on Tuesday afternoon reported 45 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 187.

The government on Monday placed the entire island of Luzon under “enhanced community quarantine” until April 12. During this period, classes and public transportation are suspended, while businesses are asked to stop operations or implement work-from-home schemes. Malls in Luzon have also been shut down.

Mr. De Guzman noted that the month-long lockdown will dampen consumer spending.

“The Philippine economy, which is largely dependent on consumption, is susceptible to swings in confidence, and the outbreak and associated containment measures have thus far served to dampen the mood of Filipino consumers and their appetite to go to shopping malls or eat out, for example, thus weighing on the outlook for the retail sector,” he said.

Mr. De Guzman said limited government operations may hinder the Duterte administration’s ability to fulfill spending commitments through its “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

Higher government spending is seen to help cushion the effects of the COVID-19 on the Philippine economy.

“This casts into doubt on the ability of the government to execute comprehensively its budgeted plans, which continued an emphasis on ambitious infrastructure development and which we had previously cited as a buffer against the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak,” he said.

Last week, Moody’s Analytics, a unit of Moody’s which focuses on non-rating activities, lowered its growth forecast for the country to 4.9% due to expected losses from service exports and lower remittances.

For 2021, Moody’s upgraded its outlook for the Philippines to 6.5% from a previous estimate of 6.4%.

“Our upward revision for 2021 assumes a normalization in economic activity next year, which should lead to a mild bump in growth due to base effects, i.e., an artificially large increase from depressed levels from the first half of this year,” Mr. De Guzman said.

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