LONDON/NEW YORK -- Golf’s jewel in the crown The Masters and English soccer’s Premier League joined the lengthening list of elite sporting events to fall foul of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday.

THE FIRST Women’s Online Bullet Chess Championships, which unfolds on April 1 at 1 p.m. gets a big boost as Knights of the Square Table announced its sponsorship of the prestigious competition featuring the world’s fastest players.

GIVEN the many health challenges an individual faces nowadays, the need to stay healthy could not be more underscored.

To recap, in the Philidor Defense after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Black’s woes can be traced to his insistence on maintaining the strongpoint on e5. Why not just give it up and play solid? What’s wrong with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7, the Antoshin Variation? GM Larry Kaufman in “Kaufman’s New Repertoire for Black and White,” remarks that this line is a pretty reasonable choice for Black in a must-win situation, because although White is better, both sides have play, and the chances of a draw are fairly low. He then revealed that he selected this defense for Black repeatedly and successfully for the computer program Rybka in a match where it gave draw and White odds in every game to GM Joel Benjamin.

Golf was among the last of the organized sports to shut down due to the novel coronavirus. The Players Championship, long touted to be the pro ranks’ unofficial fifth major event due to its competitive fields and highly regarded home course, actually finished its first round -- and with crowds to boot -- before being called off. Up until then, United States Professional Golfers Association Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had been adamant in saying the show would go on in light of the varied circumstances under which competitive play occurs.

WITH THE SPREAD of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) an ongoing and concerning threat, and in relation to the local measures put up to contain it, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) at the weekend moved to cancel the remainder of Season 82.

DESPITE global concerns on the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night 170 pushed through in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sunday (Manila time) with Brazilian Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira topping American Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee in their lightweight battle.

THE Annual PBA Press Corps Awards Night which was set to take place today has been moved to a later date in accordance with the guidelines set by the government as the National Capital Region went under “community quarantine” on Sunday to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A lot has happened since Rudy Gobert playfully mocked in a presser last week safety precautions against the transmission of the novel coronavirus. Prior to leaving the premises, he went to the trouble of touching every microphone and voice recorder laid out in front of the table -- effectively belittling its capacity to spread. Never mind that the National Basketball Association had just instituted measures distancing players from members of the media in an effort to minimize, if not altogether eradicate, infection. And never mind that France, from which he hails, was then already hard-hit and fighting to contain it.

AFC Cup Group G leader Ceres-Negros FC extended its lead on top of the heap after defeating Bali United FC, 4-0, in tournament action on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

INITIALLY did not have her way at the Asia and Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Amman, Jordan, Filipino flyweight boxer Irish Magno stayed the course and saw it pay off as she booked a spot in the Tokyo Olympic Games later this year.

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA announced that it will suspend the season after the Wednesday night schedule until further notice as it deals with the coronavirus pandemic.