By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
The world’s strongest chess tournament this year involving 10 players ended last Friday. It is the Altibox Norway chess, 2018 where the current world champion Magnus Carlsen, and our very own Wesley So were participants. The rest of the players belong to the top 12 in the world.
I was following the tournament, held in Stavanger, Norway since it started on May 28,2018. It actually begun a day earlier with a blitz tournament, considered the strongest blitz tourney ever in history. A blitz game is one where a player uses only 5 minutes to finish a chess game; the opponent uses the same amount of time. After 5 minutes, the flag in the chess clock falls if game had not yet ended decisively. The player whose flag falls first loses the match.
The blitz competition was done to determine the top five who will have extra white pieces. In chess, white pieces are usually favored over the black ones. Wesley won the blitz. It was a confidence booster for him. The world champion finished only 4th. The result gave me more reason to follow the main tournament, and expectation that it will be similarly won by So.
The international chess federation (known by its French acronym, FIDE) ranks players in three categories: blitz, rapid (30minutes per player per game), and classical (2-2 ½ hours per player per game). Wesley is now ranked #3 in blitz, #13 in rapid, and climbed to #2 in classical play last year, but is currently no. 8 in the live rating.
Wesley showed his true mettle in the 6th round of the Norway chess 2018 when he mightily defeated the world champion, the first time he did so in the classical play. In the penultimate round, So was tied with 4 others for the lead. I know that many of our chess enthusiasts, just like me, were hoping that he will win the tourney. But lo and behold, he blundered his way and lost in the last round to Caruana, the current challenger to the world crown. It was a heartbreak. He could have had the distinction of winning the highest rated 10-player round robin tournament. That, now belongs to his conqueror. If Wesley won, this piece would have taken another flavor.
The organization of the Altibox Norway Chess tournament is very instructive on how to handle an athlete, especially those considered treasures as one may rightfully think. It was started in 2013 by three individuals in their own private capacity, in honor of Magnus Carlsen who happened to become world champion that year. Carlsen was being honored, that’s the key action. He was never of course treated with kid gloves. In contrast, Wesley So of Cavite while still actively representing the country in international play, was regarded like a loan borrower who defaulted on his loan for quite some time. Or, like a kid who does not have his own mind, or an ingrate who was given a candy but does not return the favor in any way.
Fact is, Wesley had given so much prestige to the Philippines not only in the firmament of chess but in global sports in general. The world took note of him, and the Philippines for that matter, when he was still a chess prodigy. He won various laurels for the country. That was lost in the convoluted mind of local chess demagogues. Here, athletes are disrespected instead of honored, given a turnaround instead of incentives, and considered like vassals by the head honchos. Can we fault him for seeking better treatment elsewhere? He is now representing the USA in tournaments, and he is given respect that he deserves that’s why he is performing so well in the world stage.
Many national sports officials even consider players as just like canto boys, uninitiated, uneducated, and uncouth. They consider their sports as their fiefdom.
I can vividly recall the time, when I captained a BSU team to the 1992 national chess team championship, just prior to the World Chess Olympics held in Manila that year. We competed with about 50 teams from around the Philippines, many of which had chess masters in their lineups. We finished a respectable 26th placer. Prior to the start of one of the rounds, and before I sat for my board 3 assignment, I was taking pictures. One of the officials was giving instructions when he saw me documenting. He approached and gave me a tongue-lashing, and berated me in front of other chess players. He did not have an iota of decency to gently tell me that I was a distraction, that I should listen to his imperious way of briefing. This is a glaring bad example of how sports officials treat athletes. With these kinds of officials, how can athletes give their best? No wonder, we are now wallowing at the bottom of medal standings even in SEA Games.
By the way, the organizers of the Altibox tourney not only honored Carlsen with it but also had in mind the promotion of scholastic chess. They believe, as many others, that “chess is an excellent tool for the development of the intellectual ability of young people” thus, a three-day chess festival for kids was scheduled after the tournament. This is something that we could copy if we want to develop and showcase the innate chess talent of young Filipinos. Private sponsors certainly, will be possible only if officials will show real interest, concern for the sport and proper leadership attitude.
Of course, not the kingly or master type.
