By Rey Bancod
The 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships are expected to provide a big opportunity for Filipino players to improve their ELO ratings which have gone south through the years.
Since Grandmaster Mark Paragua became the first Filipino to breach the 2600 ELO rating, only three players hold ratings above 2500.
Curiously, all three players – GMs Julio Catalino Sadorra (2568), Oliver Barbosa (2552) and Paragua (2501) – are now based in the United States.
GM John Paul Gomez, the country’s highest seed player in the field, has an ELO of 2450, ranked eighth nationally.
The reason for the plummeting ratings is simple.
“When players lose to a lower-ranked opponent, they also lose points,” said GM Jayson Gonzales whose own ELO rating has dropped to 2363.
Gonzales said the key is to compete regularly with higher-rated opponents, something the Asian event can provide.
With four players carrying 2700-plus ratings and another 11 with 2600-plus, the event gives players a big chance to boost their ELO ratings.
Aside from the automatic GM title that will be awarded to the champion, the tournament also offers participants to complete their GM norms.
“Times two, meaning if you have one norm, you can complete the three-norm requirement with a good performance here,” said Gonzales.
Getting a norm involves a complicated process involving not only the results, but also the strength of the opponents you face.
Among the Filipino players who can get the GM result in the tournament are International Masters Paulo Bersamina, Oliver Dimakiling and even Chito Garma.
The tournament, also billed as the second Manny Pacquiao Cup, also offers international titles to deserving participants.
It marked only the first time the country is hosting a major international tournament this year, not counting the recent Asean age-group chess tournament in Davao City.
Yesterday, the nine-round Swiss System event got going after the opening ceremony graced by Senator Pacquiao, in whose honor the tournament is named, and National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) president Butch Pichay.
The $50,000 tournament is held at the Tiara Hotel in Makati.
