Sabaldan: Young chess sensation is new Fide Master on the go

AT THE rate Austin Jacob Literatus is going with his consistent gold medal haul in international tournaments there will be little chances for him to fail in this field.

His current role model is the country's youngest and one and only Super GM Wesley So while Eugene Torre is one great inspiration with his unique achievement as Asia’s first grandmaster.

We will again see more of his talents and the rest of the NCFP candidates for National Masters, IMs and Fide Masters of the NCFP-sanctioned 1st Councilor Jackson Reyes Chess Open on Saturday July 28, 2012. The pre-Kadayawan offering of NCFP is part of the relay of SP councilors support for what most parents believed is the most child-accessible game.

Easily available in the sense that chess can be played indoors and outdoors with the least energy consumed and at the least expense. One practice chess board can be bought at more than one hundred pesos and the young students of chess do not need any gadgets except raw talent, skills and one timer to familiarize himself with formal tournament rules.

Although there is one problem cited by observers on the problem of obesity because of the sedentary nature of the game using only the mental faculties while applying physical stillness for hours. For most health buffs, however, obesity is not just a problem of long hours of physical respite but mostly due to present lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits.

Recently, the masters of the game introduced the chess blitz to inject more fun and decisive moving of the pawns and pieces. Played mostly in less than thirty minutes, the blitz is hardly applying great physical exertion except for the fast movement of the hands in moving the pieces and the quick tapping of the timer.

As the recently hailed Fide Master owing to his gold medal wins in Vietnam by the international chess federation, Literatus is already one international rank higher even ahead of those who are several years his senior and had been stuck for quite a while as National Masters. Most of our overage NMs, however, did not have the chances and international exposures that the current crop of chess players are getting through the efforts of local government officials, PSC, POC and the mother organization NCFP.

His less publicized exploits as a young, teen chess sensation of Dona Carmen Denia National High School is the least publicized as the NCFP concentrates on preparing him for more international events to gain more experience in the more competitive global rooster of young wizards of chess.

NCFP officials in the Davao Region think that Literatus possesses the potentials to be the next GM after his recognition in the Fide Master ranking.

The projection of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines NCFP-Davao is that AJ Literatus will even get the GM norms ahead of the most senior national master protégés of Gov. Lala Montelibano and her growing fold of chess enthusiasts in Kidapawan.

Current Beat: Chess is a game of intellectual wizardry. - NM Sammy Yu