Chess clinic continues

LINGAYEN -- The more than 300 young chess enthusiasts who signed up in the 1st Governor Amado Espino Jr. Chess Clinic are now on the second week of training.

Being held on weekends, the training started last week and will end next Sunday.

Post your reaction to the Manila hostage crisis

The opening program was led by Governor Espino who encouraged the young enthusiasts to strive hard to be good in their chosen sport.

A roster of young Pangasinense chess champions joined him in welcoming and inspiring participants, namely, Haridas Pascua (Federacion Internacinal de Echez (FIDE) Chess Master); Samantha Glo Revita (gold medalist, ASEAN Age Group Chess Championship years 2007, 2008 and 2009; Prince Mark Aquino (gold medalist, ASEAN Age Group Chess Championship 2010); Regyne Palaming (2010 ASEAN Group Gold Rapid, National Age Group Champion held in Davao City); Fernando Mendoza (gold, Team Rapid Chess Open 12); Ernalie Baluyot (Ilocos Region Athletic Association Meet 2009 Board 2 Champion and DEPED YMCA 2008 champion); and Danica Alexis Ablang (2008 under 8 champion and Vietnam 2008 ASEAN Multi-awardee.

The chess clinic was organized by the Provincial Government and the Pangasinan Chess Federation (PCF).

Modesto Operaña, sports consultant to the governor and one of the coordinators, said they were amazed by the overwhelming positive response and support from various schools, towns and cities provincewide. The number of participants is way beyond their expectation of only 150 participants.

Meanwhile, Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan described the game of chess as a very strong instrument in building teamwork and creating community effort and spirit.

He said the activity is an organized effort to train the young to think properly and play chess with an end view of developing their intellectual and thinking skills and self-discipline.

Baraan cited chess champions Samantha Glo Revita and Prince Mark Aquino as among those who earned scholarship as well as the privilege to travel anywhere in the world because of chess.

Pangasinan Chess Federation President Juan Sison thanked the governor his support to youth development programs.

Sison compared the life of Governor Espino as a lesson on how to play the games of chess as he noted that the governor is known to him as sports lover, generous and compassionate man even before he entered politics.

“Even if the governor is not a tournament player, he has been playing his life like a grandmaster. He know very well how to prepare, start, open, know tactics and how to aim his every endeavor that he has achieved a lot of success. He wants us to learn the fundamentals of chess because by learning the theories of chess, opening, middle and end game, we can use these as guidance to our lives,” Sison disclosed.

International Chess Master Rodolfo Tan Cardozo leads the lecturers in the chess clinic. (LCMY/Sunnex)