UAAP chess wars
2016-2017 UAAP Chess Team Tournament (Seniors) Feb. 4-April 2, 2017 4th Floor, Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, De La Salle University, Taft Avenue, Manila
Final Ranking
1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NU), 44/56, 28 match points
2. FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU), 39/56, 19 match points
3. UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST (UE), 33.5/56, 20 match points
4. UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS ( UST), 31/56, 18 match points
5. DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY (DLSU), 26/56, 12 match points
6. ADAMSON UNIVERSITY (AdU), 25.5/56, 11 match points
7. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY (ADMU), 12.5/56, 3 match points
8. UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP), 12.5/56, 1 match point Individual Awards:
Most Valuable Player: IM Paulo Bersamina (NU); Rookie of the Year: Gavin Lloyd Ong (ADMU)
Board 1: Gold IM Paulo Bersamina (NU); Silver NM Paul Robert Evangelistsa (FEU); Bronze Heirry Manaloto (UST)
Board 2: Gold Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano (FEU); Silver Kimuel Aaron Lorenzo (UE); Bronze Ryan Christian Magtabog (NU)
Board 3: Gold FM Austin Jacob Literatus (NU); Silver Christian Anthony Flores (UST); Bronze Romy Fagon (FEU)
Board 4: Gold Vince Angelo Medina (NU); Silver Christian Nanola (DLSU); Bronze John Ernie Maraan (UE)
Board 5: Gold Jose Carlo Castro ( FEU); Silver Eliseo Budoso ( UE); Bronze Denzel John Amar (DLSU)
Board 6: Gold Ferdinand Aviles ( FEU); Silver Ronald Allan Barcelon (UE); Bronze Alji Cantonjos (AdU)
We showed you last Tuesday two games from IM Paulo Bersamina who put up quite a show in this year’s UAAP — he played in all 14 rounds, allowed 4 draws and won everything else.
FEU’s National Master Paul Robert Evangelista got the silver on board 1 with 9 wins 2 draws and 2 losses (10/13). An Architecture student from FEU, he is the current reigning Philippine Junior (Under-20) Champion and in that capacity represented the country in the 2016 Bhubanewswar World Junior Championship. Paul Robert did not do so well in India but his kill-orbe-killed style was very much in evidence. He won 5 games, lost 7 and did not have a single draw. Let me show you the bloodthirsty chess he played there.
*** Evangelista, Paul Robert (2020) — Arjun, Kalyan (2292) [C24] World Junior Open 2016 Bhubaneswar IND (2.32),
09.08.2016 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3 d4 7.Ne2 h6 8.Ng3 Qe7 9.Nh4 g6 10.0–0 Nfd7 11.Qg4 Nb6 12.Ngf5 gxf5 13.Qg7 Rf8 14.Bxh6 Qxh4 15.Bg5 Qh8 16.Bxf7+ Kd7 17.Qg6 Be7 18.Qe6+ Kc7 19.Qxe7+ N8d7 20.f4 Rxf7 21.Qxf7 Qf8 22.Qh7 fxe4 23.fxe5 Qe8 24.e6 Qxe6 25.Bf4+ Kd8 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Rae1 e3 28.Bg5+ Kd6 29.Qxd4+ Kc7 30.Bf4+ Kd8 31.Qh8+ 1–0
This Bolinao, Pangasinan native is a fearless fighter with great tactical skill but still a rough diamond. Anyway, with GM Jayson Gonzales as his coach in FEU I am sure he will soon start reaping honors for the Philippines — just needs more experience. *** Evangelista, Paul Robert — Manaloto, Heirry [B26] 2016-2017 UAAP Chess (SENIORS) Henry Sy, Sr. Hall DLSU (5.2), 19.02.2017 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Evangelista is an expert in the Morra Gambit, 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 but I guess
against the stronger players he prefers not to lash out so early. 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nd4 7.Qd2 Nf6
In this position due to White’s forthcoming pawn storm Black usually prefers the formation with ...e6 and ...Ne7 so that he has the option of pushing ...f7–f5. 8.h3 e5 9.Nce2 0–0 10.c3 Nxe2
Black will miss this knight. He should have kept it with 10...Nc6.
11.Nxe2 Be6 12.f4 Qc8 13.g4 exf4 14.Nxf4 Rd8 15.0–0 Rb8 16.Qf2
After 16.Qf2 White’s threat is 17.Nd5 Bxd5 (17...Nxd5? 18.exd5 the bishop will have to leave its defense of f7) 18.exd5 Rd7 19.Bg5 Ne8 20.Rae1 with pressure.
16... Ne8 17. Rac1 b5 18. b3 Nc7 19.d4 Na6 20.Qh4 Re8 21.Nxe6 Qxe6 22.Bh6 b4!
Manaloto, ever the resourceful defender, manages to get counter chances in this desperate situation. 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.g5
And now White intends to follow-up with 25.Rf6 Qd7 26.Rcf1 Re7 (26...Rf8 27.Qh6+ Kh8 does not change anything) 27.Qh6+ Kg8 with Rf1–f4–h4 coming up. 24... bxc3 25. Rf6 Qd7 26. Rcf1 Re7 <D> 27.e5 The intention is of course to play 27.Qh6+, but now 27...Kg8 28.R1f4 c2 29.Rh4 c1Q+ 30.Kh2 Ree8 31.Qxh7+ Kf8 32.Qh8+ Ke7 33.Rxf7+ Kd8 is unwanted complication.
27...dxe5 28.d5! Greed is no good. After 28.Rxa6 exd4 Black is the one playing for a win. 28...Rb6
To prevent White’s d5–d6.
29.Qc4 Nc7 30.Qxc5 Rb5 31.Qc4 Nxd5 32.Rd1 c2 33.Qxc2 Qc7 34.Rc6 Qa5 35.a4 Nb4 36.Qf2 Nxc6?
After some superb defense Manaloto cracks. He should have watched his back rank with 36...Rb8. 37.axb5!
Manaloto expected 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. axb5 ( 38. Qxc6? Rxb3 the tables have turned and Black wins) 38...Qb6+! 39.Kh2 Re6 when everything holds. He did not expect that by changing the order of his moves white can penetrate. 37...e4
[37...Qxb5 38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Bxc6]
38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.bxc6 Qc7 40.Bxe4 1–0
Black resigns as 40...Rxe4 is impossible because of 41.Rd8+. An exciting battle!
FIDE Master (FM) Austin Jacob Literatus is a Palarong Pambansa gold medalist and dubbed the “Terror from Toril” due to his attacking style. He is the nephew of former Asian Junior Champion (1982) IM Marlo Micayabas, perhaps the strongest player to emerge from Davao. Austin Jacob has been representing the country in various regional Age Group Championships and is much bemedalled.
*** Literatus, Austin Jacob —
Fagon, Romy [E97] 2016-2017 UAAP Chess (SENIORS) Henry Sy, Sr. Hall DLSU (4.3),
12.02.2017 1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.e4 Nc6 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 Ne7 8.0–0 0–0 9.b4 Ne8
[9...Nh5 is more popular by a factor of around 7:1, but that does not mean this system does not have its adherents.] 10.c5
Other moves are 10.a4 and 10.Nd2. 10...h6
There is a ton of theory here, but most people consider this a loss of time and prefer 10...f5 11.Nd2 (11.Ng5 is another popular way of continuing 11...h6 12.Ne6 Bxe6 13.dxe6 fxe4 14.cxd6 Nxd6 with chances for both sides) 11...Nf6 12.f3 f4 13.Nc4 g5 14.a4 Ng6 15.Ba3 Rf7 16.b5 Bf8 17.b6 with the typical play we would expect from the Kings’ Indian. 11.a4 f5 12.Nd2 fxe4 13.Ndxe4 Nf5 14.Bg4!?
White typically puts this bishop on d3 to point at Black’s kingside but Literatus has this idea to remove the light-squared bishops from the board and it succeeds in this game. 14...Qh4 15.h3 Nd4 16.Be3 Qe7?
King’s Indian players do not retreat their pieces. I would have preferred 16... Bf5! 17.Bxc8 Rxc8 18.Qg4
Forking the rook and g6–pawn. 18...Nf5 19.Qxg6 Kh8 20.c6 b6?
Literatus will show why this move is a mistake.
21.a5 Rb8 22.axb6 axb6 23.Ng3 Qf7 24. Qxf7 Rxf7 25. Nge4 Nd4 26.Ra7 Nc2? Black still has no idea what Literatus is planning.
27.Rb7! Rc8 28.Bxb6 Nxb4 29.Rb1 Nc2 30.Ba5
The idea is now to play 31.Rb8 Rxb8 32.Rxb8 Rf8 33.Nb5 and Black’s queenside pawns go.
30... Ra8 31. Rb8 Rxa5 32. Rxe8+ Kh7 33. Rc8 Nd4 34. Rb7 Kg6 35.Rcxc7 Rxc7 36.Rxc7 Nb5 37.Nxb5 Rxb5 38.Nxd6 1–0
Black resigns as after 38.Nxd6 Rxd5 39.Rxg7+ Kxg7 40.c7 he has to give up his rook for the queening pawn.