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As new chess league’s top pick, Eugene Torre acknowledges game bigger than self

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Manolo Pedralvez

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1SorNkz5IcE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Although honored in being chosen the No. 1 pick in the inaugural draft session of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines over the weekend, Grandmaster Eugene acknowledged he felt slightly pensive in being in the chess spotlight once again.“I was excited but with a bit of apprehension because the attention fell on me once more,” said Torre, who was chosen by the Rizal Towers as the first player selected in the PCAP draft Torre witnessed personally along with a handful of others at the Quezon City Sports Club.Besides Torre, also present were Games and Amusements Board chairman Baham Mitra, who was instrumental helping local players turn pro, and PCAP founding president and league commissioner Atty. Paul Elauria, who presided over the draft.“Admittedly, however, it’s an honor in itself,” added the 69-year-old pride of Dingle town, Iloilo, who became Asia’s first GM for bagging the silver medal on Board 1 at the 21st Chess Olympiad held in Nice, France in 1974, of his latest distinction.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/22/20/after-long-wait-chess-legend-eugene-torre-sees-dream-of-local-pro-competition-come-true">After long wait, chess legend Eugene Torre sees dream of local pro competition come true</a></li></ul>Iloilo took GM Joey Antonio, who lives in Caloocan City and was also present at the event, as the second pick while Quezon City native Michaela Concio was the surprise No. 3 pick by her hometown during the draft that lasted 3 rounds and 4 hours. Regarded as the country’s premier chess icon for over several decades, Torre said he was more at ease about talking about the impact of having a pro league for local chess players.“My first thought was how this league would benefit our chess players. This was important more than anything else. It was just a bonus that I was first in the draft,” he said.<div>PCAP players to have fixed salaries</div>Elauria bared that each member on the team composed of seven players will have a fixed salary depending on which board they play.“We actually have fixed rates for Board 1 down to Board 7. We also have a team cap,” he said, adding that this excludes other income sources derived from incentives, bonuses and sponsorships once they come in.“Although the rates are relatively small, the amounts that the players will eventually earn will be much bigger as PCAP grows,” Elauria added, saying that some local government units have sponsors keen on bankrolling their respective squads carrying their standard.One example are the Caloocan Knights, sponsored by Load Manna, an online and mobile service provider based in the city.“Siyempre sa umpisa maliit lang muna (Of course, we will start small). But I foresee the league growing and flourishing as we get more established,” said Torre, who continued to deflect the attention from himself.“The fact my last name is Torre is incidental. Rizal province is the actual tower here,” noted the sports icon, referring to the province named after national hero Jose Rizal, who was a well-known chess enthusiast.Elauria said he was elated by other developments that emerged from the draft, including the formation of the all-women’s squad by the Palawan Queen’s Gambit, which was obviously inspired by the popular Netflix series of the same title.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/19/20/how-the-queens-gambit-started-a-new-debate-about-sexism-in-chess">How ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ started a new debate about sexism in chess</a></li></ul><div>All-women Palawan Queen’s Gambit</div>Woman International Masters Marie Antoinette San Diego, Catherine Perena-Secopito and Mikee Charlene Suede banner the team managed by Jojo Mitra, the GAB chairman’s elder brother, and coached by La Salle Chess Club mentor and instructor Sonia Neri.WIM candidate Shaina Mae Mendoza, Women National Masters Carmelita Abanes and Cecilia Cuizon and homegrown talents Marife dela Torre, Yanika Eli Seratubias Jesibel Maberit complete the roster.“We know the queens (in chess) always have the last say. Just see, we’ll surprise everyone,” Neri said in a statement about the squad’s aspirations.Elauria said he was also delighted that the league has become a vehicle for returning players, among them National Master Pacifico Villasenor, 81, who will be the oldest player in the league.‘In fact his son, Art, who is in his 60s, told us that his father plays chess better than him. They will be a father-and-son for Caloocan,” Neri said.Among the other prominent chess elder statesmen seeing action is retired judge and ex-National Master Rosendo Bandal, 73, who was a national team mainstay in the 60s and had the privilege of playing against legendary American GM Bobby Fischer, according to Elauria.Also lured to play in the league opening on January 16 are veteran International Masters Cris Ramayrat, Rolando Nolte and Rico Mascarinas, who dropped out of the local chess scene for a while, he added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/drive/sports/12/09/20/wesley-so-in-the-eyes-of-lotis-key">Exclusive: Wesley So in the eyes of Lotis Key</a></li></ul><div>GM Wesley So inspires PCAP players</div>The bespectacled lawyer likewise cited the virtual presence of US-based GM Wesley So, who sent a written inspirational message to the participants of the fledgling league.“I was excited as well as surprised when I heard about the formation of PCAP. It takes such courage and stamina to start thinking differently in an arena where thinking has been characterized by complacency and status quo,” So, who was born in Bacoor, Cavite before his US exodus in 2014, said.“Our natural ability is not for foreign ball sports,” he stressed in citing the qualities why Filipinos were ideal for the thinking game. “Who is more resourceful, creative, innovative and imaginative than the Filipino? Who manages to survive no matter what the world throws at him? Who is constantly devising plans to win?,” the Fischer world random chess champion pointed out.“No one can guarantee you will go on to make your living at this sport. But I can guarantee this: if you train your brain with chess, you will go much further ahead in life, than if you train only your body for other physical sports,” he concluded.So lauded the PCAP organizers, stating: “Thank you to the PCAP Board headed by Chairman Michael Angelo Chua, to Commissioner Paul Elauria, and everyone else involved for trying to create a professional chess league. It’s a dream worth fighting for.”With no less than Torre and So giving their all-out support, PCAP appears to have made the right opening moves, an ambitious gambit that hopefully pays off for chess and its players in the country over the long haul.

Torre, who has had extensive experience playing internationally, says seeing the first domestic professional competition take off is a dream come true.

Torre, who has had extensive experience playing internationally, says seeing the first domestic professional competition take off is a dream come true.