More than just a game, it’s nation building

He reveals he practices his moves several hours a day when he doesn’t have classes. Aside from several national championships, Jerad already brought home gold and silver medals from chess competitions in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore when he was still a high school freshman. His father, Crispin, affirms that his son excels in school and continues to maintain his scholarship.

Jacqueline H. Ampil, country social investment manager of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, shares that 20 years ago, back when Eugene Torre started winning chess competition after competition, Shell executives thought of bringing active chess to the grassroots where the company has a lot of terminals operating.

A Sport For Everyone

The Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship is borne of the belief that the Filipino youth has the capacity to muster excellence and competitiveness through a global mental sport. Since 1992, Shell Companies in the Philippines set out to engage the minds of the youth via chess tournaments open to Filipino students aged 20 and below. The competitions are held in strategic locations nationwide.

“We want to give the youth in the provinces a chance to learn about the sport,” explains Ampil, who describes that in chess, unlike other sports like soccer or basketball, one doesn’t have to be physically fit or “right” for it. She clarifies, “Say, in basketball, you have to be tall; in soccer, you have to run fast. Chess can be played by anybody because, here, it’s your mind that works.”

Ampil adds that since chess is a mind game, it enhances players’ logical skills and thinking. “It’s analytical, so it helps them with school subjects like math. And players also know that under the parents’ guidance, they cannot play chess if they don’t study first. Thus, they develop a lot of values before actually competing,” she says.

Every year, Shell’s National Youth Active Chess participants not only get to meet friends but also learn sportsmanship. “They know there will only be a few winners; it’s not about team effort but individual prominence,” states Ampil, who verifies that Shell Active Chess is an open competition. 

“The only requirement is for the kids to be a member of the National Chess Federation,” she says.

Before starting the actual games every June, Shell also holds free chess clinics in May. “Here, the coaches are chess masters so the training the players get is very special.”

More Than Monetary Rewards

One of the best values players develop through chess, Ampil says, “is responsibility, like when they make a move, they are always thinking what will happen next, what the next move would be.” This constant thinking and anticipation, she says, are applied by the players in their everyday lives. 

“Whether it’s about school or something else, there’s always a consequence to every move. Chess is not only a game, it enhances their mind,” she reiterates.

Chess, illustrates Ampil, is more than a sobering game that tests the limits of patience and reserves of mental stamina in the player. “It is an engagement that brings out the individual’s character and shapes his mettle to cope with the demands of any situation.”

During competitions, scouts go around to recruit really good players for high school and college scholarships. “So that helps them a lot, both the parents and the students. They get recognized and they get to finish their education,” shares Ampil.

Nation Building

The event’s legs are held in different areas like Cebu, Tuguegarao, Davao, Batangas, as well as Manila. After the provincial legs, a two-day grand final was held in Manila at the SM Megamall last September 22 and 23. “We bring everybody to Manila. We pay for their and their guardians’ airfares. 

The grand winner becomes the national champion,” says Ampil, adding that their rules are “more stringent now so we get the really serious ones who want to excel because when they compete, they compete for the Philippines when they go abroad. So it brings the country prestige also.”

To date, Shell has already produced nine grandmasters, one of whom is Wesley So, four international masters, and more than 18 national masters. “Some of them became coaches as chess is in the curriculum now of some schools. They are the ones who normally scout for recruitment.”

To date, tens of thousands of young people have been motivated and credit chess playing as an activity that has positively contributed to enriching their lives. Like Jerad and his colleagues, they have come to appreciate values such as discipline, diligence, sense of play, maturity and responsibility that the game has taught them.

The winners who have graduated the ranks of the tournaments and gained individual prominence as masters competed not only for glory but also to prove that the Philippines is a breeding ground of individuals with exceptional talents and skills.

Pilipinas Shell reaffirms its promise to serve the cause of nation building through the continuing involvement in the sport. Ampil points out that it is part of their commitment to contribute to the overall development and growth of the Filipino youth. “For many, these basic values that chess has fostered in their young lives will be useful tools in facing adulthood. The company believes in providing opportunities for the youth to excel and enhance their skills as they help build a better tomorrow for the country and the citizenry,” she ends.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph