RP Dream Team

08:55 PM, December 16, 2010
Chess Piece — By Bobby Ang
Dream team?

With the Philippines’ successful showing in the 2010 Asian Games Team Championship, I have read several posts declaring GMs Wesley So, Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo as our “dream team.”

This is a discussion which is repeated over and over again every time we come out with a good performance. GM Torre has been in so many of our national teams — would you like to read about his opinion here? He considers the 1974 Nice Olympiad squad as the true “dream team” of the Philippines. Due to the popularity of the article I wrote last week which gave an excerpt from the aborted Torre book, I have decided to share another one, in GM Torre’s own words.

1974 PHILIPPINE CHAMPIONSHIP

Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Center

March 15 — April 11, 1974

1. IM Eugenio Torre, 15.5/19

2. IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, 13.5/19

3-4. IM Renato Naranja, Rosendo Balinas, Jr, 12.0/19

5-6. Ramon Lontoc, Jr, Glenn Bordonada, 11.5/19

7. Roberto Kaimo, 11.0/19

8-11. Roger Abella, Roger dela Vega, Glicerio Badilles, Rico Mascarinas, 10.0/19

12-13. Edgar de Castro, Julian Lobigas, 9.0/19

14-15. Vic Torre, Rafaelito Maninang, 8.5/19

16. Susano Aguilar, 8.0/19

17. Cesar Caturla, 7.5/19

18. Mariano Acosta, 6.5/19

19. Edwin Edillon, 5.0/19

20. Roberto Lopez, 1.0/19

(by way of history, the top 6 placers of the 1974 championship was the basis for the formation of the Nice Olympiad team)

The 29-year-old Bob Kaimo was among the leaders for much of the tournament and was very unlucky to finish just half a point out of the cutoff. I sort of empathized with him because he showed great determination to make the team and even quit his job with Elizalde & Co. to prepare for the tournament. He was also one of the better-known local players. At around this time Mr. Campomanes had been hosting a TV chess show Chess with the Masters, and its highlight was a competition among National Masters where after the game the winner or sometimes even both players are asked to give their comments, and during the TV broadcast these insights would be spliced together with the actual game for the audience’s benefit. This was a great idea, of course, and Willie Monta won the first edition. In the second year, when the idea had already caught on and became quite popular it was Bob Kaimo’s time to win.

Sadly, this was the closest Bobby ever got to representing his country in the Olympiad team. Soon after he left for the United States and has not competed here again.

The top six were named to the “Philippine Dream Team” which was to represent the country in the Nice Olympiad. We had a real mix of veterans and youth players. Glenn Bordonada represented the up-and-comers. In the 1973 National Students Championship he had tied for runner-up honors with Cesar Caturla and Lito Maninang behind winner Rico Mascarinas. These four were seeded to play in the final round, and here it was Bordonada (three-time UP Champion) who pushed ahead and made the team.

Full article here.