Thursday, November 17, 2005

Philippines Chess A Shambles

What else is new?

Go to the FIDE ratings database and look for Paragua. Being RP's highest rated player and newest GM, you'd surely expect to see his name. But nope, nothing there. OK then, how about searching for all Pinoys. Nada! No result!

What happened? Is the FIDE database corrupted? Has RP been wiped off the planet? Nope. My friends, those drongos are at it again. The national fed, NCFP has fallen in arrears with their payments. As is their typical action, FIDE withheld publication of Pinoy ratings. For a country that is about to go into chess combat in the SEA Games, on home soil no less, this kind of humiliation in front of our neighbours is the last thing we need.

Speaking of Paragua, it seems that the poor bloke is being ostracised by the head honchos within the NCFP. His request for funding has not been endorsed. We recall that Paragua failed to qualify for the SEA Games team but was later offered a slot anyway by the NCFP. Paragua declined and, instead, opted to play in Malaysia which, of course, scored him a spot in the World Cup. What we're seeing here is an ugly bitch fight.

More from Tempo (in English).

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