Saturday, May 20, 2006

Campo Looks Back

As the Philippines begins its campaign in Turin this weekend, we recall the country's first Olympiad all the way back in 1956.

The Filipinos overcame culture shock in seeing the great figures of world chess in Moscow’s Red Army Central Theatre, where the chief arbiter was grandmaster Igor Bondarevsky, later to become more famous as the trainer of world champion Boris Spassky.

"We fought in every game, despite our lack of experience. We showed team spirit in squirming out of many tough situations," Campomanes said.

The Filipinos’ grit was rewarded. Placed in Group 4 with powerhouses Hungary arid Romania, the Filipinos were blanked only once—against Czechoslovakia. Cardoso’s triumph against Georges Thibaut of Belgium was cited as one of the gems of the Moscow Olympiad.

From ABS-CBN.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Campo's over 50 years of chess legacy and leadership leaves a lot to be desired, with only Torre, Balinas, and Antonio achieving GM titles during his reign.

We will never forget his devious treatment of a number of promising Filipino chess players, as well as his unsavory reputation as a crooked and unethical man.

Soon after Campo was gone, we are seeing a flurry of re-awakening and development of new grandmasters, Paragua most notably, and our upcoming young prodigies.

Most important of course are the support of new and influential leadership and sponsorship. The Philippines has got a lot of catching up to do still.

Goodbye and good riddance Campo.