by Marlon Bernardino
THE Marfori, Philippines chess team is hopeful of a successful stint when the ASTRO Merdeka Rapid Open Team Chess Championship 2018 dubbed as Malaysian Chess Festival gets underway on August 17 to 18, 2018 at the Cititel Midvalley Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Among members of the Marfori, Philippines chess team are Grandmaster elect Ronald Dableo (Fide Rapid rating 2405), Fide Master Leonardo Carlos (2263), Arena Grandmaster and Fide Master elect Roberto Suelo Jr. (2250) and Michael Angelo Palma (2057).

" We'll do our very best for flag and country." said Dableo, who needed to raised his 2407 to 2500 Fide (Elo) standard rating to complete his GM title status.

Dableo, Carlos, Suelo and Palma, representing Marfori, Philippines chess team who won the Merdeka Rapid Open Team Chess Championship in the 2015 edition.

Dableo is one of the members of the multi-titled Philippine Army chess team and head coach of the University of Sto. Tomas chess team.

Carlos, on the other hand, is the head coach of University of the Philippines chess team and top player of Meralco chess team.

The Singapore-based Suelo, a chess instructor and a chess teacher is the former mainstay of Barangay Malamig, Rizal Technological University chess team who got his National Master title after winning the 1996 Philippine Junior Chess Championships.

The Malaysia-based Palma is the former top gunner of Mapua Institute of Technology chess team.-Marlon Bernardino-