by Marlon Bernardino
Manila---The Baby Uno Chess Challenge dubbed as Grandmaster Rosendo Carreon Balinas Jr.birthday online chess championship set on September 6, 2020 (Sunday) at 11 a.m. Manila time at the lichess.org.
The total cash prize for the event held as part of the 79th birthday celebrations of the late Grandmaster Rosendo Carreon Balinas Jr. on September 10 is P20,000.
GM Balinas was a lawyer by profession, as well as a chess writer and journalist.
His biggest triumph winning the 1976 Odessa International Tournament with 10-4 score record. Balinas was undefeated against all Russian opponents, and a point ahead of European and Ukrainian Champion Lev Alburt, and the Russian Champion Vladimir Savon who had been the pre-tournament favorite whom Balinas defeated in their individual game.
It was the result of this event that he earned the GM title. His victory made him the only foreigner in nearly 40 years to win a Russian International Tournament on Russian soil.
The "free registration" online tournament will be a 21-round Swiss System, three minutes, play to finish time control format.
Organized by Bayanihan Chess Club, the event, hosted by Bethesda, Maryland USA based Joe Balinas (brother of the late Grandmaster Rosendo Carreon Balinas Jr.) , offers a top purse of P5,000, P2,000 to the runner-up, P1,000 to the third placer and P500 each to the fourth and fifth placers, respectively. The sixth up to the 25th placer will also receive consolation cash prizes of P200 each.
"We honor too and remember our past chess greats Cardoso, Lontok, Naranja, Reyes," said Bethesda, Maryland USA based Joe Balinas.
"Remember them? And all who molded our chess greats from Eugene, our beloved Always faithful to Pinas GM Joey, world class Wesley and the crop of our current GMs. To all of our young chess talents." he added.
"We urge revitalization of business and corporate support to Philippine Chess to help too our Hon. (Prospero) Pichay.
Category winners for the top media, top kiddy (11 years old and below), top junior (12 to 17 years old), top PECA master/titled executive, top PECA non-master executive, top lady, top Phil-E-9 chess club (the only Filipino chess club in South Korea), top senior (60 years old above), top senior (50 years old to 59 years old), top Pampanga, top Espana chess club, top OJ team, top Negros, top Rizal province, top school chess coach, top online chess coach, top frontliner, top arbiter, Lucky 100, Lucky 79 and Lucky 43 will also likewise to get cash prizes.
For more details, message Genghis Imperial in his facebook account.-Marlon Bernardino-