FILIPINO International Master Ricardo de Guzman (2433) scored 4.5 points from 5 rounds to capture the 8th William Addison Open at the Mechanics Institute, San Francisco, California on June 21, 2008.
While Rey C. Urbiztondo, the NCFP Region X director and a bank manager back home in Ozamiz who is a tourist, scored 4 points out of 5 rounds to join two others to capture second place from among 60 paricipants. He shared with US Masters Michael Aigneer (2275) and Greg Young( 2225). Urbiztondo also captured the Top 2200 special prize and was automatically rated 2107 in USA.
In the Arthur Stamer Memorial Open Tourney at Mechanics Institute, San Francisco, last June 14-15, 2008, IM Ricardo de Guzman scored 5 points out of 6 rounds to land 2nd place. Urbiztondo was 4.5 points for 3rd place along with Woman International Master Batchimeg Tusvshintugs (2290) of Mongolia. Champion was Michael Pearson, a US master at 2284 USCF rating. Urbiztondo also got the Top under 2200 prize.De Guzman and Urbiztondo earned $ 300 and $250 respectively on this club tournament of the Mechanics Institute with 57 participants. The chess club is the oldest chess club in the USA. It was organized in 1854 when San Francisco was a frontier community especially during the gold rush period. Former world champions visited and played in the chess club like: Emmanuel Lasker (1902 &1926);Raul Capablanca (1916); Alexander Alekhine (1924 & 1929), Max Euwe (1947); Robert Fischer (1964);Vassily Smyslov (1976); Tigran Petrosian (1978); Boris Spassky (1999) and Anatoly Karpov (1999).
The annual memorial club tournament was in honor of Mr. Arthur B. Stamer, a local champion, who later became the club director of Mechanics Institute in 1951 to 1963.
Among the present regular players to watch in the club tournaments in Mechanics Institute are :Tanuj Vasudeva, 6 years old, who got a perfect 7 points out of 7 rounds in capturing the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship in Pittsburgh. His parents are from India working in San Francisco. Also, Yian Liou, who at 8 years old is already rated 1956 by USCF. And Kevin Zhu, at 6 years old with 1545 USCF rating.
IM Ricky De Guzman was many times a member of the Philippine team in various chess Olympiads in the 1980's.
Urbiztondo is the 2008 Sinulog active chess champion, runner-up to IM Enrico Sevillano in the 1983 Cebu All Students Chess Championship and gold medalist for Board one in the 1984 Cebu Inter-collegiate chess team tourney. He stopped playing chess tournaments for more than 20 years because of busy schedules as a bank manager but is the prime organizer of chess tournaments wherein he is the regional coordinator of NCFP for region 10.
contributed by MARLON BERNARDINO, edited by jovie sison
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