1st ASEAN Chess Circuit 2008 : Round 5.

IM Nasib Ginting (left) host player ( he from Tarakan!) made an upset in round 5 by beating the legendary Philipines player GM Eugene Torre. Although Torre have without doubt past his prime, he still actively play in chess tournaments.



GM Eugenio Torre (left) 57 years old is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines produced through the 1980s and 1990s period, following the heels of Fischer era. Torre has the distinction of being the first Asian player to earn the much coveted title of International Grandmaster. In a tournament in Manila in the 1976, Torre beat then reigning world chess champion Anatoly Karpov in a game that has become part of Filipino chess history

Torre qualified for the Candidates Matches for the 1984 World Championship. In that preliminary stage, the contenders play matches against each other to determine who will challenge the world champion. Torre was eliminated when he lost his match against Zoltan Ribli by a score of 6-4.

IM Nasib Ginting (2393) - GM Eugenio Torre (2519)
ASEAN Masters Chess Circuit 2008, Round 5, 12.01.2008

After 59. Ke2, the position is more or less equal until Torre made a serious mistake by playing....

59...Ke7? 59...Rc8!? should be played and white can't play 60.b3? cxb3 61.Rxc8 b2–+ black passed pawn are unstoppable! 60.b3± cxb3? more stubborn is 60...Ra7 61.Rxc4 Bc5± 61.Rxc7++- Now black doesn't have the tempo to push his b pawn because his king is in check! After the rook trade, black problem is his king is passive and couldn't penetrate white position where as white king can enter black territory via the queen side! . 61...Bxc7 62.Kd3 the b pawn can't be save .62...Kd7 63.Kc3+- 62...Kf6 63.Bg3! White guard the e5 square to prevent black from entering his position 63.Kc3 would be a serious mistake because black king can enter white position with the pawn sacrifice 63...e4! 64. fxe4 Ke5! and the chance are balance for both side 63...Bb6 64.Kc3 Be3 65.Kxb3 Bf4 65...Bd2+- the last chance for counter play. 66.Be1 e4 a desperate counter play by Torre. His king finally managed to enter white position but much too late because white king and passed pawn on the queen side are unstoppable. 66...Ke7 does not save the day 67.Kc4+- 67.fxe4 Ke5 68.Bxa5 Kxe4 69.Kc4 Kf3 70.Bc7 Kxg4 71.a5 Be3 72.Bb6 Torre couldn't stop the a pawn from queening. 1–0

photo: chessmaribelajar.com, pinoychess.informe.com

source: indochess and wikipedia