Veteran chess players Garma, Bagamasbad eye GM titles in Portugal

Seasoned senior chess players Chito Garma and Efren Bagamasbad will compete for the Philippines in the 32nd FIDE World Senior Championships in Portugal next month.

The two Filipinos will compete in the Porto tournament from November 16 to 29 with the goal of achieving the Grandmaster titles.

Garma, a two-time Olympian, is competing in the 50-and-up group, Bagamasbad in the 65-plus category, and another member, Mario Mangubat, has also entered the 50-plus division.

In their appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, October 8, Garma, Bagamasbad, and Philippine delegation member Marlon Bernardino discussed and assessed the country’s chances of contending against the world’s best senior chess players next month.

“It would be nice to hear that you are a world senior champion and also a grandmaster,” said Garma in Filipino, who competed for the nation in the Chess Olympiads in Manila in 1992 and Yugoslavia in 1990.

“This also serves as an inspiration to the young players because if we could do it, then they could, too,” he added.

The two elder players will attempt to become the Philippines’ next GM, succeeding 20-year-old Daniel Quizon, who won the title by defeating Georgian GM Igor Efimov in the most recent World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

Both Garma and Bagamasbad qualified to represent the country in the two-week event after winning their respective categories in the 12th Asian Senior Chess Championships held in Tagaytay City last year.

“Chito and I will try to get the best finish. Definitely, we will go out there to do our best. Like what I’ve said, forget the pressure and just stay focused,” Bagamasbad remarked.

In the meet held in Terrasini, Italy last year, GM John Nunn of England won the 65-and-above category, while fellow Englishman GM Michael Adams won the 50-and-above category.