THE Caloocan LoadManna Knights loaded up for the upcoming Wesley So Cup of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) that begins this May 15.
Malaysian International Master Jimmy Chee-Meng Liew, a veteran of multiple Olympiads, is reinforcing the LoadManna Knights who were one of the top teams in the previous All-Filipino Conference but were eliminated in the semifinals of the Northern Division by San Juan.
When Liew earned his NM title in 1984, it paved the way for chess to make headway into his football-mad country. He represented Malaysia in eight Chess Olympiads and is a certified Fide trainer and Fide Arbiter.
Liew is the first Malaysian to author two chess books.
“I will be glad to join the team and do my best,” the 62-year-old Liew said in an e-mail to Caloocan team manager Arnel Batungbakal.
“I am hoping for a different result this time when we meet the power house teams of Laguna and San Juan,” Batungbakal said. “We will, of course, monitor the other teams are most of them beefed up their squads during the off-season.”
The LoadManna Knights recently got a boost when their own IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia was named Best Player of the All-Filipino Conference, as well as the Best Player of the first-ever PCAP All-Star Game.
Garcia along with IM Paulo Bersamina form an already formidable 1-2 punch and adding Liew to the mix gives more firepower to Caloocan.
The other members of the team are lady player Arvie Lozano, Fide Master Nelson Villanueva, IM Barlo Nadera, National Master Pico Villasenor, Art Villasenor, Juancho Caunte and Arena Grand Master Glenn Lemen, who is the new addition to the team and will compete on the homegrown boards.