GRANDMASTER Oliver Barbosa trounced hometown bet International Master Shyam Nikil on Monday to rule the 10th Parsvnath International Grand­masters Chess Tournament at the Lud­low Castle Sports Complex in New Delhi, India.

Mel Laceste and his wife, Maria Teresa, greeting their victorious son, Loren, as he arrives at YVR on July 11 after winning the Canadian Youth Chess Championship held July 6 – 9 in  Richmond Hill, Ontario. (Photo: Capilano U) While most immigrant families take years to accomplish something, the Lacestes’ of North Vancouver were unique in that less than two years after settling in Canada, their son Loren became Canada’s Champion Youth Chess Player and will represent the country in the World Youth Chess Championship this November in Brazil.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- An­other Wesley So is in the making as a young Filipino chess player emerged as the overall champion in his division in the recently con­cluded Las Vegas International Chess Festival. At age six, Stephen Rome Pan­gilinan of Milo Checkmate Philip­pines, bested other competitors in the Susan Polgar under eight­year-old division. He won first place after garnering a total of 5 points.

Europe-based Filipino Joseph Sanchez, the former coach of GM Mark Paragua, will become the country’s 11th GM in April.  National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Butch Pichay Jr. made the announce­ment recently after FIDE released the titles it approved during its first quarter presidential board meeting last March 5-8 in Istan­bul, Turkey.“I’m proud and happy to an­nounce that we have a new grand­master in Joseph Sanchez,” said Pichay. The 39-year-old Sanchez clinched his third and final GM norm by finishing third in Group A of the third International Open “Pierre et Vacances” in Cannes, France where he scored 6.5 points in nine rounds.