Garma banners Phl chessers in Portugal

Veteran senior players Chito Garma and Efren Bagamasbad are competing for the Philippines in the 32nd FIDE World Senior Championships in Portugal next month to achieve their dreams as well.

They want to become earn Gandmaster titles during the 16 to 29 November tournament in the city of Porto.

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

Garma, Bagamasbad and Philippine delegation member Marlon Bernardino appeared in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum and gauged the country’s chances.

Topping the tournament meant outright grand master title for the Filipinos.

“It would be nice to hear that you are a world senior champion and also a grandmaster,” said Garma, who represented the country in the 1990 and 1992 Chess Olympiads held in Yugoslavia and Manila, respectively.

“This also serves as an inspiration to the young players because if we could do it, then they could, too,” the 60-year-old Garma, who is an international master, said.

The two elder players will try to become the Philippines’ latest GM after 20-year-old Daniel Quizon, who earned the title after beating GM Igor Efimov of Georgia in the last World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

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

During the same meet, both International Masters earned their second GM norms.

Mangubat, a National Master who is based in Cebu, finished third behind Bagamasbad in the same tournament — with IM Aitkazy Baimurzin of Kazakhstan placing runner up — to complete the three-man Philippine team to the annual world competition first played in Germany back in 1991.