Chess genius Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, 75

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

 

LAST August 21, I received a shocking text message from Pangasinan Chess League (PCL) events director Allen Garcia informing me that their league president Don Juan Sison had informed him that our good friend, chess genius Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, who brought multiple laurels for the province and our country Philippines, succumbed to a cardiac arrest. I was saddened by his news since Kuya Rudy looked so healthy with no sign of paleness or when I met him on May 25 in Calasiao during the First Robinsons Invitational Open Chess Tournament. Perhaps “expecting the unexpected” would have been the norm when confronted with “heart attack” and Kuya Rudy was one of the latest unexpected victims. My colleague JunV who had a longer acquaintance with Kuya Rudy said the chess whiz Cardoso already suffered a cardiovascular problem before but survived it. Being an avid follower of this wood-pushing game, I know the 75 year-old hombre was still very active in his chosen career, no longer as a competitor but as a mentor of youngsters, coach and arbiter in this Russian- invented sport.

I first met Kuya Rudy at the Urduja building in Lingayen when Oscar M. Orbos was governor of Pangasinan. He was also a good friend of OO and Gov. Espino. He, like the PCL, selflessly shared his skills with our young players to develop their talents. Through him, we produced some national standouts like Haridas Pascua of Mangatarem, Samantha Revita of Rosales, Prince Mark Aquino of San Nicolas and Cherry Ann Mejia of Labrador, to name a few.

Born on December 25, 1937, Kuya Rudy first caught national attention when he seized the Philippine Junior Championship in 1956 and represented the Philippines in the 4^th World Junior Championship in 1957, placing fifth overall, held in Toronto, Canada. His fifth place finish in the World earned him the International Master title, making him the first Asian International Master by FIDE. He represented the Philippines in the Chess Olympiad four times (1956, 1958, 1972 and 1974, winning the individual silver medal in 1956 in Moscow). He defeated the former world champion, the temperamental Bobby Fischer of the United States in New York in 1957. However, he never earned the Grandmaster norm unlike his compatriots Eugene Torre, Rosendo Balinas, Wesley So, Mark Paragua, Oliver Barbosa, Jayson Gonzales, and Joey Antonio, among others. But the feat that he attained as the first Asian International Master will always be remembered. I consider him one of the greatest sports heroes in Pangasinan. He’s a big loss to the province, if not the entire nation. Goodbye Kuya Rudy and may you rest now in peace.

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It’s really sad to know that our ten Filipino cyclists (five from Pangasinan) who just competed in the five-day Tour of Borneo did not (again) accomplish a respectable finish despite their exposure in the 2013 16-day Ronda Pilipinas and the four-day Le Tour de Filipinas bikathons. Unlike in the 1960s and 1970s when our Filipino nationals were dominant in this field of sport, our national bets this time were nowhere to be found among the top in the just concluded Tour of Borneo. Only two-time Tour champion Mark John Galedo settled for 10^th place overall. The tournament was won by the 37 year-old Iranian Ghader Mizbani. Even worse was the bad performance of our Pangasinan cyclists with 2012 Le Tour de Filipinas king Jonipher “Baler” Ravina who came only in 23^rd place. The other Pangasinenses were El Joshua Carino of Mangaldan (35^th); Mark Julius Bordeos of Laoac (38^th); Ronald Oranza of Villasis (44^th); and Mark Julius Bonzo of Sual (70^th). This shows that there’s something very wrong with our cycling development program that has to be fixed. This is a wake up call for PhilCycling president Bambol Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ritchie Garcia. Act now or else cycling will be medal-less in this coming Myanmar Southeast Asia Games road race, another humiliation for the Philippines that will reflect on you. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. AMOS 8: 11-12 

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