Who will be the next Filipino grandmaster? In the Philippines, we only have a handful of GMs and IMs – 13 GMs and 30 IMs to be exact. It has been almost 9 years since a grandmaster was produced – the number stopped growing after GM Julio Sadorra, GM Oliver Barbosa and GM Richard Bitoon were given their titles in 2011. Maybe, the next-in-line will be our guest master for the next friendly simultaneous match? Without further ado, with a standard rating of 2418 and ranked eighth in the Philippines, please give the most cordial welcome to International Master Haridas Pascua!
Born in 1993, the Pangasinan international master gained his title way back in 2013. Amazingly, he breached the 2400 rating and received his three IM norms at the 6th Prospero Pichay Cup Open at 2010, 2nd Indonesia Open Chess Championship at 2012 and 2014 DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah KL International Open Chess Championships. IM Haridas was the second international master from Pangasinan, while IM Rodolfo Cardoso was first. Still dissatisfied with just being an IM, he went beyond and pursued the Grandmaster title. Now, he has three Grandmaster norms and only needs to breach the 2500 rating to be certified as the 14th Filipino grandmaster of the country. He was the back-to-back champion in the recently concluded 2017 and 2018 National Chess Championship held in Alphaland Makati Place. In 2017,with a rating of 2427 at that time, he scored 7.5 out of 10 points, knocking out GMs such as GM Laylo, GM Barcenilla and GM Gomez in the leaderboards. In the following year of the National Chess Championship, he won the tiebreaker against the first-runner up, IM Jan Garcia and FM Turqueza to win the championship title and represent the Philippines in the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. Not only did he participate once in the Olympiad, but he will be twice! His second appearance would be in the upcoming 44th World Chess Olympiad in Russia, along with GM Julio Sadorra, GM Barcenilla, GM Gomez and IM Bersamina. During the selection for the national pool, it was a thrilling four-man match as IM Pascua was able to slip through against GM Laylo by half a point to earn his spot in the national team.
He will surely show us how it is done.
UNITED QUEENS CHESS CLUB
Friendly Simultaneous Online Chess with IM HARIDAS PASCUA (Fide rating: 2418) on lichess.org
This is your chance to play with an International master on lichess.org on September 6, 2020 at 6:00 P.M.
Time control: 30 mins per player
Open to all female chess players and boys 13 years old and below.
First 10 participants only!
IM PASCUA will play a 10 player exhibition on lichess.org
Deadline of registration: SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 at 7:00 P.M.
The 10 participants will be invited to join the group chat to access the link for the Simul.
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
United Queens Chess Club 