FM Mario Mangubat | Facebook photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — FIDE Master (FM) Mario Mangubat is gearing up for one of the biggest chess tournaments in his career, — the World Seniors Chess Championship in Portugal in September.
FM Mangubat earned his slot for the World Seniors Chess Championships after claiming the second overall spot in the Asia Seniors Championship last year.
He will carry the country flag’s as he takes on some of the world’s best senior chess grandmasters in Portugal. These will include the defending champion Grand Master (GM) John Nunn, a long-time British champion and number player.
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Besides GM Nunn, other notable GMs such as GM Yuri Balashov will also compete in the tournament.
“Basin maka tsamba kay taas ang oras,” said Mangubat when asked about his chances.
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The senior’s championship has a time control of 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete 40 moves.
FM Mangubat is one of Cebu’s most notable woodpushers. He earned his fame when he defeated the famous, GM Eugene Torre, in the 1979 national championships when he was still 20-years-old.
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Besides his preparation, FM Mangubat took time to participate in the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa 2024 here in Cebu City.
He served as one of the commentators during the chess competition at the Univerity of the Philippines (UP) Cebu. He and International Master (IM) Rico Mascariñas served as the commentators in the chess competition.