Following in the footsteps of Torre
The Philippines has had a long tradition of being one of the chess powerhouses in Asia. From the times when GM Eugenio Torre became Asia’s first Grandmaster in the year 1974, other top players emerged following in Torre’s trailblazing footsteps. Rosendo Balinas Jr, Rogelio ‘Joey’ Antonio and then Buenaventura ‘Bong’ Villamayor got the coveted title of Grandmaster (GM). After the turn of the century, Mark Paragua and then Wesley So (before his transfer of FIDE nationality to the USA) who then was still a took turns of becoming the youngest Filipino GMs. Photos: Caroline Cu, FM Ivan’s mother
Chess in the Philippines ever since the 1970s when Torre and Balinas became GMs and then subsequently, Torre’s challenge as a candidate of the world chess championship in the 1980s have had a good following with aspirants amongst the young talents vying to rise through the system. The presence of a good coaching ecosystem helped a lot as well besides the popularity of the game that there was even a chess programme on TV called ‘Chess Today’, which had been credited to have helped the development of Vishy Anand during his early years of chess apprenticeship when he lived in Manila.
New blood
Chess remains popular in the Philippines and this country’s ecosystem for the game is in the present day very supportive to groom aspiring talents to follow in the footsteps of Torre in becoming GMs. One such talent that is currently ‘ascending’ the Mount Olympus of chess is the subject of today’s article: FM Ivan Travis Cu.
In an email interview done with FM Cu a few months back, we spoke to him about his interest in the game, training regime, memorable milestones and much more. The then 15-year-old teenager had apparently played chess for eight years then. “I was first introduced to chess by my dad. From there, I learned the basic rules of chess and I enrolled in my school’s chess club just as a hobby,” he recalled.
The rise to title-ship
Being a fairly competitive boy even at that tender age of seven, he encountered pretty strong players at the chess club and the determination to ‘best’ them kept FM Cu to keep working on his game and seeking improvements along the way. His first-ever chess tournament took place when he was just eight. “It was an inter-school tournament and I was really nervous and in my first game, I was called out for doing an illegal move for using two hands. I continued struggling in the event but learned valuable lessons then,” he recalled.
Over the years, FM Cu has played tournaments both in the Philippines and abroad. Right before the pandemic, he had gone and competed in tournaments in Singapore. He played in his first FIDE rated event in Singapore in December 2019. He also participated in Singapore’s 36th National Age Goup Chess Championships (Under-10 category) and scored a runner-up finish there. During the pandemic, he also played various tournaments online and continued to widen his experiences in competitive chess. In June 2021, he won his country’s Under-12 title in the National Age Group. A year later, he gained the National Master title when he won the Under-14 title of the same competition. Later that year, he represented the Philippines in the Asian Youth Chess Championship, scoring the bronze medal and a conditional CM-title. (In May 2024, he got his FM title after the tournament in Hanoi)
What is his secret sauce of success?
So, what helped him grow so quickly in the game of chess? He seems to be a very ‘principled’ player. During the interview, he talked extensively about how his early chess coach worked with him extensively on middlegame and endgame principles. He recalled, “We would often look at the games of GMs and how they’d grind out wins while following certain endgame principles.” His middlegame work covered tactical, strategical and positional positions – fairly holistic even at that initial stage.
As for openings’ study, he said, “I played a lot of games to test and strengthen my lines.” Besides these, he also worked a lot on analysing and reviewing his own games – a method, in line with the Russian school of chess. As for the belief of many that anyone below the 2000 FIDE rating should focus tactics only, FM Cu had this to say, “There has to be a certain balance for tactics and positional chess. During the pandemic, I played thousands of online games and when combined with my study on positional play and calculation, I felt a boost in my playing strength soon after.”
He continues to follow similar training focus, with greater intensity and depth. He is now zooming in to different set-ups in the middle game and then calculating his way around it. He uses ‘Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual’ extensively besides playing a lot online to vary his experiences of his lines, improve practical game thinking and also to explore interesting ideas. All these are done to vary his playing style and go beyond his strength in positional play.
Besides the aforementioned title, what do you think are his other favourite chess reads?
According to FM Cu, besides Dvoretsky’s endgame tome, he also favours GM Aagaard’s ‘Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation’ and GM Smerdon’s ‘The Complete Chess Swindler’. On his path towards IM-ship and ultimately, the GM title, he admitted that he would have to “…spend a lot of time on openings and calculation because I think (these are) things I (need) to improve in chess.” Perhaps, volumes II from GMs Aagaard and Smerdon on your two very well-received titles?
GM-aspirant
FM Cu certainly aspires to become a GM one day. He counts GMs Wesley So, Magnus Carlsen and Anatoly Karpov to be his idols. Being a positional player, this list comes as no surprise. That said, his favourite game of all-time is no positional grind, but a hyper aggressive onslaught by the very young Bobby Fischer on Donald Bryne: the Game of the Century with its “…creative and brilliant sacrifices, especially the Be6 move and the Queen sac. It’s just a feast to watch with all the perfect timing (of moves) and coordination from Fischer’s side.”
Following on GM Torre’s footpath, FM Cu said, “My goal is to start with the IM title. Most of the tournaments I am planning to join are tournaments where I can potentially gain norms and also rating. After (that), I think I would have the same mindset and plan towards the prestigious GM title.” When asked if working as a second to top GMs, which is a good path to gain experience and widen knowledge of the game, is something he would consider on the way to his GM aspiration, FM Cu shared: “I would be very honoured to be able to get an opportunity to be a second for a GM but if I had to choose then I would really like to work with GM Wesley So.”
Despite the tender age of 16 (this year!), FM Cu has been through many highs-and-lows in chess competitions throughout the years. “One of the best games I’ve played was against IM Oleg Badmatsyrenov in the 21st Bangkok Open 2024. I was Black and it was crazy. In the middlegame, my opponent got a chance to win an exchange but I was able to find a way to take the initiative instead. The Queens got traded but my play continued and worked out as I won a piece,” recalled FM Cu.
Life is certainly no bed of roses.
“One of the heart-breaking games happened in the last round of the Hanoi IM tournament 2024. Before the game, I just needed a win to not only gain my 1st IM-norm but also be the champion. I prepared well and I felt good about my chances. During the game, I manage to stay focused. My preparation didn’t go as planned but the game quickly changed to something my opponent and I weren’t familiar with. After some games finished, I realized that I just needed a draw to be the champion. It was then that I started using more and more time and the moves I was playing were odd. Soon, my opponent took advantage of it and I eventually lost the game,” lamented this teenager.
A typical teen, FM Cu enjoys video games. He plays mobile games and Nintendo Switch. He also likes listening to music and watch TV shows to relax. He does exercise occasionally. He is amongst the rising chess stars of South-East Asia. Amongst his peers at last year’s Eastern Asian Youth Chess Championship, he liked IM Poh Yu Tian for “… his endgame grinds...”, FM Dang Anh Minh for his “…solid and consistent play…” and FM Arca Christian Gian for “…his speed…” Across the wider pool of talents across the region, the following names impressed (and, motivated!) him: then-IM Daniel Quizon, FM Banh Gia Huy, IM Prin Laohawirapap and IM Amilal Munkhdalai.
Having come so far, FM Cu is glad to have had lots of support from those around him. “Aside from the immense support of my family, I am grateful for my sponsors. I also want to thank my coaches and my supporters. I am also grateful to my opponents – whom I continue to learn something new each time, regardless of victories or defeats,” he concluded.
About the Author
Edwin Lam Choong Wai is a Malaysian chess player and author. He was previously attached to Procter & Gamble doing local, regional and global marketing roles, before joining Pfizer, Essilor and Yeo’s in both Malaysia and Singapore. He had also previously been attached to The Purpose Group, a creative and digital marketing agency in Ho Chi Minh City. He is now based in Malaysia having started an education venture known as My SKOLA+ since end-2017. He has trained amongst others junior chess champions of Selangor across in the mid-2000s and more recently in 2019 and 2020.