Philippine Inmates checkmate players from 46 countries—belief and brilliance at its best
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 26 Oct 2022
MANILA---Kudos and congratulations to the General Santos City Jail—Philippines for winning the second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners (Men's Section) on Monday (Oct. 17, 2022). Over 85 teams from 46 countries representing all continents joined the tournament, which aims to popularize chess as an efficient tool for reintegrating incarcerated people. The second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners is the biggest-ever chess event among correctional facilities and was kicked off on October 13, the International Day of Education in Prisons.
***Advocates of Chess for Freedom in Philippines Prisons
The belief of the prisoners, the effort of the Jail Officer 1 Cedrix Cabangal of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), guidance of BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral and support of chess advocates Master Silva and AGM Srihaan Poddar pull this off for the Philippines prisoners’ team, the only team from ASEAN in the second inter-continental prisoners chess competition.
According to Philippines National Master Winston Silva---“It was a triumph of the spirit for these hardworking people and I’m proud and honored to have helped them realize their dreams”.
AGM Srihaan Poddar (14-year student from International School Manila who plays under Philippines Chess Federation) said---“Chess instils mental agility, self-discipline, problem-solving skills, and the ability to concentrate. It positively channels the energy and emotions to critical thinking, relieves prisoners from the isolation, help them de-stress, teaches patience, and provides a lifeline to prisoners. Indeed, chess in prison gives the hope that the people perceived as pawns could be promoted into kings and queens”.
"During pandemic, when I (among many more) was confined to the four walls of the house; I realized the predicament of prisoner's life. I wanted to explore use of online chess as a de-stress and learning tool for prisons. I did some research and talked to few chess players and learned that Philippine jail provides that outlet where I can contribute to prisoner's 39's growth and rehab. I touched base with the Mr. Silva and Mr. Cabangal and they were very happy that outsiders would also be involved in the rehab process and it would be very encouraging for prisoners," Srihaan added.
***Life beyond Covid Pandemic in Philippines Prisons During pandemic when most human being were confined to the four walls, some inspiration got to come from the prison world (where four walls is rather a norm) to show case that the pandemic is behind us and the world needs to move on and move forward!
The chess program started at General Santos City Jail Male Dorm under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) when the COVID-19 pandemic hit last April 2020. The project supervisor said that during the pandemic, a lot of changes in the mental health of the prisoners were noticed due to the restrictions related to the COVID-19 health protocols. Therefore, chess competition inside the jail facility was organized to manage the anxieties of the inmates.
BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral congratulated the team for bringing pride and honor not only to the Jail Bureau but to the country as well. Despite their situation, our PDL chess players and their coach, Jail Officer 1 Cedrix Cabangal, did not let us down. Despite being imprisoned, they still managed to win the match and be crowned champions. Our salute and wholehearted tribute to their demonstrated talent, determination, and talent which is truly world class,” said Allan in a translated statement.
Jail Officer 1 Cedrix Cabangal of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the team's 39;s coach, said he was confident that their team would top this year’s tournament. “I saw the potential of the team. They were very competitive and determined to join in the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners and become champions,” Cabangal said in a statement. Our team composed of the persons deprived of liberty who are competitive, and with the help of some Philippines and 39; chess masters, namely NM Winston Silva, AGM Srihaan Poddar and yours truly, we will showcase our talent worldwide", - says Jail officer 1 Cabangal.
***Chess as a tool for education and social inclusion in prisons The Intercontinental Online Chess Tournament for Prisoners is a program organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as a part of its #ChessForFreedom program. This aims to introduce chess as a tool for education and social inclusion in prisons of different countries. The tournament is played online and live streamed on Chess TV and FIDE’s Youtube channel. The championship is open for teams of four players representing any correctional facility, without any restriction on the age and gender of prisoners.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich gave a very inspirational message in his opening remarks--"Our project "Chess for Freedom", is for people who made mistakes in their lives before but have a chance to improve. FIDE is going to bring chess to all corners of the world, especially to those corners where chess can transform lives of people, give them a chance to live a better life and change things around. People who are not free now can develop their lives to the best. I hope this event will give a boost to the development of chess around the world and will have a great social impact."
Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola talked about the Chess for Freedom program and explained--"The prison officials see that in the places where the chess program is implemented the behavior of the inmates change, the depression and stress levels decrease, they are better in re-socializing when they leave prisons. It's not only about the skills and another way of spending your free time, it is also the sense of belonging to a community, to the chess family. We've been working a lot to advocate for a program itself, but I think that the example of the other countries works even better than our invitations."
AGM Srihaan Poddar is inspired by the FIDE’s Chess for Freedom program and plans to continue to work with Jail Officer 1 Cedrix Cabangal of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and national master Winston Silva to impart that hope to the prisoners of General Santos City Jail—Philippines.-Marlon Bernardino-
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Marlon Bernardino.
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