Pinoy woodpusher from Cebu-Davao makes waves in Saudi
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 03 Jul 2013
A middle-east based Filipino is making waves in the field of chess as he makes a name for himself in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
1997 Philippine Junior Champion National Master Elwin Herbias Retanal scored 10 points in eleven rounds to cop first place in the just concluded Saudi Riyadh International Rapid Chess Championship dubbed as Al Riyadh Open INT chess tournament 2013 held last June 27 to 28 at the Saladin Hotel in Al Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The 84th seed Saudi based Retanal registered a performance rating of 2350. His crucial win was against top seed IM Mohamed Tissir (2422) of Morocco in the sixth round but conceded his only loss in the next round against 9th seed Gaafar Hassan of Egypt.
Overall, his victories over three other Fide Masters from Bahrain and Jordan clearly put him at the top, half a point ahead over IM Tissir with 9.5 points.
Retanal currently works at Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University in KSA. Born and raised in Minglanilla, Cebu City but found a new home in Sitio Talisay, Barangay Mana, Malita, Davao del Sur.
Five other Filipino campaigners registered remarkable outings and placed inside the top twenty one. Alvin Alcala, (4th place/8.0 points), Aldrin Gallardo (10th place/7.5 points), Anatoly Guaniezo (12th place/7.5 points), Noli Delloro (17th place/7.0 points) and Drigo Teves (21st place/7.0 points)
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) chairman/president Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. was elated Retanal's big win in the Saudi Riyadh International Rapid Chess Championship in the event was organized by Saudi Chess Association in cooperation with Qatar Chess Federation and NGiT.
"Once again Filipino woodpusher proved that we can shine in chess and that's what Elwin (Retanal) did, iI hope that we should give chess more attention in our country so that we can produce more champions in abroad." said Pichay, also the deputy president of ASEAN Chess Federation.-Marlon Bernardino-
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Marlon Bernardino.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
Fri, 11 Jul 2025Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
Fri, 11 Jul 2025Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
By Ralph Rimpell, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Thu, 10 Jul 2025USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
Thu, 10 Jul 2025Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
Thu, 10 Jul 2025Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
Thu, 10 Jul 2025Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
Thu, 10 Jul 20254 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
Thu, 10 Jul 2025SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
Thu, 10 Jul 2025