International Master Haridas Pascua spends at least eight hours a day this pandemic giving tutorials, as face-to-face tournaments are still not allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
The 28-year-old two-time national champion and Olympian player is teaching beginner to intermediate players based in the country and overseas.
Pascua said the online tutorials not only support his family’s needs but also to earn for his international campaign. Currently with 2418 ELO points, he seeks to achieve an ELO rating of 2500 points to become a full-fledged grandmaster.
“I am trying to earn for future tournaments especially since I don’t have any sponsors,” Pascua said.
The University of Baguio alumnus was a former board two national junior player, behind top board and now super GM Wesley So, who now plays under the American FIDE banner.
Pascua was supposed to play as part of the five-man Philippine team in the International Chess Federation or Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) 44th Chess Olympiad set in August last year in Khanty-Mansiyak, Russia but was postponed for 2022 due to the pandemic.
His tutorials are uploaded in his Youtube account “King Hari” and he is also in the free chess platform lichess at lichess.org/@/KingHarii.
His last face-to-face tournament was on Feb. 10 to 12, 2020 when he ruled the playoffs at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence in Quezon City to join in the finals the Philippine team composed of GMs Julio Sadorra, Rogelio Barcenilla and John Paul Gomez, and fellow IM Paulo Bersamina.
Recently, he had his opportunity for a friendly face-to-face tournament with artist Roland Bay-an and other chess enthusiasts where they played on a 12-square feet board and four-foot chess pieces dubbed as Chess Skirmish at the Porta Vaga roof deck. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 24, 2024
