Chess has been instrumental in my life during my pursuit of a second bachelors' degree in engineering (in the field of ceramics) which in turn provided me with the tools to re-enter the academic field by teaching subjects in Adamson University. Chess has also allowed me to serve the young Filipino kids by teaching chess basics under the MILO Checkmate program. Although I have never become a master in chess, I have become a master in biotechnology. And now that I have a steady job, I can devote more time to studying and playing chess in the Netherlands.
IMPORTANT CHESS DATABASES:
1. www.chesslab.com 2.www.chesslive.de/ 3.http://www31.ws26.temphost.nl/NICBase/
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Want to play chess online for free?
1. www.gamecolony.com/index.html casarenopwerwin021011
Chess is my number one sport and will always be my favorite. I learned the basic moves at the age of 7 from my cousins, playing only for fun. In high school, I realized that I have to learn a lot in order to win the school competitions, which i did three years later. I went to the next stage, benefitting from my neighborhood friend Rey Bergado. From him, I was introduced to books (where the book " The Life and Games of Bobby Fischer" inspired me). My strength at that time was around 1500 - 1600 but increased to around 1900 by the time I began playing for the University scholarship. Here I was intorduced to Blitz chess and learned most of the techniques by daily games at the YMCA. Each games has a bet of One peso but it was not the bet that I was after. I want to beat the Varsity players of Adamson University. I wanted to see my limit. And in order to achieve this, i bought chess books and my strength grew to 1950.
My work with the National Institute of Science and Tchnology as a Research Scientist has taken its toll on my playing abilities, forcing me to semi-retire from chess FROM 1984 TO 1989. The next stage of my resurrection happened when I studied for my master degree in Sydney Australia in 1989. In a country where chess is very organized, I played my best games against the best players from Sydney, defeating such distinguished players such as Alex Wohl (now an IM), John Paul Wallace (IM), Dimitri Gedevanishvili (IM) and others.
When I went back to the Philippines in 1990, I gave up chess to concentrate on my job. My third son Jeffrey was born and I have to put up a new business to augment the family income. My chess dropped to zero but my income increased 5 times as i gained part time job as a University Professor.
In 1997, i came to the Netherlands and discovered how the Dutch treat chess seriously. In 1997, I did not take up chess seriously as I concentrated on my new job. However, in 1998, I adopted a program designed to increase my abiities by reveiwing chess books again. I transferred from SHGP, RHC, HSV, to stronger clubs such as Haagse Toren and Vogelwijk. I met players who played the game for the most part of their lives.
I stepped up my studies and was rewarded by winning club championships of SHGP (1998-99), RHC 1997-98), Haagse Toren (1999-2000, 2000-2001), Vogelwijk (2000-2001).
Erwin Casareno edited July 1 2002 (April 20, 2002)