‘Don’t judge the mind by its body’

By Alex P. Vidal

“I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.” – Donald Trump

AT first glance, Fil-Am park goer Jay Abellanosa can be mistaken for a bodybuilding champion: he looks tough with strengthened and enlarged muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.

In 2010, when Abellanosa transferred to New York after living for 26 years in Los Angeles, he sauntered at Elmhurst Park on Broadway, Queens.

Fellow Fil-Am park habitués, thinking he was a push over because of his built, challenged him for chess matches.

“Bodybuilder lang yan walang alam yan sa chess (he is just a bodybuilder and doesn’t know how to play well in chess),” Abellanosa quoted one of the punks in the park as murmuring.

Abellanosa accepted the challenge and routed them all both in blitz and slow games.

To their shock and horror, Elmhurst chessers realized they had been bombed out by a three-time category World Open chess champion.

Abellanosa, 64, copped the World Open Under-16, Under-18, and Under-19 titles held in Philadelphia and Long Beach respectively more than 20 years ago.

Born in Lapasan, Cagayan De Oro City where he used to maintain a modest chess club, Abellanosa arrived in the US in 1985 as a seaman.

“Nag jump ship ako, frankly speaking,” he revealed.

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In California, Abellanosa married an American citizen and they produced two children: a male, now 24; and a female, now 21.

In ruling the three category championships in different years and venues, Abellanosa pocketed some $35,000 cash, making him one of the winningest unrated Filipino chess players in the US circuit in the 90s.

He credited the late Rodrigo Atutubo, a Philippine national master and former Olympian from Silay City, as the Filipino chesser with highest earnings in US chess ($50,000).

“They were wondering who I am and where I came from because in the Philippines, I am a nobody. I never won a major title in the Philippines, and nobody knew me there as a chess player,” Abellanosa explained.

He became a serious chess player only in the US after he met seasoned Philippine masters Reylan Magbanua, Sammy Labrador, Juliebert David, Oscar Tan, and International Master Angelo Young in Los Angeles’ McArthur’s Park.

“They were the ones who helped hone my skills. They were the ones who egged me to be serious in chess so I could also win in tournaments,” disclosed Abellanosa, who openly campaigned for then presidential candidate Donald Trump even during a chess tournament in Manhattan in September 2016.

While preparing for big tournaments in the 90s, Abellanosa worked as security guard in Hotel Belmont and in Dun Bar armored vehicle in L.A. alternately.

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“I studied hard. I made a research of the games of various grandmasters. I really did my homework and all my sacrifices have paid off,” he narrated. “I was so serious with chess at that time.”

Abellanosa goaded Filipino chessers who crumbled in the recently concluded World Open in Philadelphia held from June 29-July4, not to lose hope.

GM Oliver Barbosa (FIDE 2589) was the highest Filipino finisher at 14th with 6.5 points in Open category won by GM Tigran L Pitrosian (FIDE 2595), who steamrolled Barbosa in the final round.

“(They should) research and study more; continue to play with stronger players and set aside their pride,” he enthused.

“Even (former world champion and American genius) Bobby Fischer lost during his early years in chess. He also cried and his mother mollified and egged him to move on until he became a world champion.”

Abellanosa’ philosophy in life: “I will respect a person because he is a human being, not because he is somebody in society; not because he is a champion, a doctor, a politician, or a person with big name and title.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)