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MANILA, Philippines – Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio used to play around 100 online games a day.
Locked down at home, with time to spare, and lots of tournaments going on, Antonio now plays over 200 regularly.
No wonder, he has logged a record 160,000 games online, meriting him the moniker Ironman of Chess.com.
Given only hundreds of these games were standard play with a sprinkling of Fischer Random and the rest blitz (3 minutes + increment) and bullet (1 minute+ increment), Antonio, using gmjoey1 as his online profile, would have spent at least 480,000 hours or nearly a year glued to the computer screen.
According to the 13-time national champion and 10-time Chess Olympian, he spends 12 hours on chess daily, studying, joining and winning many tournaments and crashing out on some.
On May 12, he was the only foreign GM invited to the Ukrainian Chess League Team Battle and emerged individual champion. On the same day, he topped the 11th Mobile Chess Club PH Libangan, where he also ruled the 9th leg.
On Wednesday night, Antonio struck at Chesstropolis Arena, posting an 80% win rate out of 15 games to finish 5 points clear off his closest pursuer.
“I’m saving my winnings for the COVID19 victims,” said Antonio, pride of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. “It’s a small amount but I want to help.”
“I think nobody can surpass my passion for chess,” said the 58-year-old Antonio, the 2017 World Senior Chess Championship runner-up in Acqui Terme, Italy. “It’s important to study and be updated on new games.”
“Now I compete not only to become faster and stronger but also to give other players the chance to play against us (masters),” added Antonio, who owns 4 victories over acknowledged blitz king GM Hikaru Nakamura of the United States.
Antonio acknowledged the support being extended to chess players by the Philippine Sports Commission, through Chairman Butch Ramirez and Commissioner Charles Maxey, and the private sector to online chess, citing GCC Golden Land Chess Club headed by Archimedes Miranda de Leon.
The text exchanges would have gotten longer, were if not for an urgent notice. Another online tournament is about to start.
Ironman has more games to play. – Rappler.com
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