SIBALOM CHESS ASSOCIATION : Mga Layhon nga Kahiwatan

Mga Layhon nga Kahiwatan

Paindis-indis sa Table Tennis tuhoy sa Villahermosa 2010 -- Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom

Project Manager: Bienvinido E. Nallos Jr.
Winner (by default): Von Steven L. Aquino

1st Lou Vincent B. Baculna Chess Clinic
Project Manager: Marilu Balano-Baculna
The chess clinic was organized by the family of Lou Vincent, in cooperation with the Sibalom Chess Association and the Antique Chess Society

No comments:

Purpose of the Association

The association exists to make Sibalom a better place in which to live.

The association helps develop and harness the municipality's intellectual capital -- especially regarding the youth -- by conducting chess competitions and other activities which contribute to the well-being of the Sibalomnons and promote voluntary public service among them.

The association serves as a think tank regarding community development, and has a seat in the Sibalom Natural Park Protected Area Management Board. The association, as its unique selling point proposition goes, promotes good moves on and beyond the chess board.

History of the Association

One morning in January 1997, during a break in the West Visayan Meet 1997 chess competition which was being conducted at the Evelio B. Javier - Upland Development Program office in Binirayan, three Sibalomnons -- Lily Cervera-Ortiaga, Agaton R. Grasparil III and Ludgero D. Magdaug Jr. -- huddled and talked about forming a "chess club" in Sibalom to boost the chances of success of Sibalomnon chess players in the West Visayan Meet.

Mrs. Ortiaga was there as the coach of Von Steven who was Antique's elementary school boys' chess board one player; Agaton was there to watch the performance of Von Steven whom he had trained for the competition; and Ludgero was there as Antique's high school boys' chess board one player.

Agaton eventually persuaded the two not to adopt the term "chess club" because it sounded exclusive.

Weeks later, it was decided that the term "Sibalom Chess Federation" be adopted, and to conduct the first general assembly of Sibalomnon chess players on April 5, 1997 because most likely, no school-related activity would be conducted on that date.

Agaton made a poster about the general assembly and made photocopies of the poster, with Mrs. Ortiaga shouldering the photocopying expenses. He pasted the posters at different parts of the Poblacion of Sibalom.

The general assembly was held at the Sibalom LNB Hall -- then called the Sibalom ABC Hall -- in the afternoon of the stated date but was attended by only seven people -- Agaton, Mrs. Ortiaga, Von Steven, Jerry P. Sermeno, Ariel A. Cervera, Celcon A. Aguilar and Richard C. Garcia.

Within the ensuing few weeks, it was decided that instead of the name "Sibalom Chess Federation," the name "Sibalom Chess Association" be adopted because the word "federation" refers to a group that is composed of groups, and the group that had been formed was composed merely of individuals.

Before the holding of the association's first event -- the 1997 Sibalom Youth Chess Tournament -- any chess-playing Sibalomnon who expressed interest in joining the association was taken in as a member. Starting with that event, however, a Sibalomnon could become a member of the association only upon joining one of its events. Exceptions to this mode of becoming a member was given to Wennie Joy C. Bacay who was invited by the association in 2005, to Easy Porca who was invited by the association in 2015, and to Marc Joseph Mateo who was invited by the association in 2018, all to serve as goodwill ambassadors.

Since the early days of the association, it has adopted the policy of giving awards to the top 10 -- and not just to the top three -- players in a major event. This policy was based on the observation -- and on a finding as published in the book "In Search of Excellence" -- that people are more inspired to perform better if the rewards for desirable performance are easier to get.

In 1998, it was decided that the events be worded in Kinaray-a to help protect the language in the face of globalization.

Also in 1998, an event of the association ended in a barangay outside of the poblacion for the first time. The event was the 1998 Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom, and the barangay was Tigbalua I.

In 1999, through a letter dated December 9 of that year, the association made three suggestions to the Municipal Council of Sibalom -- the declaration of the public land between the river and the Poblacion as the Sibalom Riverside Park, the construction of concrete boundary posts between the riverside public land and the private land in the Poblacion, and the establishment of the a municipal tree-planting day. Only the third suggestion was accepted, and 13 months later, or in January 2001, the municipal council declared the last Friday of June as the municipal tree-planting day of Sibalom. The riverside park as an idea will be revived later as the binit-suba nga paratawhayan.

In 2002, the association, partly because of its environmental significance, was given a seat by then Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez in the Sibalom Natural Park Protected Area Management Board of the .

In 2005, the association was recognized by the National Youth Commission as one of the 10 accomplished youth groups in the Visayas.

In 2007, Joseph Alvin C. Regacho and Agaton determined the host-barangays of future editions, up to 2044, of the two annual tournaments of the association then -- the Pangpamatan-un nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom (an under-22 tournament which was initially called Sibalom Youth Chess Tournament), and the Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom (an age-open tournament which was initially called Sibalom Chess Tournament). The order of hosting was slightly modified by Agaton several years later.

In 2012, the association began to have an additional annual tournament -- the Pangbata nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom (an under-13 tournament) which had been planned as early as 2006. Editions of the tournament are held in different barangays of the poblacion on rotation basis. Like in the two other annual tournaments of the association, the participants in the Pangbata nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom were given free lunch that features kadyus-baboy-langka (KBL); a tree-planting activity follows the awarding of prizes; each of the winners are given a bundle of fresh fruits; each of the participants are given a fruit tree seedling; and the first placer is given a live native chicken as an additional prize.

If an edition of the Pangpamatan-un nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom or of the Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom lasts for two or more days, it usually starts in the poblacion and ends in a barangay outside of it, and if the edition lasts for only a day which is usually the case, the edition is conducted entirely in a barangay outside of the poblacion.

In 2016, the association began to have two additional annual tournaments -- the Pang-angda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Imparayan, and the Pang-agda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Villafont.

In 2017, the association began to have four additional annual tournaments -- the Pang-angda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Nagdayao, the Pang-angda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Igsuming, the Pang-angda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Bari, and the Pang-angda nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Catmon.

Also in 2017, the association decided to use "sinipal" instead of "torneyo," because "sinipal" is a native term and connotes fun while "torneyo" is merely the Kinaray-a spelling of the Spanish term "torneo" and connotes seriousness, and so "Pangbata nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom" became "Pangbata nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Sibalom," "Pangpamatan-un nga Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom" became "Pangpamatan-un nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Sibalom," "Torneyo kang Chess sa Sibalom" became "Sinipal kang Chess sa Sibalom," and so on.

In 2018, the association began to have five additional tournaments -- the Pang-agda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Pis-anan, the Pang-agda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Lagdo, the Pang-agda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Sido, the Pang-agda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Cubay Sermon, and the Bukas nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Cubay Sermon (a tournament which can be participated in by non-Sibalomnons, although their participation does not mean that they will become members of the association).

Also in 2018, the association changed the name of its parliament from "Council" to "Kadumarahan," and its official "dapli" from KBL to vegetables.

This 2019, the association began to have two additional annual tournaments -- the Pang-angda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Panlagangan, and the Pang-agda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Igpanolong.

Also this 2019, the association will begin to have an additional annual tournament -- the Pang-angda nga Sinipal kang Chess sa Millamena.

The association’s current unique selling proposition (USP), "Promoting good moves on and beyond the chess board," is reflective of its significance, considering that the association conducts chess competitions, has a seat in the Sibalom Natural Park Protected Area Management Board, and is serving as a think tank regarding community development. The USP of the association before that was "Promoting youth development," considering that playing chess is intellectually beneficial, and also considering that the association promotes the development of the Sibalomnon youth, especially regarding leadership and project management. The association's previous USP's had similar meanings.

The association, being a non-profit organization, does not endorse political candidates but promotes developmental ideas which jibe with its policies and practices.

Composition of the Association

The association is composed of 356 members who come from 48 barangays. Those barangays are the following: Lacaron, Cabariuan, Biga-a, Villar, Cadoldolan, Esperanza II, Sido, Tulatula, Nagdayao, Tigbalua I, Insarayan, Egaña, Cubay Napultan, District I, District II, District III, Catmon, Bari, District IV, Iglanot, Maasin, Cabladan, Millamena, Cubay Sermon, Pis-anan, Pantao, Ilabas, Imparayan, Pangpang, Esperanza I, Panlagangan, Odiong, Alangan, Esperanza III, Solong, Catungan II, Villahermosa, San Juan, Igpanolong, Olaga, Igsuming, Catungan III, Catungan IV, Villafont, Tigbalua II, Bongbongan I, Lagdo, and Igdalaquit.