EUGENE TORRE INTERVIEW
AT GMA's "POWERHOUSE"
As I was about to go for a 30-minute jogging at Long Island Park on May 07, 2017, the TV at Palau Royal Resort Dormitory 1 is tune-in at GMA “Powerhouse” program where Asia’s first Grand Master (GM) Eugene Torre is being interviewed. I watch it for a few seconds thinking that it is about to be finished. But it just started! This is all I remember about the interview: (not in particular order)
“We are big family, 10 of us (brothers and sisters). I remember buying a dozen eggs everyday for 12 of us. My other older brothers play very good chess and whenever I play with them, they will give me a queen odd. When I’m winning with that odd, they will give me a rook odd and when I’m beating them with that odd, I started to play with them squarely.” (I know that his older brother Victor became a National Master).
“My favorite chess set is the one I bought from Indonesia where the board can be folded twice to make it one fourth size of the tournament size chessboard and you can have to the pieces handily. I have one wooden chessboard signed by Garry Kasparov. I didn’t know that my wife Marilyn had asked Garry to sign it.” (He is being interviewed in their house where you can see a lot of trophies that Eugene won from competing around the world. When we are in the bus going to our hotels in the arrival date for 2016 World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, Eugene (sitting next to me) said Azerbaijan has improved a lot since he came first there in 1980.
Here’s his game w/ Kasparov in Baku on April 04, 1980: (399644) Kasparov, Garry (2595) - Torre, Eugenio (2520) [A44]
Here’s his game w/ Kasparov in Baku on April 04, 1980: (399644) Kasparov, Garry (2595) - Torre, Eugenio (2520) [A44]
Baku Baku (5), 04.04.1980 [ChessBase]
1.d4 c5 2.d5 d6 3.c4 e5 4.e4 ¥e7 5.¤f3 ¥g4 6.¤bd2 ¤a6 7.¥e2 ¤f6 8.a3 0–0 9.0–0 g6 10.¤e1 ¥d7 11.¤d3 ¤e8 12.b4 ¦c8 13.¥b2 ¥f6 14.£b3 b6 15.¢h1 ¥g7 16.f4 ¥h6 17.¦f2 f6 18.b5 ¤b8 19.¥f1 ¦c7 20.g3 ¥c8 21.¥g2 ¦cf7 22.a4 ¤g7 23.¥c3 ¤h5 24.£d1 ¤g7 25.a5 ¤e8 26.£e2 ¥g7 27.axb6 axb6 28.f5 ¥h6 29.h4 ¦g7 30.¤f1 ¦ff7 31.¦a8 ¥b7 32.¦a2 ¥c8 33.¥h3 ¦a7 34.£f3 ¦gb7 35.¤h2 £c7 36.¢g2 ¥g7 37.¥g4 gxf5 38.¥xf5 ¥xf5 39.£xf5 £d7 40.h5 £xf5 41.exf5 ¥h6 42.¤g4 ¥g5 43.h6 ¦e7 44.¦fe2 ¢f7 45.¤df2 ¥c1 46.¤e4 ¦ed7 47.¢f3 ¢e7 48.¦xa7 ¦xa7 49.¦e1 ¥g5 50.¤xg5 fxg5 51.¤xe5! dxe5 [51...¦a3 52.¤g6+ ¢d8 53.¦e3+–]52.¥xe5 ¤d6 [52...¦a3+ 53.¢g4 ¤d7 54.¥b2++–]
53.f6+ ¢d7 54.¥xd6 ¢xd6 55.¦e6+ ¢c7 56.f7 ¦a1 57.¢e2 1–0
“During my early days of playing chess, I used to do the chores of washing the dishes after our meals. But when I got better, my father asked the other members of the family to give me time to study more chess and not do those chores anymore. He also gave me a chance to achieve something in chess by skipping college for two years, and when I became Asia’s first GM, that’s it!”
“My record against former world champion Anatoly Karpov is 2-4 (2 wins and 4 losses) but one of those victories was during the time that he was the world chess champion.”
He was asked about the 1992 World Chess Championship rematch between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in the U.N.-sanctioned Yugoslavia. “I was Fischer’s second in the match. I think it’s the trust that Fischer has in me to hire me as his second.”
With that trust, Eugene was able to give Fischer an interview that shows Fischer’s perspective about the sanctions in this link: http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2013/08/first-bobby-fischer-interview-jan-14.html
Some more links about Fischer:
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2014/01/conclusion-i-was-tortured-in-pasadena.html
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
December 29, 2002--June 08, 2017
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012--April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013--June 08, 2017
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002--June 08, 2017
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
December 29, 2002--June 08, 2017
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012--April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013--June 08, 2017
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002--June 08, 2017
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