Srikanth Bangalore has been unfazed by his star opponent. He has gained a winning edge, but lets it all slip with a few inaccuracies. Pausing and certain now that the rook endgame is a draw, he gamely extends a handshake. The opponent, none other than the great Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, promptly takes his hand. Winning for him has always come easy, but his wide grin says it all. In this game of wits, not brawn, he needed every bit of trick in his grizzled competitor’s sleeve to avoid defeat.

Srikanth Bangalore (left) vs Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao

Bangalore’s and Pacquiao’s paths would not have likely crossed were it not for chess. This friendly blitz game has happened at a spare moment of a collaboration to organize a significant event: The Manny Pacquiao International Open Chess Tournament.

Bangalore is meeting with Pacquiao as the founder of 1000GM Inc. The collaboration with Pacquizo is very significant, as the event is his organization’s first international project.

Bangalore and 1000GM Inc support chess for the youth. 1000GM Inc aspires to help as many young talents as possible attain the GM title through sponsorship of tournaments and coaching camps.

Bangalore's chess advocacies were shaped by his experiences in his home country. Born in the City of Bangalore, India on July 17, 1978, he learned the game from his grandfather. Much of his education, from primary school to college, was earned out of scholarships. He completed his degree in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in 1999.

Srikanth Bangalore

Bangalore believes that young players should have the opportunity to experience something like educational scholarships. They must be spared of the financial burdens of pursuing the GM title so that they could focus on the competitive and practical aspects of their training and campaign. 1000GM Inc aims to support the chess community from this perspective. It hopes to support parents and coaches who envision a bright future and a career in chess for their children and students.

Bangalore’s work as a software engineer has brought him to the USA in 2002. With a son himself who is a promising player, incorporating a chess organization in California became more compelling. In April 2022, 1000 GM Inc’s formation as a non-profit corporation was completed. Immediately after, it began a chess literary campaign among the youth in San Francisco. To date, it has organized more than seventy-five norm tournaments in various cities in the USA.

As a relatively new chess organization, 1000GM Inc has appreciated all the assistance that has come its way. Parents of other talented juniors in San Francisco have been very supportive. Still, the organization has overcome much of its financial challenges with Bangalore’s own resources.

It was thus fortunate that Bangalore and Pacquiao came to know each other through another generous chess patron from the Philippines, Antonio Ivan Aguirre. Not very often do the ardent supporters of chess wind up in the same way.

Pacquiao, an eight-time world boxing champion, is himself a skilled chess player. This is evident in his draw with Bangalore, an outstanding club player who can hold his own against masters. As one who rose from poverty to boxing greatness, Pacquiao knows very well the value of sports in character and nation building. He has been an active supporter of Philippine sports in general and chess in particular. A sports philanthropist in every sense, his donation of $35,000 helped realize the international open.

Manny Pacquiao 2010 | Photo: Joaquin008, Wikipedia

The cooperation between 1000 GM Inc and Pacquiao was a success. The event was held as a classical, Swiss system tournament. Play was set at 90 minutes, with a 30 second-increment from move one. It ran from December 8-12, 2023 in General Santos City, Pacquiao’s home city.

Two Grandmasters, nine International Masters, seven FIDE Masters, and other strong players came to participate. Filipino GM Darwin Laylo and IM Rolando Nolte swept their first three games. In the end, however, FM Arif Abdul Hafiz of Indonesia stole the limelight with six wins and three draws to take clear first.

...70 participants (Source: chess-results...)

Youth came to the fore. FM Arif Abdul Hafiz is 24. Rising Filipino IM Eric Labog Jr. also made waves. He scored just half a point less than the Indonesian to take clear second. Labog is 21. These are the kind of players – the young and the talented – that 1000GM Inc and Pacquiao wish to rise further by their support.

Admittedly, the event was not exceptionally strong, but it gave Asian and a few American and European players a chance to showcase their talents. On a brighter note, it promised for larger and stronger tournaments to come as 1000GM Inc and Pacquiao will only continue to share their passion for chess. These will enable young and experienced players alike from Asia and beyond to hone their talents and fulfill their title aspirations.

After the event, in fact, Bangalore and Pacquiao planned to open a chess academy in the Philippines. This came to fruition when the academy, formally called the 1000GM Chess Academy, held its inaugural tournament in Quezon City on February 17, 2024. More than a hundred Filipino junior players participated.

Apart from his involvement with Manny Pacquiao and Philippine Chess, Bangalore also supports other like-minded organizations such Group E4 of India and Chess Prodigies of the USA.  

Much work lies ahead. As Bangalore and 1000GM Inc carry on, they can only wish to earn the support of other organizations and individuals, the accomplished ones like Pacquiao especially.  In a sport and discipline like chess where the pursuit of the highest title makes for an admirable life-purpose, 1000GM Inc’s endeavors are very worthy after all.

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