Koivun shines in stellar Presidents Cup debut

New chess group wants to produce more Filipino GMs  

Boxing icon and chess enthusiast Manny Pacquiao wants to see more Filipino grandmasters in the next few years as part of his legacy to the sport he loves and plays with passion.  A new chess group, backed by individuals from various sectors of society, has heeded the call of Pacquiao to bring chess to higher levels.  The newly formed National United Chess Federation of the Philippines (NUCFP) installed Pacquiao as its chairman and has gotten a huge support from a chess community waiting for change.  "We want to leave a legacy to the sport by unifying the community first. We've seen so much talent in the country. We have heard the sentiments and frustrations of our fellow athletes. I want to help and contribute," said Pacquaio on Saturday.  No less than Filipino super grandmaster Wesley So, now playing for the US chess federation, has thrown his support to the newly formed group. He expressed willingness to lend a hand to whatever is needed by the NUCFP.  Grandmasters Rogelio Barcenilla Jr., Julio Catalino Sadorra, John Paul Gomez and dozens of other titled players have also signified their intentions to contribute to the chess community and what ails it.  Filipino masters who have made chess as careers, including So, have left the country for greener pastures elsewhere.  Most Filipino chess players want change. Pacquiao declined to accept the post of vice president handed to him by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). He was elected in absentia.  The NCFP is currently led by its longtime president and chairman Prospero Pichay Jr.  In 2011, Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon became the last grandmasters produced by the federation.  GM Daniel Quizon was awarded the title in 2024. Much of his success, however, was credited to the late Rep. Pidi Barzaga, who funded Quizon’s training in Dasmarinas, Cavite as well as his tournaments abroad.  So, one of the many persons who left the country for better chances to achieve success, openly blamed corruption as the main culprit in the stagnation of local chess development.  The Cavite-born chess genius was forced to change federations after his exploits in winning gold in the 2013 World University Games in Kazan was met by indifference by the NCFP, itself.  It was the last time that So represented the country in the international stage.  "I hope we could bring those talents back to the Philippines," said Pacquaio, whose Pacman Chess Association (PCA) is holding weekly tournaments in Mindanao.

LOOK: 20th Asian Games medal tally as of 6:40 p.m., October 3, 2026.

Adamson bounces back with UST beatdown

MANILA, Philippines -- Adamson bounced back with a 85-57 beatdown against University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena Saturday. Monty Montebon fired 27 points, seven assists, and five rebounds to lead the Soaring Falcons, who recovered from their loss to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles to rise to 2-1. Unleashing a 31-point fourth quarter performance to put UST away, Adamson created a 5-way tie with Ateneo, National University, University of the Philippines, and Far Eastern University as of posting time. Previouly in that 5-way, 2-1 tie, UST dropped outside with a 2-2 slate.

UAAP: Adamson bounces back, downs UST

Adamson University bounced back at the expense of the University of Santo Tomas, 85-57, on Saturday in UAAP Season 89 at the Philsports Arena.

LOOK: Adamson def. UST (85-57)

UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament Adamson def. UST, 85-57 Monty Montebon Player of the Game #UAAPSeason89

Taiwan's Lin wins Asian Games gold two years after Olympics gender row

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting won an Asian Games gold in her new weight category two years after she was caught up in a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics, while Japan edged out North Korea via penalties in the women's football final in the penultimate day of competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Friday.

Alex Eala, EJ Obiena share fun moments at 2026 Asian Games

Philippine sports standouts Alexandra Eala and EJ Obiena shared some light moments on the sidelines of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

LOOK: NCAA Season 102 men's basketball standings

Doha organizers open to moving Asian Games to 2031 for Olympic qualifying

Organizers of the next Asian Games in Doha are open to pushing the event back a year to 2031 if the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) decides to make the change, their chief executive said on Thursday.

Asian Games: windsurfers’ golden double takes Hong Kong to record medal haul

Hong Kong windsurfers Wong Tsz-ho and Cheung Tsz-yuet both won Asian Games titles on Saturday, taking the city’s gold medal count into double figures for the first time since its athletes started competing in the multi-sport event in 1954. With Coleman Wong Chak-lam’s triumph in the men’s singles little more than an hour earlier securing a record-equalling eighth gold, victory on the water made it nine and 10 for the delegation in Japan. Not even a lack of wind at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor could spoil...

Eumir Marcial echoes same sentiments in Carlo Paalam’s silver

MANILA, Philippines — Two-time Olympic medalist Carlo Paalam’s loss in the 2026 Asian Games gold-medal match hit close to home for Olympic boxer Eumir Marcial, who had suffered the same fate. Paalam had the chance to end the country’s 16-year gold medal drought, but he suffered a split-decision loss to Japan’s rising star Rui Yamaguchi, 3-2, in the men’s 52-kilogram (kg) division on Friday at the Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. In the 2022 Hangzhou Games (held in 2023), Marcial also had a shot for gold in the men’s 80kg, but he settled for silver after bowing to China’s Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke in a closely contested bout. The common denominator of the two Filipino Olympians’ fates is that Paalam lost to hometown bet Yamaguchi, and Marcial also lost to host China in the finals. Paalam expressed his frustration after the match against his Japanese foe, stating that the referee halted his momentum.  "I'm so good, but the referee again. I don't know, not a good decision. I don’t know about the decision of the referee; he was paying attention so much to me,” Paalam told the media in Filipino via the Philippine Olympic Committee right after stepping out of the ring. “If the momentum is on my side, he stops me. The referee looks like he has a magnifying glass on me,” he added. Marcial then posted on his Facebook account, recalling his 2023 Asian Games stint. “Way back at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, I also felt that I was robbed in the finals. I thought I had won the fight and would bring home the gold for the Philippines in Asian Games boxing after 13 years,” he wrote.  “We lost in the finals against the host country. What just happened is not new.” But Marcial said that whatever happens, one should move forward. “Whatever the decision, we need to accept it, move forward to the next fight, and continue chasing our dream. Congratulations, tol (brother). Salute.” Marcial skipped the 2026 Asian Games due to a tight schedule since he just had a professional boxing match in the United States, knocking out American Omar Ulises Huerta. The Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) and Marcial had a joint decision to skip the Japan Games since rushing back to amateur format after his professional bout could pose an unnecessary physical and health risk.

Alex Enriquez cops silver in Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines — Alexandria Luz Enriquez fell short in her gold medal bid after bowing to Orapa Senatham of Thailand in a highly contested bout in the women’s under-63 kilogram clash finals on Saturday at the Aichi Budokan in Aichi, Japan. Despite a 0 score card, the Thai won over the Filipina as she scored an advantage for a near-pass or near-sweep. Senatham almost held Enriquez down, but she rolled over and scrambled out before getting a point. In jiu-jitsu, the player should hold his opponent down for at least three seconds to earn a point from the judges.