By Larry Leopoldo, based on an interview with Ube Leopoldo Mascarenas
The first thing he noticed wasn’t the competition—it was the sound. Chess pieces clicking against tournament boards, conversations rising and falling, Tagalog drifted across the room. The hall at the Rizal Center felt less like a tournament and more like a gathering, something tangible and shared.
Ube came in expecting a casual event. Instead, the field was much stronger than he anticipated. It had been about fifteen years since he last played over the board, and while the atmosphere remained relaxed, the level of play quickly revealed itself.
“I don’t really map rating to expectations much. I just show up and play.”
That mindset helped. Sitting down, the game itself didn’t feel all that different at first. What did feel different was time. He’s used to three-minute games, where everything is instinct and speed. This was thirty minutes, where time stretches, and decisions tend to linger. Every move carries more weight.
His most memorable game came on the first board against the eventual winner. He had built what he believed was a winning position. Then came a single mistake—a blunder—and just like that, the game was gone.
That moment stayed with him. At higher levels, it’s not about brilliance. It’s about consistency.
There was also a moment of triumph. Officially rated around 1600—though, as he put it, “woefully outdated” of over fifteen years ago—Ube defeated a 2100-rated player, earning the tournament’s “biggest upset’s prize. The result stood, even if the numbers told an incomplete story.
What stood out beyond the games was the setting. Kids played near adults, making the room feel lively and connected.
And what really struck him was how unusual it all was—close to half the room felt like it was in the top 0.1%. The strength of the Filipino chess community was unmistakable.
By the end of the day, he was glad he had lost the tougher games. They were instructive, revealing gaps and sharpening his sense of what consistent play really demands.
More than that, it felt like something bigger than a tournament—a space where different ages, languages, and experiences met across the same board. Not just competition, but connection. Not just strategy, but community.
And, congratulations to the tournament winners for an impressive showing.
Tournament players at the first-ever Rizal Center Chess Tournament
Tournament winners and organizers, from left, Ube Mascareñas (Upset Game Prize), Edmar Villafuerte (Open Chess Champion), Anthony Manuele (Scholastic Champion), Ryan Viloria, Fund Development Officer, Marcus Bulanadi (1st Runner-Up), Venric Rojas, Tournament Organizer, and Rhydian Alexander (2nd Runner-Up).
Larry Leopoldo is a Chicago-based writer, artist, and Filipino American
cultural organizer. He recently interviewed his son, who handles the chess,
while he handles the questions. Everyone stayed in their lane.
Leave a Reply