Travel, food, health, fashion, beauty, and more Lifestyle stories you love.
X
Travel, food, health, fashion, beauty, and more Lifestyle stories you love.
With his induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame, Eugenio “Eugene” Torre, Asia’s first Grandmaster, has played an important part in the development of chess in the country
By Ronald Jayme
Photos courtesy of Jundio Salvador
Throughout his five-decade professional career as a chess player, Eugene Torre’s hard work and commitment to the sport have made him a national icon. His long list of achievements, including being named as the first Asian Grandmaster in 1974, is truly a remarkable feat only a few can accomplish.
At 72, his expertise has inspired not only chess-loving Filipinos but also the entire nation, placing the Philippines on the global chess map. He is considered a living legend and a mentor to aspiring players.
Born on November 4, 1951 in Iloilo City, Eugene Torre’s growing-up years were typical of children of his era – finding joy in simple things like playing outdoors, storytelling, and spending time with peers and family.
Being raised in a family who loved to play chess, Eugene was introduced by his father to the complexities of the game which required skill, strategy, and foresight. To his young mind, it was simply part of their family’s pastime.
“It helped a lot that I came from a chess-playing family. Siguro five years old pa lang ako, na-introduce na ako sa chess (I was about five years old when I was introduced to chess),” said Eugene. “Nagustuhan ko ‘yun kasi naging favorite pastime ng family… ng lolo ko (I liked it because it became my family’s and my grandfather’s favorite pastime).”
He shared that in their family of 10 (six boys and four girls), his five brothers excelled at the game during that time. Since buying a chess set was expensive back then, they crafted a makeshift one made from leather scraps acquired from their shoe-making business in Iloilo. By closely watching his siblings play, he gradually gained familiarity with the game and devoted more time to practice.
When their family decided to move to Quezon City in Metro Manila, young Eugene began playing chess with his grandfather, who enjoyed it as his favorite leisure activity.
“Eventually, dito na somewhere sa Quezon City, nag-start na ako, laro-laro na kami ng lolo ko, kasi ang lolo ko nag-decide na from Iloilo, dito na muna family ko,” he said. “Naglalaro kami in the afternoon. He used to give me incentives kapag manalo, at that time, one or two centavos.”
(Eventually, here in Quezon City, I started playing. My grandfather and I used to play because he decided that our family would stay here for a while instead in Iloilo. We played in the afternoon. He used to give me incentives when I won, which, at that time, one or two centavos.)
“Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” This famous quote from Aristotle encapsulates the impact of good habits on Eugene’s journey as a chess prodigy.
At a young age, he focused on the sport by playing matches with his father and siblings, though he said it was all for fun. But those “leisure times” he spent with his family enabled him to learn gaming strategies, the right mindset, and diligence.
When he was nine years old, he would already compete at the junior level against players older than him. “Ganun ka-dedicated sa chess ang family namin... pinalaro na ako ng father ko sa junior level na below 19 years old ang mga kasali, kahit nine years pa lang ako noon.”
(That’s how dedicated our family is to chess; my father already had me play at the junior level, where participants were below 19 years old, even when I was only nine years old at that time.)
In 1969, Eugene started playing in international competitions at 17 years old, specifically in the World Junior Championship under-20 category organized by the World Chess Federation. In 1971, he played in the same competition where he finished in fourth place after breaking a tie with Rafael Vaganian of the USSR (now Russia).
In 1972, he won the Asian Zonal Championship held in Hong Kong and earned the title of International Master (IM). Following this feat, with the support of chess advocate and the future president of World Chess Federation (FIDE), the late Florencio Campomanes, Eugene went to Madrid, Spain to take part in other European tournaments.
“Kung dito (Philippines) lang ako noon, walang mangyayari kasi walang tournament…kaya I had to campaign sa Europe for a year, based ako sa Madrid from 1972 to 1973,” he disclosed. “Itinaon ‘yun na from Chess Olympiad, tuloy na sa Europe to save for the travel, kasi nandun na ako.”
(If I had stayed here [Philippines] at that time, nothing would have happened because there were no tournaments... so I had to campaign in Europe for a year; I was based in Madrid from 1972 to 1973. We scheduled it so that after the Chess Olympiad, I continued competing in Europe to save on travel costs, since I was already there.)
While in Europe, the young player would receive a US$250 monthly allowance. At that time, Europe was the center of chess tournaments. He shared that he was not a priority since most of the participants were Europeans and Americans. But his presence as an Asian added color to the competition.
The crowning moment of Eugene Torre's career happened in 1974 during the Chess Olympiad held in Nice, France. By winning silver in the said tournament, the then 22-year-old Filipino chess player became the first Asian to earn the esteemed title of “Grandmaster.”
But achieving such a prestigious feat required him to brave all the challenges of being his own coach and navigating a foreign land alone as a young man.
“Ang mga kalaban naman ay part and parcel, may malakas at meron namang mahina,” he shared. “’Yung mas challenging ay kung paano ko na-withstand ang mga naranasan ko na mag-isa lang ako doon, limited ang resources mo, at hoping na maibenta ka rin kasi IM (international master) ka palang. Ang iniimbita lang kasi nila mga GM (grandmaster). Buti na lang Asian champion ako noon at nagustuhan nila.”
(The opponents were part and parcel; some were strong, and some were weak. The more challenging aspect was how I withstood the experiences of being alone there, with limited resources, and hoping to get noticed because I was only an IM (international master). They only invited GMs (grandmasters). Fortunately, I was the Asian champion at the time, and I earned their favor.)
Eugene also noted, “Once you’re a grandmaster, you’re always a grandmaster.” This historic achievement, with grandmaster being the highest honor in the world of chess, has garnered attention and respect from the global chess community and has endured up to this day.
Take a look at some of the significant milestones that shaped Eugene Torre's distinguished chess career:
Eugene goes beyond his accomplishments and fame by dedicating himself to promote the game and mentor young talents through seminars and coaching sessions. He believes that nurturing the skills at an early age is one way of developing future champions – not just in chess but in other fields of endeavor and in life in general.
“We hope it happens na magkaroon tayo ng world champion in the future na Filipino sa chess,” he said. “Kung hindi man, dapat maibahagi ang mga benefits na mage-gain ng mamayan natin, ng bansang Pilipinas ‘yung natutunan sa chess at mai-apply sa buhay. Can you imagine kapag na-apply mo sa buhay, lalo na ‘yung ating mga kabataan, ‘yung bisyo ay blunder… kung sa chess pa blunders ‘yan. ‘Yung droga, blunder ‘yan, huwag mong i-move ‘yan, takbo ka diyan at iwasan mo ‘yan. ‘Di ba iniiwasan mo ang wrong move sa chess, bakit di mo i-apply sa buhay. Kaya very active pa rin ako i-promote ang chess sa mga kabataan, na hopefully mai-apply nila ang natutunan sa chess.”
(We hope it happens that we will have a future Filipino world champion in chess," he said. "If not, the benefits gained should be shared with our countrymen, with the Philippines, the lessons learned in chess should be applied in life. Can you imagine when you apply it in life, especially our youth, bad habits are blunders... in chess those are blunders. Drugs, that's a blunder, don't make that move, run away from it and avoid it. Just like avoiding a wrong move in chess, why not apply it in life. That's why I am still very active in promoting chess among the youth, hoping they will apply what they have learned in chess.)
The Ilonggo grandmaster also emphasized that while chess is a mental sport, it is also important to maintain one’s physical health. He learned early on that he sometimes neglected his health, but he made a change and prioritized staying physically fit.
“Sinasabi ko parati na chess is a mental discipline, it’s a kind of sport also,” he explained. “Although it’s a mental sport, pero kailangang physically fit ka rin. And to complete it, we have to protect and promote our mental king, physical king, and most important of all our spiritual king. Kahit na mentally and physically fit ka, very successful ka, tapos ‘yung mga ginagawa mo naman ‘di tama o nanlalamang ka ng tao, ‘di mo sinusunod kung ano ang tinuturo ng Panginoon natin, so useless.”
(I always say that chess is a mental discipline, it's also a kind of sport," he explained. "Although it's a mental sport, you also need to be physically fit. To complete it, we have to protect and promote our mental king, physical king, and most importantly, our spiritual king. Even if you are mentally and physically fit and very successful, if what you do is not right or you harm others, if you don't follow what our Lord teaches, it's useless.)
Despite his status as a world champion, Eugene remains humble and approachable, committed to giving back to the community that has helped him throughout his journey.
To further inspire his fellow Filipinos and to preserve his legacy, the Eugene Torre Chess Museum was established on April 12, 2023. Located inside the Pan de Amerikana Bakery and Restaurant along General Ordonez corner Maroon Street in Concepcion Dos, Marikina City. The museum displays the grandmaster’s various trophies, medals, and selected photos from his 50-year career as a chess icon.
Eugene is grateful to the owner of Pan de Amerikana, Jundio Salvador, for providing a space for him to showcase his achievements and memorabilia. This is the first chess museum in the Philippines and it aims to inspire those who want to play chess.
“Very happy ako na mayroong isang pamilya, ‘yung pamilya ni Jundio Salvador, na meron din palang ganitong interest na i-preserve at mapakita sa kapwa natin Pilipino, especially sa mga kabataan itong achievements,” he expressed.
(I'm very happy that there is a family, the family of Jundio Salvador, who shares this interest in preserving and showcasing these achievements to our fellow Filipinos, especially to the youth.)
“Hopefully, para ma-inspire ang mga kabataan at magkaroon ng interest lalo na kung ano ang matutunan nila sa chess, ma-apply nila sa buhay, ‘yun ang gusto ko talaga. Ngayon kung nagkataon na meron tayong ma-discover na exceptional na mag-excel sa larong ito, katulad ni Wesley So, although nagre-represent sya sa US, para sa akin bonus na lang ‘yun,” he added.
(Hopefully, this will inspire the youth and spark their interest, especially what they can learn from chess, they can apply it in their lives, that’s really what I want. Now, if we happen to discover someone exceptional who excels in this sport, like Wesley So, even though he represents the US, that’s just a bonus for me.)
The museum also displays rare chess set collections and prototypes acquired by Jundio Salvador (also a chess enthusiast) from his foreign trips with his wife Rosie. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and admission is free.