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Sunday, February 23, 2025
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Sunday, February 23, 2025

Mission accomplished for Shell Active Chess

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After 25 years of engaging the hearts and minds of young players, proponents of the Shell Active Youth Chess believe it had accomplished its mission and will be leaving a lasting legacy in the sport.

The longest-running grassroots chess program bid farewell with its NCR leg that served as the last and final competition at the SM Mall of Asia recently. 

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“Shell Chess has been my training ground,” said newly minted Woman International Master Mikee Charlene Suede, who was guest speaker in the final leg, recalling how she achieved the WIM title and the GM norm. 

The tournament had been her training ground that helped her become one of only three Filipina chess players to get a grandmaster norm. 

“My cousins and I, together with my dad who had thought us the rudiments of the game, would prepare for Shell Active Chess months ahead. Aside from experience and the accomplishments I got, it sort of became a bonding moment for us as well, and it helped boost my personality. I‘m grateful to Shell for sponsoring tournaments like these for 25 years now,” she said. 

Francois Marie Magpily in full concentration as she looks for the winning moves.

Most of the country’s top chessers started out as young prodigies who honed their skills with the help of their parents or mentors in school. 

In recent years though, grassroots programs like Shell Active Chess have also started to create an impact in creating awareness and better appreciation for this mind game 

Suede, now 22 years old, eventually plans to improve on her game and get the two remaining norms she needs for the WGM title by playing in chess competitions outside the country. 

When that happens, she’ll join Janelle Mae Frayna, also a Shell Chess alumna, as the second Filipina to secure a WGM title. 

Training for the brain 

There are many scientific studies proving the benefits of playing chess in young children. And all of them found that it helps kids perform well in school by improving their intelligence. 

Because chess is a problem-solving game, the brain is trained to be alert, analyze, plan, strategize and make logical decisions. Equipped with such mental skills, students who play chess are able to learn faster than their classmates.

 Women’s International Master Charlene Suede, who is one of the many products of Shell Active Youth Chess, sharing her stories to participants of the NCR leg

Playing chess doesn’t only sharpen thinking in a developing brain. Studies have also shown that it improves emotional intelligence. 

Suede’s is just one of the many success stories of chess-playing students achieving success in school and in life. 

Another product of Shell National Youth Active Chess is 14-year-old is Francois Marie Magpily, who has developed the attitude of never giving up. 

Magpily, this year’s top female performer and overall champion in the juniors division of the NCR leg of Shell Chess, has been joining this innovative competition for many years. 

“I’ve been playing to win each game at the start and was lucky to have won the first five games. My confidence was so high that when I faced the tournament’s top seed, I threw caution to the wind and pressed for an early attack,” said Magpily. 

“Unfortunately, I lost. So I played more cautiously in the next rounds, settling for draws whenever necessary. What I learned from years of joining this competition—to not feel disheartened after a loss—has finally paid off,” added the student of  

General Pio Del Pilar National High School. 

Topping the seniors division of Shell’s longest-running chess tilt held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City recently is Dale Bernardo (center) of Far Eastern University. With him are Francois Marie Magpily (right) of General Pio National High School, juniors champion and also the Top Female player awardee; and kiddies champ Cyrus Vladimir Francisco (left) of San Beda College. The three received their trophies and cash prizes from WIM Mikee Charlene Suede, a former Shell Active Chess participant and the first Filipina to win the Asian Juniors Chess Championship, and Karla Lukban Zarate, Shell ER Brand Adviser. Aside from Shell V-Power, Shell Advance, Shell Rimula, Shell Helix, Shell Fuel Save and Shell Card, the country’s longest-running search for chess talents sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines is also being held in partnership with SM Supermalls.

The Beginning 

Executives of Pilipinas Shell conceived Shell Active Chess in 1992 to promote Filipino youth development as part of the energy company’s social investment efforts to give back to the community and contribute to nation-building. 

The mental sport was chosen because like basketball, chess was already becoming a part of Philippine culture, being a popular pastime at that time, thanks to GM Eugene Torre, whose own exploits in the board game in the 70s and the 80s has inspired many others to play chess.

Shell Active Chess was opened to all non-titled chess players age 7-20 years old. Participants are categorized into kiddies (8-12), juniors (13-16) and seniors (17-20). Players compete in qualifying legs conducted in NCR, Southern Luzon, Visayas, as well as in Northern and Southern Mindanao. 

Once the top players in each leg have been named, the final leg is then held in Manila. Winners in qualifying legs and in the grand finals are awarded trophies and cash prizes. 

Pilipinas Shell has living up to its commitment of fuelling dreams for many generations of Filipinos through innovative projects like Shell Active Chess and through initiatives promoting energy security and energy efficiency. 

Shell might have put an end to a long-running chapter of Shell Active Chess, but it’s opening a new window of opportunity for another social project which it will be announcing very soon.  

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