Rounds and Quarters

Monday, November 15, 2010

The Best Boxer of His Era

Yesterday I watched how the legendary Manny Pacquiao once again beat another opponent of his, Margarito, who left the fight with too much damage that his eyes are half closed, enough to bring him to people wearing scrubs uniforms. Yes Margarito was defeated but he has gained my respect and salute.  

Actually at some point of the game I was hesitant to say that Manny will win because Margarito is in no doubt a very worthy opponent and a very strong one. I also thought that he will be defeated in KO, but I was also wrong. 


As usual it's another victorious night for Pacquiao who just won 8 categories in boxing...the only boxer who has done that so far. Indeed it is not shocking news that there are many boxing analysts and enthusiasts who consider Pacquiao as the best boxer of his era. Shame to Mayweather, eh. 

Personally speaking, I still love Ali. But in flexibility and style, it's Pacquiao in sportswear uniforms that I adore..a congressman, singer, actor, a philanthropist...what more could you ask for? 


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Chess Beauties

Supposedly I am going to post those disappointing NFL teams this season however, as I look on my blog, I happened to realize that all posts that I have here only revolves on football and tennis games. So I decided to post about my favourite kind of sports-chess-. I love chess for it doesn't need team wear nor a lot of perspiration but intelligent, tactics and great strategies are the necessities to survive on the four corners of that big chessboard.

The common players of chess are men since men have the innate abilities of focus, strategy and deeper analysis. However I will feature here those female chess players who are not only witty but are also very beautiful. Yes gorgeous and smart! What more could you ask for? Just don't get intimidated, eh.

Ingrid Aliaga

Trained by her father at the age of 8 and years later became a member of Peruvian Chess Federation. She graduated as Master FIDE last 2004 in sub-14 category. 

Arianne Caoili

She is a Philippine born Australian chess player who achieved the FIDE Woman International Master title. Caoili began playing chess at the age of six. At one point during 2002, she achieved a FIDE rating in excess of 2300, but this has been in decline since she scaled down her chess activities to concentrate on her studies. Nevertheless, she remains one of Australia's leading women players and played top board for the national team at the Dresden Olympiad in 2008.

Sanja Dedijer

Sanja Dedijer represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2006 Torino Chess Olympiad. She was also chosen as one of the most photogenic women in the 2006 Olympiad. A FIDE Woman International Master (2055).

Alexandra Kosteniuk

A Russian chess Grandmaster and the current Women's World Chess Champion. Alexandra learned to play chess at the age of five after being taught by her father. She has a little sister named Oxana, who is a FIDE master level chess player. In November 2004, she was awarded the International Grandmaster title, becoming the tenth woman to receive the highest title of the World Chess Federation, FIDE. Before that, she had also obtained the titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master.

Kateryna Lahno

A Ukrainian chess player. She earned the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) at the age of 12 years and 4 months, breaking Judit Polgár's record to become the youngest ever to earn this title. She is now a full Grandmaster (GM).

Sophie Milliet

A French chess player and the current national women's champion. She learned to play chess at the age of four. Her endeavours at junior level showed good promise and catapulted her Elo rating over the 2100 mark by the time she was seventeen years of age. She was awarded the International Master title in March 2009, in respect of norms earned at the French Club Championship (2005), the Swiss Championship at Lenzerheide (2006) and the Béthune Open (2008).

Regina Pokorna

She is a Slovak chess veľmajsterka (WGM). Her highest rating is 2429. She achieved gold from the Junior European Championships. A member of the women's team that won the European Championships in Batumi in 1999.

Vesna Rozic

A Woman International Master from Slovenia. She was part of the Slovenian Women’s National Team that participated in the recent 2007 European Chess Team Championship. In the said championship, she played board 4 with an outstanding score of 5 out of 8 games.

Anna Sharevich

A Belarusian chess master. She achieved the required norms for the title Woman Grandmaster in 2006. She won the Ladies' Belarusian Chess Championship in 2002, 2005 and 2007 and played for Belarus in the Women's Chess Olympiads of 2002 to 2008 (four times).

Antoaneta Stefanova

A Bulgarian chess grandmaster and a former Women's World Chess Champion. She became the twelfth holder of that title in 2004 in a 64-player knockout tournament held in Elista, Kalmykia under the auspices of FIDE.