Players’ dad scores Estimo on chess row

An angry Nelson Mariano Sr. yesterday lashed out at Sammy Estimo, National Chess Federation of the Philippines secretary general, and Grandmaster Eugene Torre for depriving three of his chess-playing children of their allowances to separate overseas tournaments.

"Why should I not be angry? Three of my children were involved and denied of their allowances because of what Estimo and Torre have done," said the elder Mariano, father of International Master Nelson Mariano II, Women’s International Master Cristine Rose and junior player Nelson Mariano III.

Mariano, appearing at the SCOOP Sa Kamayan forum in Malate, first blamed both NCFP officials for the failure of Nelson Mariano II to get his allowance as a member of the RP team that competed in the 2002 World Chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia.

He also accused Estimo and Torre for failing to give Nelson III his allowance to the 2003 World Youth Chess Championship in Halkadiki, Greece and Cristine Rose for her stipend to last year’s 22nd Vietnam Southeast Asian Games.

Nelson II was one of the Bled Olympiad RP members, including Grandmasters Joey Antonio and Bong Villamayor, who filed an affidavit swearing that he was not given an allowance for the event.

The younger Mariano claimed that the signature was forged in the liquidation report, which Estimo submitted to the Philippine Sports Commission to justify the assistance that the government sports agency gave to the NCFP.

In the case of Nelson II, the elder Mariano said, Estimo said that the members of the national junior team failed to get their allowances to the Halkidi chessfest because the funds they raised were used to pay the NCFP’s overdue obligations with the International Chess Federation.