FOR a group of prisoners from General Santos City, chess gave them a second chance in life.
This bunch, composed of inmates nicknamed Alimar, Wilvit, Nilo and Romel, showed the world that not even incarceration could stop them from brining honor to the country as they recently topped the 2nd FIDE Inter-Continental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners.
The Filipinos bested the Colombians twice, 2.5-1.5 and 3-1, in the finale to crown themselves world champions.
It was gaint leap for a team coached by jail officer Cedrix Cabangal and Thailand-based master Winston Silva from a fifth-place effort a year ago to the best in the globe.
“It was a triumph of the spirit for these hardworking people and I’m proud and honored to have helped them realize their dreams,” Silva told The STAR yesterday. — JV