Chess Career
Balinas was considered the strongest Asian player during the 1960s and early 1970s, before the emergence of compatriot Eugenio Torre. Balinas won international chess tournaments in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, and Odessa, USSR during the period. At the 1966 17th World Chess Olympiad in Havana, Cuba, Balinas scored 15½ points out of 20 games (.775) and was awarded the individual silver medal award, behind gold medalist, former world champion Mikhail Tal, who scored 11 points out of 13 games (.846). In the 1967 Meralco "Beat Bobby Fischer" match series in Manila, of the top 10 Filipino players, Balinas was the only then Philippine national master to hold the future world champion to a draw:
R. C. Balinas-R. J. Fischer, Manila 1967. Opening "Sicilian, Najdorf, Zagreb (Fianchetto) Variation"
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.O-O O-O 9.h3 Bd7 10.Nde2 Nc6 11.b3 b5 12.Be3 Qc8 13.Kh2 Qc7 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Nd8 16.Bd4 Rc8 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qd4+ Kg8 19.c3 e5 20.dxe6 fxe6 21.Rad1 Nf7 22.f4 Qc5 23.Qxc5 Rxc5 24.Rd3 Rfc8 25.Rfd1 a5 26.g4 Kf8 27.Re3 Ke7 28.Bd5 Kf6 29.g5+ Ke7 30.c4 Nd8 31.Nd4 bxc4 32.bxc4 Kf7 33.Rde1 exd5 34.Re7+ Kf8 35.Rxd7 Rxc4 36.Ree7 Rxd4 37.Rxh7 Kg8 38.Rhg7+ Kf8 39.Rh7 1⁄2–1⁄2 http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044624
Balinas was a seven-time Philippine chess champion, winning the Philippine National Championship and the Philippine Open Chess Championships. He shared first place at the Meralco-sponsored 1968 Philippine Open championship with world championship candidate Yugoslav grandmaster Svetozar Gligorić.
In 1975, then IM Balinas achieved a 5-5 score at the Manila Marlboro Classic International Chess Tournament, one-half point short of the grandmaster norm, tying with Gligoric for 6th-7th place. Balinas defeated world championship candidates Lev Polugaevsky of USSR and Bent Larsen of Denmark, as well as the Czech-American grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek.
Balinas achieved his greatest victory at the 1976 Odessa International Tournament, winning with a 10-4 score. Balinas was undefeated against all Russian opponents, and a point ahead of Lev Alburt, and the former Soviet champion Vladimir Savon.
Bobby Ang, a famous and distinguished Philippine chess columnist of Indo Chess and Philippine Business World recounted in his Chess Piece column:
"Vladimir Savon, the Absolute Russian Chess champion pre-tournament favorite, had been upset in the second round by Tseitlin and it was Balinas who jumped into the lead scoring 5/6. Savon gave chase and three rounds before the end of the tournament the two leaders met. The Philippine Chess Champion Balinas' decisive win over the Soviet Champion is considered the turning point of the tournament.
Balinas, Rosendo Carreon, Philippines (2365) - Savon, Vladimir A USSR (2545) Odessa, USSR, 1976. Benoni, Classical Defense.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.a4 Qe7 11.Nd2 a6 12.f4 Rb8 13.Kh1 b6 14.Nc4 Nxe4 15.Nxe4 Qxe4 16.Nxd6 Qe7 17.Nxc8 Rbxc8 18.Bxa6 Rcd8 19.Qb3 Nf6 20.Qxb6 Rxd5 21.Qb3 Rd4 22.a5 Ne4 23.Qf3 c4 24.Be3 Rd3 25.Rfe1 Bxb2 26.Bxc4 Rc3 27.Rab1 Rxc4 28.Rxb2 Qa3 29.Rb5 Re8 30.Re5 Rxe5 31.fxe5 Qxa5 32.Rf1 Qd5 33.Bh6 Rc3 34.Qf4 g5 35.Bxg5 Rc6 36.Bf6 Nxf6 37.exf6 h6 38.Qxh6 1-0 http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1331492
Two short draws in the final rounds, vs Bronstein and Tringov, and Balinas had accomplished his miracle. Balinas thereby became the first foreign player to win an international tournament in the Soviet Union since World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca's win in Moscow, 1935 and GM Reuben Fine's wins in Leningrad, 1937 and Moscow, 1937. Balinas' remarkable accomplishment brought great honor to his country, the Philippines, a nation that is sorely in need of heroes."
As a result of his victory in Odessa, FIDE awarded Balinas the International Chess Grandmaster title. This was most notable, particularly since Balinas' Elo rating was considerably lower than that of other grandmasters, and more so, despite his lifelong bitter conflict with the infamous ousted FIDE President Florencio Campomanes who ruled FIDE during the period. Balinas' talent and strength was considered superior if not equal with Eugenio Torre, but he was egregiously shut out by Campomanes from competing in strong international tournaments, including the 1992 World Chess Olympiad held in the Philippines. At the 1976 Odessa tournament, Balinas achieved over Elo 2600 performance rating and was rated 2517 as of June 1977.
Read more about this topic: Rosendo Balinas Jr.
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