Friday, April 11, 2008

Chess Plaza Weekender to Close

You can't always have good news.

In Dubai, Wesley So is now on the staggering score of 5/5 and no doubt fans of this amazing talent and RP chess will celebrate. Personally I'm thinking, wow! But this afternoon I received some bad news. One of those all-important gems in Philippine chess, The Chess Plaza Weekender, is shutting down. The final issue will be published sometime early next week.

Newsletter publisher Manny Benitez has decided "after long and careful thought" to retire for good. For those who eagerly await and read every issue cover to cover, this news, I'm sure, comes as a big surprise. There was no warning. Still - we say, good luck mate and enjoy a well-earned rest.

However, admirers of the man's work need not despair. Manny promises to sit down and get on with a book or two - possibly a memoir and a couple on chess. In his email to subscribers this afternoon, Manny says, "Hopefully, too, I'd like to come up with a book or two on chess based on my serialized features like Pinoy Gems with a History. I feel that time is no longer a luxury for me because of my fading memory and I must start doing what I should have done many, many moons ago."

In his "From My Swivel Chair" column last week, Manny urged his Pinoy readers to "Aim high and hit the mark". The Chess Plaza Weekender did exactly that and then some.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ano nangyari? Wala lang sigurong masyadong sumusuporta sa magazine. Libre naman yata pati yang magazine di ba? Pero sayang. Wala kasi akong ibang alam na publication tungkol sa Philippine chess. Chess Plaza Weekender lang kaya talagang sayang. Good luck na lang sa libro na sinusulat mo Mr Benitez. Salamat.