B.C. chess champion, 18, to play for world youth title

Lifelong chess player Mel Laceste knew he had something special on his hands when, within two years of teaching his seven-year-old son Loren the game, the boy was unbeatable. “By the time he was nine he was the national [Philippines] champion,” said the proud father on Thursday.

And five days ago, Loren -now 18 and a resident of North Vancouver since the family emigrated from the Philippines in 2009 -was crowned Canadian Youth Chess Champion following his victory at the national championships held in Richmond Hill, Ont., last week.

Loren went there as B.C. champion and was very much an underdog.

Now he has his eyes set on the World Youth Chess Championship to be held in Caldas Novas, Brazil, from Nov. 17 to 27.

“The championship game was hard, the toughest I’ve played so far,” said Loren of his recent win against recognized international master Arthur Calugar.

“Most of the players I played were rated a lot higher than me. Nobody expected me to win.”

He was ranked seventh when the tournament began.

However, in the final game, which lasted over four hours, his Ontario opponent used an unusual opening that could have been devastating for the unwary.

“It’s not common and I think he was a bit too confident. But I’d seen him use it before and I was a little bit ready for it,” said Loren, who recently graduated with honours from Carson Graham secondary.

Laceste’s family is putting money aside to help pay his expenses to Brazil.

That’s not easy as Mel, a former high school teacher, is now employed as a janitor in Capilano College and his wife Tess works as a department-store cashier.

“It’s a challenge for us,” he admitted.

Loren is now training for his next big match by playing chess online and he will tune up his game at a couple of local B.C. tournaments to be held at the end of this month and at Thanksgiving.

After the championship, Loren plans to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Lehi, 21, and spend two years doing missionary work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Then he’ll attend university to study applied sciences.

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com