In our series on chess in Chile and following an interview with Chile's no1 Chess player Ivan Morovic, Erwin Schneider gives us his perspective on playing the game and his opinion on how chess is developing in the country. Erwin is currently near completion of his degree in Computer Science but has been playing chess at a high level for some time.

Schneider Solari, Erwin (CHI)  Profile |  Rating Progress |  Game Statistics

Erwin - Empecé a jugar a los 15 años.

Erwin - I started when I was 15 years old.

Chileno – What are your ambitions in chess?

Erwin - Mi ambición en este momento es poder participar en la mayor cantidad de torneos e ir poder subiendo en el ranking a nivel nacional e internacional.

Erwin - At this moment, my ambition is to participate in top quality tournaments and to move up the rankings on national and international levels.

Chileno - How important is studying chess theory to your game?

Erwin - Es importante para establecer una base en el desarrollo inicial del juego, poder lograr de forma mas eficiente un buen desarrollo de las piezas y así obtener una ventaja posicional en el transcurso de la partida.

Erwin - It is important to establish a base at the initial development of the game, to reach a more efficient way of developing the pieces and obtain a positional advantage during the match.

Chileno - Do you use computers as part of your studies?

Erwin - Sí, la computadora maneja una gran base de aperturas y un nivel de juego bastante avanzado debido a la gran capacidad de cálculo que posee.

Erwin - Yes, the computer manages a large database of openings and a fairly advanced level of play due to the high computing power that it has.

Chileno - The English grandmaster Nigel Short has complained that computers may destroy chess and that “cheating with computers is the gravest threat to chess today”, do you agree with that statement?

Erwin - Estoy de acuerdo en que los computadores son una seria amenaza ya que pueden realizan muchas tareas de cálculo en pequeñas cantidades de tiempo para realizar una buena táctica. Es difícil poder hacer trampas en un torneo donde se toman medidas de seguridad como instalación de cámaras.  La FIDE (federación internacional de ajedrez) impuso medidas drásticas en ese sentido como el prohibir por ejemplo el uso de un celular en una partida oficial de cualquier torneo con la pérdida de la partida de infringir este reglamento.

Erwin - I agree that computers are a serious threat as they can perform many computational tasks in small amounts of time to make good tactics. It is difficult to cheat in a tournament where they take security measures like the installation of cameras.  FIDE (World Chess Federation) has implemented drastic measures like forbidding the use of mobile phones during an official chess match in any tournament with the loss of the game for any offending player who violates this regulation.

Chileno – How vital is it to have a very powerful memory in chess - How many moves ahead can you calculate on the chess board?

Erwin - Tener una buena memoria ayuda a llevar una buena ejecución de una táctica, puede ayudar a obtener una ventaja en un momento crítico donde se requiere una mayor concentración y precisión.      

Erwin - Having a good memory helps to execute your tactics well, it helps you to obtain a good advantage in critical moments, where a great deal of concentration and attention to detail is required.     

Chileno – Would you say that chess is about combat perhaps fuelled by testosterone, or is it a strategic exercise?

Erwin - Es una combinación de ambas, por un lado está siempre las ganas y el deseo de derrotar a tu adversario. Por otro necesitas un gran conocimiento y sabiduría para lograrlo.

Erwin - It is a combination of both, on one hand the willingness to defeat your opponent is always present, on the other hand, you need great knowledge and wisdom to do this.

Chileno – Fischer, and others in Chess have sometimes been associated with insanity. Do you think there is a danger of becoming obsessed with chess and it damaging your health?

Erwin - Sí puede hacerlo, existe un mínimo contacto social para jugar una partida de ajedrez lo cual pudiese en un extremo llegar a ser perturbador para una persona que solamente desea jugar ajedrez.

Erwin - It can happen, there is often minimal social contact in chess, which in extreme cases could lead to [mental] disruption to someone who only wants to play chess.

Chileno - What is the chess scene like in Chile today? How does it compare to other countries and do you think it has changed over time?

Erwin - El nivel de Chile en ajedrez es bajo todavía. Está muy por debajo de Argentina, Perú, Brasil. Existe poco apoyo del gobierno para este deporte lo cual hace que muy buenos jugadores tengan que dejar de competir al no haber un apoyo económico para poder participar en grandes torneos.

Erwin - The level of chess in Chile is still low. It is well below Argentina, Peru, Brazil. There is little government support for this sport which makes very good players have to stop competing in the absence of financial support to participate in big tournaments.

Chileno - As with the rest of the world, there are many more men than women playing at top levels in Chile. Why do you think this is?

Erwin - Hay una gran jugadora como la húngara judit Polgar que le ha ganado partidas al campeón del mundo y ha llegado a estar dentro de los top ten a nivel mundial. Las mujeres juegan muy bien al ajedrez tanto como los hombres. Debe ser que a las mujeres les gusta jugar menos ajedrez que a los hombres.

Erwin - There is, for example, a great female player Judit Polgar of Hungary who has won world champion games and has come to be within the top ten worldwide. The women play chess as well as men. It must be that women like to play chess less than men.

Chileno – What do you think the future holds for chess in Chile? What are the three most important developments that need to happen to make improvements?

Erwin - Creo que vamos a seguir como estábamos antes si no se mejoran las políticas deportivas.

Erwin - I think we will continue as we were before if they don’t improve the  policies in this sport.

Chileno – Thanks for your time Erwin, best of luck with your chess.

Football was brought to Chile by the British in the 19th Century who played the sport during tours to commercial ports such as Valparaíso where locals were introduced to how the game was played. Indeed Chile's oldest football club, the Anglo-Saxon sounding Santiago Wanderers, was founded in 1892 and is based in Valparaíso. Today, football is incredibly popular in Chile and the country has one of the most competitive leagues in South America which continually produces homegrown talent through the youth systems as well as attracting the best players from abroad. Chile has produced a throng  of football stars over the years, many playing in top leagues across the world, such as the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, to name  just a few.  The presence of Chilean players has been particularly strong in Europe, with potential stars emerging every year. For example, the exciting 17-year-old Cristian Cuevas has recently signed for Chelsea.

 Here is a list of top 5 best footballers who are showing superb form in the Chilean league.

 1. Carlos Labrín

Carlos Alfredo Labrin was born in 2nd December, 1990 in Mulchén, Chile. The 23 year old Chilean international currently plays for Huachipato. He has the ability to break or make the squad with his vision, skills and performance. The player began his career in youth ranks of Huachipato being promoted to the first 11 in 2008. Despite his lack of experience, he soon won the support of Manager Fernando Vergara, who frequently featured him in his starting team.

2. Francisco Ibáñez Campos

Francisco Javier Ibáñez Campos was born on the 13th January 1986 in Chile. He currently plays as a forward for San Marcos de Arica. The player is a natural striker, with stamina, pace and aptitude in any position on the pitch. He started his career in the Universidad de Chile youth system prior to making his debut in 2006 with Palestino.

3. Lorenzo Reyes

Lorenzo Enrique Reyes was born on the 13th of June 1991. The 21 year-old Chilean is a midfielder for Primera División club Huachipato. The player moves, passes, and dribbles the ball with grace. Reyes plays a smart and simple style of football. The young star knows what he has to do with the ball even before he gets hold of it. He is fearless and makes the game look simple, as many of the greats in football do. You hardly ever see this player lose possession of the ball.

4. Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro is a 23 year old Chilean player who plays as a forward for Cobreloa in the Chilean league. Of all the primera division stars, one would beyond doubt be hard-pressed to find a single most exceptional star than Pizarro. Anyone who has watched the Chilean can attest to his influence in the team. And without a doubt Pizarro will carry on with his skills in any of the premier league club.

5. Marcos Sebastian Pol Gutiérrez

Marcos Sebastian Pol is an Argentine player currently on the books at Primera División club Cobreloa as a striker. He started his career in the San Lorenzo youth ranks, before joining Cartaginés. In August of 2007, after showing a remarkable season in Costa Rica, Marcos joined Dacia Mioveni, where he had a poor spell, then he arrived to Bolivia, playing for Guairá and Real Potosí. Pol signed for Chilean club Cobreloa in 2012.

Chileno interviewed several ranked Chilean chess players. They took some time out from their busy practice schedule and gave us their thoughts on some key questions on chess and what direction the game in Chile should take in the future. First up was FIDE master Joao Avalos currently ranked 56 in Chile.

Name:	Avalos Parra, Joao
Federation:	Chile
FIDE title:	FIDE Master
Highest rating:	2323
Born:	1981
Sex:	Male

 

Avalos Parra, Joao (CHI)  Profile |  Rating Progress |  Game Statistics

Chileno - When did you start to play chess and how much time do you devote to practice and development? 

Joao - Comence a los 14 años de edad, y dedico unas 4 horas al ajedrez diariamente.

Joao - I started when I was14 years old and I devote around 4 hours daily to play chess.

Chileno – What are your ambitions in chess?

Joao - Hoy en dia mis ambiciones son conseguir el titulo de maestro internacional de ajedrez y competir en el circuito mundial de este deporte.

Joao - Today my ambitions are to achieve the international master title and to compete on the world chess circuit.

Chileno - How important is studying chess theory to your game?

Joao - La teoría del ajedrez es muy importante para practicar este deporte a un nivel profesional ,debido a que es un lado importante del desarrollo de cualquier ajedrecista para poder alcanzar objetivos importantes en este deporte.

Joao - Chess theory is very important to play at a professional level.This is an important part of every chess player’s game in order to accomplish important achievements in the sport.

Chileno - Do you use computers as part of your studies?

Joao - Jugar con computadoras no realmente , si con las computadoras analizo mis partidas y estudioa de entrenamiento para comprobar pensamientos e ideas que se me pueden presentar en el entrenamiento mismo.

Joao - I don’t really play with computers, but I do analyse my chess matches using computers and learn by training and from my thoughts and ideas that may present themselves whilst training.

Chileno - The English grandmaster Nigel Short has complained that computers may destroy chess and that “cheating with computers is the gravest threat to chess today”, do you agree with that statement?

Joao - Bueno en cierta medida las computadoras pueden destruir la mistica imaginativa y creativa del juego, pero  sigo creyendo en que la inventiva e imaginación del ser humano es mas grande que el mero calculo y evaluación fría de una computadora. Por lo mismo creo que la trampa en ajedrez influye miuy poco e el juego verdadero del ajedrez en si. Es decir, dudo que el juego tramposo le gane a la inventiva humana.

Joao - I think that in a certain way, computers might destroy the imagination and creativeness of the game; however I still believe that the invention and imagination of the human being is much bigger than the cold and basic calculations of a computer. For that reason I think that cheating in chess has little influence in the real game.Therefore, I doubt that cheating will win over human creativeness.

Chileno – How vital is it to have a very powerful memory in chess - How many moves ahead can you calculate on the chess board?

Joao - La memoria es una virtud fundamental para desarrollar un buen juego de ajedrez , es algo que marca diferencia entre un jugador fuerte de uno débil, creo que  puedo calcular alrededor de 6 u 10 movimientos,aunque me encantaría que fueran mas , por el bien de mi futuro en este deporte.

Joao - Memory is a vital part to be able to develop a good chess game, it is something that marks the difference between a strong or a weak player, I think I can calculate around 6 to 10 moves ahead, although I would love to be able to do better in the future.         

Chileno – Would you say that chess is about combat perhaps fuelled by testosterone, or is it a strategic exercise?

Joao - Claramente el ajedrez es un juego de estrategia aunque como en todo deporte puede influir en situaciones determinadas  la testosterona para ganar.

Joao - Clearly, chess is a strategy game although like in every sport and in certain situations, but testosterone could help you to win.

Chileno – Fischer, and others in Chess have sometimes been associated with insanity. Do you think there is a danger of becoming obsessed with chess and it damaging your health?

Joao - Creo que el ajedrez pude causar anomalías mentales asi como cualquier deporte físico causa daños físicos como lesiones,etc. Asociar al ajedrecista con un potencial enfermo mental  es otra cosa que creo fuera de lugar … el ajedrecista peca de usar mucho su mente si eso es enfermedad bienvenida sea aquella..entonces a varias personas les favorecia este juego.. si Fischer fue considerado enfermo por ocupar su cerebro jugando ajedrez  mas que cualquier persona en este mundoen cualquier ámbito del pensamiento humano  entonces DIGANME LOCO que se los agradeceré.

Joao - I think that chess may cause mental anomalies like any other physical sport can cause physical damage like injuries etc. to associate a chess player with a potential mental illness is another thing that I think it is going too far … A chess player makes a mistake by using his mind too much and if that can be called insanity, then I welcome it!  A lot of people can take advantage of this game if that is the case then.  If Fischer was considered to be ill for using his brain to play chess more than any other person in the world or any sphere of human thought, then CALL ME  CRAZY and I would thank you for this.

Chileno - What is the chess scene like in Chile today? How does it compare to other countries and do you think it has changed over time?

Joao - Creo que Chile es un país totalmente básico en el desarrollo del ajedrez , hacen falta muchos cambios y mejoras para aspirar a obtener un nivel medianamente mundial. Comparado con otros países de america y el mundo estamos a años luz , pero tengo la esperanza de que mejore la situación de este deporte.

Joao - I think that Chile is at a very basic level in the development of chess, we need a lot of changes and better opportunities to achieve a medium world level. If we compare ourselves to other countries in the Americas and the rest of the world I think we are light years behind but I hope this situation will improve soon.

Chileno - As with the rest of the world, there are many more men than women playing at top levels in Chile. Why do you think this is?

Joao - Sin querer quedar como machista , creo que el ajedrez es un 80% paciencia por eso las mujeres lo descartan de plano, que mujer aguanta 5 horas sentadas sin moverse ni poder hablar??  Solo pensando …pocas.

Joao - Without being called a chauvinist, I think chess is 80%  patience and for that reason women are not interested, what woman will be able to stay still for 5 hours without being able to move and talk, just thinking… only a few.

Chileno – What do you think the future holds for chess in Chile? What are the three most important developments that need to happen to make improvements?

Joao - Creo que en Chile el ajedrez no mejorara sin una política clara y decidida hacia este deporte, sabemos que el ajedrez es poco comercial y masivo. Ninguna empresa privada apuesta por un deporte que le retribuya poca publicidad, creo que puntos neurálgicos para mejorar esta situación son INFORMACION a la gente sobre las bondades de este deporte, APOYO de la empresa privada y COMPROMISO con esta actividad. Con estos 3 puntos tomados en serio el ajedrez chileno puede mejorar hostenciblemente.

Joao - I think that chess in Chile won’t get better until there is a clear and dedicated policy towards this sport; we all know that chess is not very commercial and wide reaching.  A private company won’t invest in a sport that will bring hardly any publicity if any at all, I think that the major things to improve this situation are COMMUNICATION to the people about the benefits of this sport, SUPPORT from private companies and LOYALTY in this activity.  With these 3 points taken into consideration seriously Chilean chess can improve  dramatically.

Chileno – Thank you Joao for taking the time out for Chileno and we wish you good luck in your future endeavours.

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Ángelo Henríquez has shown exactly why English giants Manchester United have been watching him from a young age. After his introduction late in the second half against Sunderland, the young Chilean needed just eight minutes to score.

WIGAN, ENGLAND — After failing to get a call for the Manchester United starting team, the club loaned Henríquez to Wigan. After playing two games in the FA Cup, coach Roberto Martinez brought the former Universidad de Chile striker his first taste of English Premier League action.

Ángelo Henríquez has signed at Wigan on loan from Manchester United. Photo: Craig Norwood via Twitpic

The 18-year-old joined fellow Chilean Jean Beausejour on the field midway through the second half against Sunderland. After entering the play in the 71st minute, Henríquez scored just eight minutes later.

The young player has marked himself as a star of the future, with an impressive run of goals on debut. Henríquez scored in his first Copa Libertadores match, his first game with the Manchester United reserves team, his first game with Chile’s national team and now his first game in the English Premier League.

Despite the goal, Wigan lost the match 3-2 and remain in grave danger of relegation. Aside from the goal, the young Chilean also received his first yellow card in the English Premier League.

You can see the header in the video below.

This article first appeared on ilovechile.cl

Chile took Gold today in the Men's 5000m T11 at the Paralympics. Cristián Valenzuela beat Canada's Dunkerley (Silver medal) and Japan's Wada (Bronze medal) to first place with a personal best time of 15:26.26. The current men's Paralympic world record holder, Kenya's Henry Wanioke, completed the race in 15:11.07 at the 2004 Athens Paralympics Games. Valenzuela's time is approximately three minutes slower than the current overall men's 5000m world record of 12:37.35 (Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele in 2004). The win gives Chile their first Paralympic medal and indeed is their first of the year, failing as they did to win a medal at the London 2012 Olympics. Contrary to great expectations, the previous women's archery World Champion Denise Van Lamoen dashed Chilean hopes for medal status when she was easily knocked out in a second round match. Valenzuela's historic Paralympic Gold will no doubt give Chile a well needed sporting boost. See the race and ceremony below:

source: fifa.com

Chile take on Bolivia tonight in their bid to classify for Brasil 2014! As hosts, Brasil qualify automatically, leaving the other nine countries to battle it out playing each other at home and away over several years up to 2013. The top 4 will go through, leaving a 'final chance' for the fifth place team through a play-off. Currently sitting in fourth place, Chile will see this as a chance to increase their points going into a match against Venezuela on the 9th. It could be a tough game, however, as La Paz is at high altitude making prolonged physical exertion difficult. La Roja are a very fit team though and their previous record against Bolivia is good (see graphic from emol.com below).

 The clip shows Medel scoring 2 goals against Bolivia in hte 2010 qualifiers.

Source: emol.com

Chilean footballers have never had such a strong presence in European football. From the Italian Serie A, to La Liga in Spain, from the Primeira Liga in Portugal to our own English Premier League, Chilean 'Patiperros' can be found in clubs up and down the countries of Europe. To be fair there have been some great Chilean players who have for many years played and toured around the world, including visiting Europe. Jorge Aravena for example, who was one of the first to play for a Spanish club, signed for Real Valladolid in the mid-1980s. Iván Zamarano played for Real Madrid in the early 1990s picking up several trophies and accolades, noteably scoring a hat-trick against rivals Barcelona in the 1995 season. Similarly there was Marcelo Salas who moved to Italy for a 5-year stint in 1998 playing for both Lazio and Juventus. But way, way, way before that David Arellano, who is often credited with the promotion of la Chilena (the bicycle kick), was touring around Europe in the 1920s. Nevertheless, there has been something of a renaissance period for Chile of late with the success of the national team in qualifying for the last World Cup under chief Marcelo Bielsa, and recent news from the Santiago Times informs us that Chilean team Universidad de Chile has been ranked the 3rd best in the world.
So we thought it was time to have a gander at some of the Chleans currently playing abroad and we compiled a list of the best. So, here, in reverse order, is the chileno top 10 list of Chilean footballers currently playing in Europe. This is necessarily quite a subjective list of course and there are several other players that were omitted including but not limited to: Cristóbal Jorquera (Genova), Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari) and Jean Beausejour (Wigan).

OK, so the first is cheating because this entry doesn't actually play in Europe, but he's one of our favourite players so Humberto Suazo (Chupete) goes in at number 11. Currently playing for Monterrey in Mexico, Suazo was player of the year in 2006, awarded by the fun-sounding International Federation for Football and Statistics IFFHS, when he was the world's no 1 goal scorer. Well he did play for Zaragoza at one point and he has been a force to be reckoned with for the national team.

Jaime Valdés, or "El Pajarito" is an attacking midfielder/left-winger, who played for the national team under Bielsa a few years ago. He plays for Sporting normally but is currently on loan to Italian side Parma. Although he has not found a happy home in the Sporting line up, he knows Italian football well, having spent several years there already previously playing for Bari, Fiorentina, Lecce and Atalanta. Valdés is fast, aggressive, passes well and on his day and can finish like the best.

 Also a Sporting player who is in the current Chilean national squad, Fernández  was South American Footballer of the Year in 2006 and at 25 still has much to offer the game. He has an attacking style that is exciting to watch, bringing hm 4 goals at club level this season.

Another Serie A player, David Pizarro is currently on loan to Manchester City where he recently scored against Porto in the Europa League. He is a solid midfielder who has good ability to hold the ball well and has played for his country too.

Isla is a very versatile player, who is currently with top Serie A team Udinese (playing with Alexis Sanchez when he was there last season) and has had the national team call up before. His ability to occupy various positions on the field, moving forward and covering back, make him an asset to any team. Isla is a playmaker, distributing the ball well to team mates. Some rumours have it that he may move to Liverpool in the future.

Estrada moved to top French team Montpellier in 2010 after a good run with Universidad de Chile. He plays midfield and is an excellent striker of the ball.

A striker for Serie A club Napoli and Chile, Vargas played for Chilean side Universidad de Chile before making the move to Italy in December 2011 for £11.5 million. In the 2011 season Vargas scored 17 goals for Universidad de Chile and so is set to make a huge splash in Europe.

Medel is a defensive midfielder, who tackles ferociously for La Liga team Sevilla and Chile. Not pretty to watch at times, he picks up yellow and red cards but his work rate is great and he can score too. With 42 caps for Chile, Medel has served his country well. With a nickname like "El Pitbull" how could he not get in the top 5!

Goalkeeper for Real Sociedad and Chile, Bravo has racked up 27 clean sheets for his current club since 2006, and although has had a tough time including severe injuries, he went on to help the team return to La Primera. Bravo has accumulated 63 international caps and also serves as captain for the national side.

Vidal is a midfielder and  plays for Juventus who have just won this year's Scudetto. His skills shone in such a way from Chile that the German club Bayer Leverkusen signed him up making the transfer one of the most expensive in Chilean football history (approximately £6.8 million). He is one of only 4 Chilean football players to win the Scudetto.

Alexis comes from very humble beginnings, such that the Mayor of his town in Chile gave him a pair of football boots after seeing him playing barefoot. How times have  changed for the golden boy; Sanchez signed for Spanish giants Barca in the summer of 2011 for an estimated £37.5 million, and has scored 15 goals from 25 appearances. He is a natural striker, with pace and ability in any position up front. In December 2011 such was his fame that he became an ambassador for the Choose to Live Healthy campaign in Chile and according to a survey from FIFA, he has the brighest future of any young Chilean player.

 
Let the debating begin!

Team		Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Eff
	Chile	76	42	23	7	12	59	41	+18	60.32%

source: Wikipedia as of the 8th of March 2012

But as Bielsa has said himself, the win will only really mean something if Bilbao can repeat the performance at home next Thursday. Let's see what happens...

Like this? Debate the top 10 Chilean soccer players

In the first ever meeting between the two teams, Chile face Ghana in an international friendly on Wednesday the 29th of February (any women want to take the opportunity of proposing to their Chilean men?) to be held in Philadelphia, kick off at 00:00 GMT. Chilean national football team coach Claudio Borghi has now announced the squad as the following (clubs in brackets):

Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad), Miguel Pinto (Atlas).

Defenders: Osvaldo González (Universidad de Chile), Luis Casanovas (O'Higgins), Lucas Domínguez (Audax Italiano), José Rojas (U. de Chile), Marcos González (Flamengo, BRA).

Midfield: Marcelo Díaz (U. de Chile), Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo), José Pedro Fuenzalida (Colo Colo), Matías Campos (U. Católica), Eugenio Mena (U. de Chile), Charles Aránguiz (U. de Chile), Gary Medel (Sevilla), Cristóbal Jorquera (Génova), Matías Fernández (Sporting).

Strikers: Junior Fernandes (U. de Chile), Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo), Alexis Sánchez (Barcelona), Eduardo Vargas (Nápoles), Humberto Suazo (Monterrey).

Here's our expected line up for Wednesday night's match:

Bravo
O. González   M. González   Domínguez   Rojas
Díaz   Jorquera   Fuenzalida
Suazo (chupete!)   Sanchez   Vargas

Vamos La Roja! Enter your predictions in the comments below.

Did you know?

• Chile is currently ranked number 12 in the world by the FIFA World Ranking.
• The British brought the game to Chile in the 19th Century - one club is even called Everton!
• In the 1974 World Cup qualifiers, the Soviet Union refused to play Chile because the US backed the overthrow of the socialist Allende Government.
• Find out who the top 10 Chilean football players in Europe are
  

Check out some of La Roja's great goals!