Antonio’s determination is what sets him apart By: Ed Andaya KIBITZER

IF I were to tell you one of the country’s best chess players -- if not the best -- would be appearing in the lobby of the Subic International Hotel to sign autographs this week, would you go there expecting to see (1) Eugene Torre, (2) Wesley So, (3) Mark Paragua, (4) John Paul Gomez or (5) Darwin Laylo?

What you would find there, however, is none of the above.

But what you would find is a player who is just as talented as all of the above, a player who loves winning and hates losing, who shows up in the playing venue always dressed to kill and expectedly, always ready to slaughter his opponent on the chessboard.

Well, GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. gave us one more reason to believe he is truly one of the best Filipino chess players of all time.

Antonio finished in a tie for third place in the 2009 Asian Continental individual chess championship in Subic over the weekend.

And more importantly, he became the only Filipino player to earn a spot in the World Chess Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia later this year. The only one of 19 players from the host nation to make it.

So and Torre, the country’s top two players, tried to make it but didn’t.

Paragua, once the country’s highest-rated player, and Gomez, the newest chess sensation, failed miserably.

But Antonio?

The pride of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro did the country proud by finishing with seven points on five wins and four draws in the star-studded tournament which attracted the 86 players from 15 countries, including 40 GMs and 15 IMs.

And while his compatriots struggled in the wake of strong opposition during the tough, 11-round competition, the 47-year old Antonio did his thing quietly.

As coldly efficient as a serial killer on the loose.

Before his 10th-round setback to eventual champion GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India, Antonio won four of his previous five matches to keep Filipino pride intact.

Three of his five victories came against the top players of Vietnam, including against the ever-dangerous GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in the pivotal ninth round.

Le, in case you don’t remember it anymore, is the same player who slammed the door on So in their final-round encounter.

That loss -- and an earlier draw with fellow prodigy Hou Yifan of China -- caused the second-seeded So a chance to finish in the Top 10 and a slot to the World Cup.

There’s no such problem for Antonio in Subic.

After winning 10 of 11 tournaments during a five-month campaign in the United States and finishing runner-up to So in the Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City “Battle of GMs,”, Antonio arrived in the former American naval base in Olongapo City with only one goal: make it to the World Cup.

He left Subic with a big smile yopu would think he has just accomplished the “Twelve Labors of Hercules."

“It’s a dream come true," said Antonio, who will make his second appearance in the world’s biggest chess stage after 10 long years.

“To play in the World Cup is already a big achievement. Winning there will be an even bigger prize,” added Antonio, who finished in a tie for eighth to 14th places in the 2007 edition held in Mandaue City and missed a slot due to tiebreak.

There was no sorry tale this time.

Antonio made his first-ever appearance in the World Cup in Las Vegas in 1999, losing to GM Vladimir Akopian of Armenia in the second round of the Wimbledon-style knockout phase.

A mainstay of Philippine Army, Antonio opened the tournament with back-to-back draws against FM Awam Wahono of Indonesia and GM Niaz Murshed of Bangladesh.

The came the third round.

Antonio made short work of CM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam for his first win in the tournament.

After drawing with compatriot GM Jayson Gonzales in the fourth round, Antonio turned his game several notches higher to win four of his next five matches -- all against foreign opponents.

Only GM Elshan Moradiabadi of Iran survived Antonio’s winning spree, salvaging a draw against the Filipino champion.

A loss to Ganguly in a keenly-watched showdown on the penultimate day slowed down Antonio.

But a final-round draw, which was all he needed, against highly-rated Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi of China, enabled Antonio to secure his rightful place in the World Cup.

But his goal is not just to make it to the World Cup. It is just not to win his first-round assignment. Or second round. Or third round.

Chess is not just about playing the game.

For Antonio, winning is everything. And he is determined to win the game.

To him, it’s the only thing that matters.

And this is what sets true champions apart.