Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) applauds our country’s pride; our very own chess grandmaster Eugene Torre for being the first Asian to ascend the World Chess Hall of Fame, after the approval given by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) during an online meeting last April 19, 2021.
GM Eugene Torre became the first Asian Grand Master after bagging a silver medal at the 1974 Nice Olympiad. Based on records, GM Torre participated in a total of 23 Chess Olympiads and attended 25 biennial events. In 2016, he was included in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Honoring the chess legend, CFBCI executive officers, headed by President Alejandro Co, presented a plaque of recognition to him in a humble ceremony held last July 15, 2021, at the CFBCI Auditorium. Aside from the award, CFBCI also handed a check donation for the benefit of the Eugene Torre Chess Foundation (ETCF).
Since 2014, CFBCI and ETCF have been working in partnership and have successfully conducted chess workshops and tournaments with the participation of students from various Filipino-Chinese secondary schools aimed at teaching and providing the youth with proper skills and discipline required in playing the ‘royal’ game. Who knows, a future chess grandmaster might actually be a product of this noble endeavor.
CFBCI is a non-stock, non-profit, and non-partisan corporation of Chinese-Filipino businessmen which brings together the most prominent members of the Chinoy community from a diverse range of industry sectors and highly respected members of various professions. Since its establishment in 1998, it has been a strong partner of government and the private sector in nation-building efforts through its twin advocacies of prosperity and sustainable development programs for all.
With having a primary objective of being a catalyst of economic engine growth via programs that pay forward to society, CFBCI has consistently devoted its resources to the improvement of its various constituent communities, playing a vital role in ushering a period of greater cooperation and understanding, not only in the promotion of business and trade, but also in facing various challenges that the nation faces at present.
CFBCI actively promotes the growth of entrepreneurship by supporting projects for the development and competitiveness of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. It provides free seminars, workshops and symposia on productivity improvement and other topics to encourage the setting up of more businesses and improve company performance.
By its own initiative, CFBCI has been conducting several investment and cultural promotion activities overseas. As part of its various advocacies, CFBCI has been active in numerous civic activities, such as providing deep well facilities to far flung areas; spearheading computer literacy programs for the marginalized communities and underprivileged citizenry; establishing scholarship programs coupled with values formation session to numerous deserving college students and conducting digital meeting platforms and webinars on relevant issues by inviting key resource speakers.
CFBCI is consistently at the forefront of civic service and undertaking of people-to-people diplomacy to promote intercultural understanding and friendship. As always, CFBCI being an organization that is working in close collaboration with various stakeholders, both private and public, will continuously focus its efforts to undertake and render projects and activities for the betterment of the nation.
