Meet Eugene Torre, the pioneering Asian GM who beat Karpov and befriended Fischer Premium

A trailblazer for chess in the continent, Torre changed perceptions by proving he could compete against the world’s best in the 70s and 80s.

Viswanathan Anand became Asia’s third Grandmaster in 1988. Eugene Torre, the first from the continent to get that most important title for chess players, did it in 1974.

He was also the first Asian to play at the Candidates, the qualifying event for the World Championship. He featured in 23 Olympiads for Philippines.

He was a friend of the legendary Bobby Fischer, whom he assisted during his 1992 match against Boris Spassky. Excerpts from an interview Torre gave The Hindu:

When you were trying to become a GM, Asia was hardly a force in chess. Now, two Asians have contested the World Championship and the Women’s World Championship

.I am so happy now that China and India are there on top already. Back in my time, other than getting the Grandmaster title, I was really hoping that chess in Asia would be recognised. We were nowhere near the Soviet Union, the United States or the European countries. The players from those countries would treat us just as easy victims.

But you changed that perception. And Asia finally got a Grandmaster.

Becoming a Grandmaster was more than a dream for me. I was able to do it because my family supported me. And I think it happened with Anand, too, didn’t it? I decided, together with my family, that in order to become a Grandmaster, I had to campaign in Europe for one year, because there was no tournament in Asia.