Alekhine's Defence

“Alekhine’s Defence”
11 ¾” x 16 ½”
RESERVED

This is the last piece from my Shah Mat series. Though I would have wanted it to end with The King’s Gambit, this slippery knight had eluded me twice and is now hopping in all it’s excitement to spoil the presentation. Thanks to Yoli for reminding me and this week’s IF prompt, Alekhine is back.

You need not run after this knight. Just give him a minute and he’ll pass by you again, fluctuating while he licks his lollipop. You don’t see his lollipop? Well, I’ll let you wallow on the image then coz I don’t want to bore you with the hidden meaning anyway. I want to sound cool so yes, my illustrations are my way of venting out my frustrations with the economic downturn this 3rd world country has taken a decade ago.

I also wanted to summon the knights of the round table and make a series out of the bunch, Red Threading: Parade of the Trojan Whores. But I’m saving it for a grander occasion, say an art exhibit if I do get lucky with my art and if… I’m still alive after a year.hahaha By the way, I have taken a bolder step today when I submitted my latest painting to this year’s MADE competition. I was surprised that they still remembered Red Threading when they commented on the additional color in my palette. I hope I make it to the semifinals again so my message gets to a broader audience. If I do, I’ll post the pictures sooner. So please include me in your prayers and early Christmas wish lists.;)

You can see the other knight here. I hope to update them with better spot details soon.

The King's Gambit

"The King's Gambit"
11 3/4" x 16 1/2"

He's been at the top of this blog for almost a year now, casting a suspicious gaze at the title. I don't know if anyone has already guessed who he is but from his eyes, one can only surmise that he doesn't trust the author.

He is one of the most important pieces in chess, though it doesn't necessarily mean that he is the most powerful. I mean all the other pieces protect him as far as sacrificing themselves while he inches his way to the corners of the board. He's so helpless that he needs to hide under the skirt of his pawns and usually flanked by his pet rooks. I don't know why they made the King old in this game. If it's wisdom, I'm really not buying it.:P

So here are some spot details of the king. And if you're wondering who is he looking at, it's the fianchettoing bishop who blocks his view of the beautiful queen. If I have the time, I might redraw the queen and make a triptych of the love triangle.

The Immortal King

Sacrifices in chess can be quite deceiving and are only made for positional gain. And it takes a lot of foresight and good acting to weave the ruse in an intentional blunder to make it more believable and appealing. So far, the slap on the forehead and a devastated look antic still works for me.

One of my favorites, the Immortal Game showcases brilliancy at its best. Played by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851, it has been called an achievement "perhaps unparalleled in chess literature." The very bold sacrifices made by Anderssen - giving up both rooks and a bishop, then his queen, checkmating his opponent with his three remaining minor pieces, made it the second most brilliant game in chess history

In case you're wondering, the best game was played in 1992 by yours truly and my father. I successfully abducted his queen and 2 pawns when he left our table to answer a phonecall. In spite of the blatant cheating and handicap, my father still managed to beat me in 4 moves! I swear this guy has a talisman like those of my classmates' - a dummy bullet tied to their waists that grants wisdom and protection

"The Immortal King"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“

To my friends, I will get back to blogging real soon with my latest commission. I am just having a battle against an obstinate oil painting that I will also be posting here in coming weeks. This is all for now, ciao!:)

I wonder if my classmates are still wearing their talismans.hahahaha

Queen's Gambit Accepted

Being the supportive boss and mentor that she was, MJ perused each drawing for at least 5 minutes. Carefully flipping from one page to the other, I could tell that she was enjoying every moment of it. She was smiling and asked me a lot of questions.

She reminded me of my sister when we were still small. As a toddler, she liked lying next to me on the cold floor as I drew her favorite bedtime story character. She would excitedly point with her tiny finger and say, "da tittle red hen". We've grown up now but she is still small.

"Why are all your drawings so serious?", MJ asked still looking at D7 and Royal Fork. "Because they're chess pieces who gets killed in the game", I replied. She closed my portfolio, pressed her palms gently above it and smiled at me, "I want you to draw a happy one."

"Queen's Gambit Accepted"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“

Inspired by the very poised MJ.

PS: I am conducting a survey on browser usage. Please, please take the time to answer the poll on my sidebar, just below the Followers list. You can also follow my latest news and activities in my Facebook account. Thank you very much!:)

Fianchetto

This is one strategy in chess I got from my father when using the Indian Defense. It is a pattern of development wherein the bishop delays the occupation of the central posts thus limiting the opponent's movement. In chess, it's all about controlling the center. And since it will be controlling a significant number of key posts, it is subject to many attacks.

I used to think that this is a weak move since most of the time it's path is blocked by it's knight in shining armor and is unable to maneuver the whole board, which in the first place is the objective of it's development. That always made me feel like I have one piece LESS than my dad.



But one false move from this mighty opponent could sometimes cost him his rook which gives me material gain if not the very elusive victory.

Happy International Women's Day!

Two posts back, I asked if anyone knew the reason why my pawns were women. But I guess it wasn't that obvious for those who don't play chess. Fine, I'm the only nerd around here but I still owe my friend an explanation. Anyway, Liberts thought that I'm a feminist and used my pawns to insinuate that the world is run by women. I had to agree with her, what else are we men here for?;) She was so pleased that she commissioned another artwork from me that very same day. Below is a diptych of the two pawns pitted against each other that I specially made for her.

D7 and Royal Fork

So why are my pawns women? In the game of chess, the underrated pawns can be the most powerful pieces in late game. It can either stab the king with the humiliating pike of checkmate or reach the 8th rank or opposite end of the board where it gets promoted to any piece of the player's choice. And I never settled for anything less, I've always had the powerful queen.:P I hope that satisfies her.

This post is dedicated to Liboria McCormick(that's my lovely mother), to the two most interesting women I met in blogging, to my ate, to Liberts, to Gem, Mimi and DD, to Beyonce and all the independent women of the world!:P

Happy International Women's Day!

PS: D7 accused me of being a leaf-thief. Royal Fork is D7's younger sister.;)

An Indian's Mitre

Intricate, complex, bizarre and unique are the words most often used to describe my works. Unlike what I have been used to painting, the artworks you see here are products of my desire to explore my creativity. If truth be told, I really don't understand the word and until now I can still hear my former boss saying "...you mean you're not creative? HAHAHAHAHAHA!". Laugh all you want MJ.:P

So here's another piece from the Shah Matt series. The black bishop as a tribute to the true masters of the game. I'm not quite fond of this artwork, my creative juice dried up after Henry's O-O-O and I just had to get back to this when all the 11 pieces were finished.

"An Indian's Mitre"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“

I just hate it when my dad opens with the Indian Defense! I'll tell you why in the white bishop's post. So for first timers, you can subscribe to this blog via RSS. Here are the details, enjoy the intricacy!

D7

"D7"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“
SOLD

This is a commissioned artwork for my beautiful friend Liberts, which will complement Royal Fork in her living room. Liberts happens to be my very first art client who already bought 2 pieces in this series. Not to mention Ot-to and Uri from Pono Ko Balleng and Afrodite. Well I still have to dissuade her from buying the latter since she will be nursing her bed-ridden father and will be unemployed for a couple of months.



Can anyone can guess why my pawns are women? Hint: it has something to do with the breezy D7!

Henry's O-O-O

I was choosing between this and the black knight for my next post. And my instinct was telling me that the two would fit this week's topic. In fact I have already prepared the spot details and conducted a photoshoot with my girlfriend Tendinitis just a while back. I guess there are times when you just have to close your eyes, like the rook Henry below, and just follow your INSTINCT.;)

"Henry's O-O-O"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“
SOLD

O-O-O is my father's response to my Castles in the Air, which means castles queenside. And if you've been wondering about the name, this rook was named after his father, the British master Henry Bird.:P Enjoy the details everyone!

Royal Fork

As part of revealing the entire chess series here in my blog, I will be updating some entries with images and spot details. And as some of you may have already noticed, I am also linking this to Illustration Friday and deviantArt. For IF's topic this week: Celebrate, I will be talking about a special move in chess, the Fork.

"Royal Fork"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“
SOLD

Against my dad, a stalemate is the the closest I could get to winning. And like a discovered check or royal fork on his King and Queen with my Knight, another reason for my premature celebratory dance is the simple Fork with my trustworthy pawns. So before I totally bore you with incomprehensible chess jargon, the Fork is simply a move that attacks two or more of the opponent's pieces that often results to material gain. My dad usually suffers from this very humiliating situation on a Queen's Gambit opening. Dad gets Pwned!Hahaha

But he always took his move back saying it was all a ploy and that he wanted to see if I'd been paying attention. Björnik gets owned!:(



The following is the original blog entry written May 2, 2008:

It must had been the luckiest day in my life. Last saturday, one of the 6 finished artworks was sold to a very good friend who used to be my boss and who I have great respect for. It was just a simple show and tell and I didn't expect her to be interested. Told her about my plans of holding an exhibit and that I just need enough money for the preparation. I also learned from our brief conversation that she's also an artist and a feminist. And then she also commissioned me to do another artwork that will complement this in her living room.

I couldn't thank you more girl gf, DD & Ms. Bing! Ingat kayo jan sa Bahrain:* I just hope that some of my beautiful friends in Japan could read this.:P

Sa Pagputi ng Uwak

It is a Filipino idiomatic expression translated literally as "when the crow turns white" and used to connote an impossibility. I too, may have waited in vain for a rook to grow white feathers had Rowper not suggested a feature on Afrodite. I waited 6years for someone to suggest a DD on me but dA is such a big community that narrows down a lurker's chance of discovery. But it seems that what was written on my rook's bow came to a reality. Puti na ako (I'm already white)! It is TIME!

"Castles in the Air"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“
SOLD

So here's to all my friends and fellow deviants who took the time to visit this blog and accumulated an impossible feat of 1000+ visits in a day. Thank you!

PS: Good thing there is always a white rook in the language game of chess.;)

Kn-F3

Father always reminded me to think before I make a move. But the temptation of holding the knight, being the most recognizable piece in the game of chess, was too much for a 3-year old to bear. I would say we play the "Sicilian offense"(my reverse Sicilian defense) just so I could marvel at the piece and stick it inside my mouth. But my supportive father wouldn't take that for an opening and bore me to death with chess notations and strategies.

I used the unorthodox opening a couple of times, winning against high school and college varsity players. Almost given me a spot in the team had I not humiliated my chess coach after beating him in less than 20 moves during the first day of class. Ok, I am gloating now because I need to write something to make this a valid post.hahaha

"Kn-F3"
11 ¾ “ x 16 ½“

Anyway, this is my first ever "official" artwork. The first in a 12-artwork series dedicated to the man who can put a combined Kasparov and Deep Blue to shame. The same father who almost shoved a bitter gourd in my mouth just so I could identify and remember the taste. He didn't understand that I hated vegetables. How I wish there was Bantay Bata 163 back then.hahaha



I also posted this at two of my favorite websites and much to my surprise, it has elicited the most number of negative responses in one and was almost subjected to art theft in the other. So I guess my father's right about Kn-F3. It's really flawed.

Note: Kn-F3 means Knight goes to F3.

Castles in the Air

After a year in captivity, my fledglings are now ready to soar high and find a decent roost. I'm happy for them. At least I know their owner will take good care of them, like how he took care of me. Besides, I wouldn't call him the birdman if he eats rooks for dinner.

I'm talking about two of my artworks that has been sold to my former boss. I spent at least a week, translate to 100 hours of eye strain, tendinitis and backaches, drawing each piece. And another month just staring at them and loving my self dearly for creating these masterpieces.haha Walang pakialaman!:P Well, they were all I had when everything seemed so bleak and uncertain. They kept me and Elai(my PC) company in the emptiness of my room. They flew with me wherever the wind took us. They were my rooks and I was their king. And it was difficult for me to set them free.


Well, I didn't intend to write something as mushy as this. It would have been more appropriate if I just wrote about how I came up with the concepts. But just like all the pieces in my chess series, they can't keep still. I hope you caught one of them winking at you!;)

O-O

P.S. Sorry about the hands but my friend thought it's cool if I make it my trademark.hahaha!

Happy Birthday Black Angel

My elegant queen finally found a nice place at Bay Garden's Mactan Tower. She shares an imperial view of the sprawling MOA with her debonair king Kekeru. Together they will rule all of Pasay and live their dream for as long as Black Angel permits. Unfortunately, it was Black Angel who requested for this stand-in queen. She may not have the whiskers but she definitely has the elegance and the long neck to match her long legs. I'm not describing a giraffe, she's far more enchanting than that.:P

This is the second piece of my 12-artwork series and has the most number of interested buyers. I had to dissuade some of them because I didn't see as much sincerity that I found in Black Angel. Naks! You deserve this bai. Please take good care of her and enjoy, I know you ran out of birthday posts.:P Happy Birthday Black Angel!

PS: I'm always open if you decide to commission the king.
You can see more artworks for sale here.

Shah-la-Matt

It is surprising to know that there are real people out there who are actually interested in my series. Well aside from the sales I made from friends after incessant badgering and promises of literally building their homes with my bare hands. A friend of mine, the very talented MALL, also helped by featuring my works in her blog. Check her out and be prepared to get mesmerized. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. And before I forget, Mall if you're reading this, Maraming salamat!

I could whole heartedly say that life has been good to me the past week. Construction went smoothly and there had not been any reported cases of missing limbs. A very happy doctor gave my retention fee for a chapel and a mausoleum that I designed last year, which I had totally forgotten about. Yesterday, I found myself standing beneath a rain cloud and it's like standing beneath your little sister's little pink umbrella and getting half of your body wet. Except that you were loving the experience. I should have pushed my luck and tried to find that pot of gold at the end of rainbow.



Anywayz, the long wait is over! After almost 8 months of drawing that seemed to me more like eternity of eye strain and tendinitis, my Pen & Ink series is now complete. I have just finished the last piece, which is the slayer King, a commissioned work for another architecture client, I just hope he likes it for his bachelor pad. Otherwise it will end up as a wedding present along with the dragon Queen. I know it sounds strange and a bit like the dungeons and dragons theme. But if you want get lost in my crazy world, you can subscribe to this blog via RSS. There is a lot in store for you. I just have to fix some stuff before I could post the rest of the series here in my blog. And I can't wait to talk about the Battery of Rooks.

Please check out my latest artwork "A Cut Above the Rest". Thank you for viewing!:)

For Sale

I am now pre-selling my artworks to anyone interested in pen & ink drawings. I've already sold 4 of the 12 A3-sized (297mm x 420mm) pieces. Prices and high resolution copies are only available upon serious inquiries. FCFS

SOLD OUT