FIDE MASTER (FM) ELMER L. CARAG
CHESS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
ELMER L. CARAG STARTED PLAYING CHESS AT THE AGE OF 5, TOGETHER WITH HIS ELDER BROTHER ERWIN WHO IS A YEAR OLDER. CHESS TUTOR WAS THE BOYS OWN FATHER ESTEBAN 'STEVE' S. CARAG.
AT 12, ELMER WAS CROWNED AS THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL KIDDIES CHESS CHAMPION. GROWING IN CHESS WISDOM, AS A 16 YEAR OLD CHESS CAMPAIGNER, ELMER NOTCHED THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL JUNIORS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP. A YEAR LATER, HE GAINED HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL CHESS EXPERIENCE AS A MEMBER OF THE QUEZON CITY CHESS TEAM THAT JOINED THE 6TH ASIAN INTER- CITIES INVITATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP HELD IN HONGKONG.
AT 18, HE REACHED THE FINALS PHASE OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP. SHEER TALENT ACCENTUATED ELMER'S TREK TO SERIOUS CHESS AS HE EARNED A NATIONAL MASTER (NM) TITLE IN THE 1992 FAR EAST BANK AND TRUST COMPANY (FEBTC), INC. CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP.
