Casto Abundo (1950-2025)

Casto Abundo was one of those people whose presence in chess felt so constant that one somehow assumed he would always be there, quietly keeping the game running. To many he was Casto, but to his friends he was simply Toti, and in the Philippines and across Asia that name carried weight. I first came to know him in the 1970s, when the Asian chess scene was still finding its feet and characters like him gave the region its early momentum. Years later, during his time as FIDE’s executive director, he surprised me with a small but meaningful gesture: an invitation to write a few stories for the FIDE newsletter. For someone like me, scribbling away in Malaysia, it felt like a doorway into a much larger world. We corresponded for a while before life pulled us in different directions.

Picture from World Chess Federation, FIDE

Toti’s career was enormous in scope. Over the past 50 years he was everywhere in world chess as an arbiter, organiser and administrator. He was one of those rare people who could move between all three roles with ease. He had been a trusted colleague of Florencio Campomanes and served FIDE in positions that demanded both competence and diplomacy: FIDE General Secretary from 1988 to 1990, and later FIDE Executive Director from 1994 to 1998. Even after Campo stepped away from the spotlight, Toti stayed on and anchored himself within FIDE as a member of the Rules Commission and the Qualification Commission, and eventually as Executive Director of the Asian Chess Federation. 

As an arbiter, he stood on some of the biggest stages. He was the Chief Arbiter of the 2000 World Championship Match and the 2001 World Cup, and one of the organisers of the 1992 Chess Olympiad. He was also a committed FIDE Arbiter Lecturer, patiently shaping new generations of arbiters even as his own health began to falter in later years. What stood out was his sense of duty. Even after bouts of ill health, he never really slowed down. Right up to the end he continued organising and conducting courses; in fact, I reconnected with him only in the middle of last year after the Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship event in Penang, when I joined his online international organisers’ workshop. Hearing his voice again after so many years was strangely comforting. It was the same calm, authoritative tone I remembered from decades before.

People sometimes forget that Toti was also a strong chessplayer in his own right. He was rated 2175 at the time of his passing, meaning he approached the game not only from the administrative side but from a deep personal understanding of its competitive core. That combination of player, arbiter, organiser, historian and administrator was what made him so valuable. Whenever Asian federations needed help with rating or title matters, or when organisers sought guidance, it was Toti who provided the clarity and the path forward.

His passing at the age of 75 leaves a gap that will be felt far beyond the Philippines. Asian chess, in particular, has lost one of its great stewards and the many FIDE commissions and committees he served will feel the absence of his experience and quiet authority. For those of us who crossed paths with him over the years, whether briefly or over decades, the loss is personal too. I’m glad to have known Toti, even in small ways, across the long arc of his work in the game.