Palau finally sent a complete team in 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey with (R-L) Roberto Hernandez, Menandro Manuel, Bernardo Garcia and Elizabeth Manuel (who's taking this photo). They were able to ask USA top player and world's no. 7 Hikaru Nakamura for a souvenir photo at the opening ceremony.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
10 YEARS OF CHESSMATE;
57 YEARS OF ROBERTO
HOW time flies! It’s already 10
years since the first issue of CHESSMATE in Dec. 29, 2002. A lot has been
achieved in as long as chess development in Palau is concerned. There have been
at least 3 major chess tourneys every year since 2003 and 3 invitational chess
championships where foreign players were invited.
The
first 6 major tournaments in Palau have 6 different champions – Eddie Grefiel,
Consul General Julius Torres, Menandro Manuel, Edgardo Enarsao, Roberto
Hernandez and Jess Toldoya.
With
the help of Almario Marlon Bernardino, GM Eugene Torre, Gary Bekker, Toti
Abundo and the late Lifetime Honorary FIDE President Florencio Campomanes,
Palau was accepted as member of FIDE (World Chess Federation) in 2005.
A
year later, Mr. Bekker and Hernandez collaborated to have the inaugural 2006
Palau Invitational Chess Championship where 4 foreign players were invited and
6 Palau local players gained their initial international ranking-- Manuel, Cyril Montel, Jr., Jose Omega, Gene
Pastrana, Hernandez and Manny Nedic.
In
2009, Palau was represented for the first time in Oceania Zonal Chess
Championship in Australia. Thanks again to Mr. Bekker for buying the airfare of
Hernandez so that Palau will be represented for the first time in overseas
competition.
In
Australia, Roberto met Jamie Kenmure, who later became the team captain of
Palau in 2010 and 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Russia and Istanbul, Turkey
respectively. Roberto also met the Lapitan family where the whiz boy Daniel
became Australia’s junior champion in the 12 years and under category.
Also
in Australia that Roberto met Joselito Marcos of Papua New Guinea. They became
best of friends, renewed their friendship in 2010 WCO in Russia and in the 3rd
Palau Invitational Chess Championship held at Palau Royal Resort from Dec.
14-19, 2011. Joselito and Manuel were co-champions of that event.
Joselito
came with his wife Nanette and daughter Jamie and they experienced the beauty
of Palau firsthand after a week of competitive chess. They have a trip to Rock
Island, the Capitol, Palau Aquarium, golf and archery at Papago International
Resort and the warm hospitality of Palauan people.
On
March 15, 2011, a new opportunity was offered to Hernandez to write/contribute
on Thursday issue of Tia Belau, who will publish twice a week for the first
time after 21 years of publishing once a week.
This
time it’s about music. Chess on Monday and Music on Thursday were all posted at
Palau Chess Federation website http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
Thanks
a lot to Joselito Marcos who initiated the move to make Palau more popular
through this website that started in Dec. 26, 2011. In its first month, the
page views were only 30 and after a year, it’s now more than 30,000! At
present, it has 381 posts with a lot more to be posted especially the older
issues of CHESSMATE since 2003.
In
the 2010 World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, only 2 players made
it there – Hernandez and Tito Cabunagan. They were not allowed to play because
of a ruling that started in 2008 WCO in Dresden, Germany that a country must
have at least 3 players to be allowed to play.
They
didn’t allow Kenmure to join the Palau players because he is listed under
Australia. The only hope now is on their Delegate Jan Berglund of Sweden, who
was Palau’s Delegate in Dresden. He is not listed under USA (he’s got a green
card) and Sweden. But, there is no stamp on his passport that confirmed that
he’s been to Palau at least once to be allowed to play. His unused ticket
(Sweden-Hawaii-Guam-Palau) was not honored.
Palau
finally was able to send a whole team to 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul,
Turkey. Cabunagan didn’t make it due to job requirement while Mohammad Manik
Hossain was allowed by his employer to go in the last 2 weeks and missed the
once in a lifetime chance to play in an Olympiad.
But
Board 1 Roberto Hernandez, Board 2 Elizabeth Manuel, Board 3 Bernardo Garcia
and Board 4 Menandro Manuel is good enough to complete a team even without
reserve. They played all 11 rounds and were swept by Qatar, Iraq and Maldives
in the first 3 rounds respectively.
Garcia
achieved a Candidate Master title when he scored half point in round 4 and 3
consecutive wins in round 5, 6 and 7 for a 50% performance in his first 7 games
for a CM title, Palau’s first. It’s already a major achievement that sparks the
interest of many local players to join the next World Chess Olympiad in Tromso,
Norway in August 01-14, 2014.
The
committed players in the Open (men’s) team are Board 1 Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr.,
Board 2 Menandro Manuel, Board 3 CM Bernardo Garcia, Board 4 Tito Cabunagan and
reserve Roberto Hernandez (so that he can attend the arbiters/trainers seminars
that coincide with every Olympiad. Jeff Balbalosa will captain the women’s team
while Paquito Suringa, Jr. will replace any of the 6 that will not make it.
The
women’s team is composed of Board 1 Angie Parrado, Board 2 Baby Edna Mission,
Board 3 Mary Frances Lopez, Board 4 Elizabeth Manuel and reserve Joy Flores
Whipps. Paz Ngiratechekii will replace any of the 5 players that will not make
it if she can start saving now for airfare.
The
Open team’s captain is still Jamie Kenmure and the Delegate for the 3rd
consecutive Olympiad is still Mr. Jan Berglund. The Head of Delegation is
reserved for Senator Mlib Tmechtul. If he is not available on that date, it
will be offered to Eric Ksau Whipps, who is the choice of all members and
officers of Palau Chess Federation to run as President of PCF during the Annual
General Meeting to be held on Feb. 10, 2013 at Palau Royal Resort.
The
officers and members of Palau Chess Federation (with 234 members now) are in
gratitude to Mr. Eric Ksau Whipps for paying the arrears of PCF. The new international
ratings of 21 participants of 2012 Palau National Chess Championship will now
be published on Feb. 01, 2013.
Solution to last week’s puzzle:
1. Qg6!! fxg6 2. Ne7++ Kh8 3. Nxg6 mate.
SPECIAL 10TH
ANNIVERSARY PUZZLE: HERNANDEZ WILL GIVE
$10.00 EACH TO THE FIRST 3 PERSONS WHO WILL SOLVE THIS PUZZLE. THERE WILL BE AN
ADDITIONAL $5.00 EACH FOR THE SECOND SOLUTION TO THE PUZZLE.
WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN 2
This
position allegedly occurred during a tournament in the old USSR. White looks to
have no hope but suddenly finds a move that leaves Black staring at an
unstoppable mate.
A
couple of clues: Firstly the board is the right way around etc. Secondly, the
mating idea would not be allowed these days (since 1988 at least) but may have
worked at the time the tournament was supposed to be held.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 10-11
Volume 21
Issue 95
December 31, 2012
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