Sunday, June 2, 2013

(486) PICC - Part 2 (TBN-May 18-24, 2007)

THE 2007 Palau Invitational Chess Championship will now be known as The Ambassador Marino Cup after the Philippine Ambassador to Palau Ramoncito Marino pledged the prize for the 2007 edition of PICC.

With a pair of round trip Asian Spirit Airline tickets (Palau-Manila-Palau) as an additional prize, this tournament will be the biggest so far in Palau's brief chess history.

USA and Philippines National Master (NM) Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr., runner-up in the 2006 PICC, confirmed his participation together with compatriot NM Erwin Carag, who is a certified International Arbiter (IA) of the world's chess governing body (FIDE).

The brainchild of the event were IA Gary Bekker of Australia, who is also the President of Oceania Zone and the number one supported of chess in Palau and Roberto Hernandez, Chairman of Knights and Rooks Chess Club (Palau) and Secretary/Treasurer of Palau Chess Federation. It is chaired by Francis 'Sno' Temaungil, who acted as one of the arbiters in the inaugural PICC.

NM Carag is willing to hold a chess clinic for arbiters during his stay in Palau for the event that will also fall on the Labor Day weekend (August 30-September 03, 2007).

Jess Toldoya was the other arbiter of last year's event and will have his 2nd IA norm if he will act also as one of the arbiter.

Four norms are needed to be a certified FIDE International Arbiter.

Bekker sponsored Bernardino's airfare last year and this year, too. He and defending champion Hilton Bennett of New Zealand will miss this year's event.

There is a plan to give one round trip ticket to Carag for his clinic and a sort of appearance fee.

Bekker will invite more players from Oceania Zone that include Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Palau.

Nobody showed up at the chess clinic that is supposed to be held every Sunday at Jean's Boutique and Store last Sunday, Mother's Day, May 13.

Only 3 players showed up (Tony Villa, Roberto Hernandez and Manny Nedic, the co-champions of the just concluded 2007 Palau National Chess Championship).

Villa and Hernandez played 2 blitz chess games. Villa won the first and Hernandez employed his pet Danish Gambit to beat Villa in the 2nd game.

He left after the game to play music at Palau Royal Resort for their Mother's Day Special where he and Rmeriang Tmechtul and Ptoria entertained mothers and other guests with their songs, flute and international piano music.

Chess clinic every Sunday will still continue at Jean's Boutique and Store.

For more information, please call Roberto Hernandez at 488-3694 or Gene Pastrana at 488-4640.


Souce:
Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Page 13
Volume 17
May 18-24, 2007

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