(1332) A VERY UNIQUE SIGNED CHESS SOUVENIRS FROM GM WESLEY SO

During the 18th Birthday Celebration of GM Wesley So in Sept. 2011 at Shakey's Tomas Morato in Quezon City, me and my wife Flor were invited to attend. GM Eugene Torre, GM Darwin Laylo, Congressman Prospero 'Butch' Pichay, Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr., Cesar Caturla and many more young and old chess masters of Philippines.

Before going home, Flor thought of an idea to get a unique souvenir items from Wesley--she asked him to sign 3 of his birthday balloons. Wesley is willing enough to sign those 3 balloons in which I said that I'll give some to Filipino-Australian chess prodigy Daniel Lapitan, who idolizes Wesley since I met him in Australia in 2009 Oceania Zonal Chess Championship.

It's almost 6 years when I try to blow the balloons to take photos of Wesley's signatures but those balloons are not good enough to last even with little blow and it pops.

Roberto just ask his new roommate/bartender Benny Bellonis to take photos with me holding and stretching the balloons so that the signatures of Wesley can be seen.

There are 3 of them -- blue, orange and red...

http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2012/01/awesome-foursome.html

Left to right: GM Eugene Torre, GM Wesley So, Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr. and Palau Roberto Hernandez have a rare opportunity to be in one photo. The awesome foursome's contribution to chess in Philippines and Palau is immeasurable.       (Photo by: Ma. Florida Hernandez)

Source:    Tia Belau Newspaper   
               Volume 20     
               Issue 44      
               October 24, 2011

Birthday celebrant GM Wesley So cuts his cake with guests around him including Asia's first GM Eugene Torre, 3rd from left, Palau's Roberto Hernandez, Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr., GMs Darwin Laylo and Ronald Dableo. At right is NM Cesar Caturla, the team captain of Philippine team in 2010 World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
    (Photo by: Ma. Florida M. Hernandez)

http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2012/01/gm-eugene-torre-reading-tia-belau.html

Asia's first chess Grandmaster (GM) Eugene Torre, reading a copy of the Tia Belau newspaper that Roberto Hernandez brought during his 22-day vacation in the Philippines.

(Photo by: Ma. Florida M. Hernandez)

Source: Tia Belau  Newspaper
           Page 12
           Volume 20  
           Issue 43  
           October 17, 2011

Me and Wesley after the cutting of the cake. I'm wearing the 2010 World Chess Olympiad t-shirt given by the  Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia organizers.

 Round 1 of 2010 WCO in Russia.

Round 1 in 2012 WCO in Istanbul, Turkey with Jamie Kenmure, Menandro Manuel and Bernardo Garcia, who gained a CM title when he scored 3.5 points in his first 7 games after being swept by Qatar in rd. 1, by Iraq in rd. 2 and by Maldives in rd. 3. 





Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
             Tia Belau Newspaper
             December 29, 2002 -- January 11, 2017

             Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
             The Beginning of Chess in Palau
             By Roberto Hernandez
             Soon to be published as a book

             Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
             Tia Belau Newspaper
             March 15, 2012 -- April 17, 2013
             http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
             April 25, 2013 -- January 11, 2017

             The History of Chess in Palau
             By Roberto Hernandez
             June 09, 2002 -- January 11, 2017