THE
request for discounted airfare for lone participant to the Oceania
Zonal Chess Championship of Philippine Ambassador to Palau Ramoncito
Marino had received a response that says:
Dear Ambassador Roberto (misspelled) Marino,
Your email to our president, Mr. Jaime Bautista was forwarded to our office for handling.
In this regard, we are pleased to extend discounted rate for Mr.
Roberto Hernandez in his trip to Australia this coming June. Below are
the details:
A. BOOKING 1.1 HERNANDEZ/ROBERTOMR
1 PR 211 W 18JUN MNLSYD HK1 0900 1910
2 PR 210 W 29JUN SYDMNL HK1 1105 1730
Record Locator.
BHFHAW Ticketing deadline: 1200MO18MAY
B. RATE Round trip MNLSYD on Economy
Fare: USD 380.00 XT (Taxes and Surcharges)
C. FARE CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS
1. MNL-SYD must be on PR211 only
2. Booking class is W
3. Rebooking fee is $150
4. Maximum stay is 2 months
5. Confirmed reservations required both ways
6. No miles
7. Ticketing through PAL PLC Padre Faura,
Manila or Makati Ticket Office only.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call us at +632-526-2616 or email us at marissa_dimaano@pal.com.ph
Thank you very much and more power to you and your office.
Respectfully yours,
ISSA DIMAANO,
Corporate Account Officer,
Passenger Sales Philippines
Mr. Gary Bekker responded with:
Dear Roberto,
Just so that I am clear:
I am willing to offer a travel subsidy of $500.00 towards your airfare.
The airfare you have been offered above is $380 + $296= $676.
This is more than the US$590 I have been offered for the same flight.
It is therefore better for me to book the flight here locally.
There will be nothing left from my $500 if your flight cost around $600.
You will therefore need to pay for own travel Koror-Manila and
Sydney-Coolangatta (not Brisbane) before I book your Manila-Sydney
flight.
I have attached a copy of the itinerary below.
Warm regards,
Gary Bekker
Tel. (03)8562-0092
Mobile: 0418-142-258
email: gbekker@capitaltransport.com.au
Mr. Jan Berglund responded with:
Dear Roberto,
I just got the quotation from the travel agency. We cannot beat
the prices that neither you nor Gary has gotten. Best wishes,
Jan
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 13 & 15
Volume 18
May 18-24, 2009
EVERYTHING
seems to be going smooth for the first ever participation of Palau in
chess competition abroad as Palau's lone participant in the Oceania
Zonal Chess Championship Roberto Hernandez was granted Australian visa
in just 14 days after submitting all his documents to Australian Embassy
in Kolonia, Pohnpei (FSM).
According
to other individuals who got Australian visa, it takes 30 days to get
one. Maybe the supporting documents of Hernandez are complete.
With
an airfare subsidy of $500.00 from Oceania Zone President Gary Bekker,
Hernandez needs about $252.21 from his own pocket as the round trip
ticket from Manila to Brisbane is $752.21.
Hernandez'
Koror-Manila flight ticket is courtesy of Palau Royal Resort as he will
be completing his 2-year employment on June 01, 2009 as musician.
The
promised help for airfare discount from Philippine Ambassador to Palau
Ramoncito Marino is currently waiting a response from Mr. Jaime J.
Baustista, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Philippine
Airlines.
The letter says:
Dear Mr. Bautista,
Greetings from Palau!
I'm writing on behalf of Mr. Roberto Hernandez, a Filipino working
in Palau, who has been invited to compete in FIDE's Oceania Zonal Chess
Championships to be held in Brisbane, Australia from June 20-28, 2009.
He has accepted the invitation but is hampered by the financial implications of the trip.
In this regard, I am hopeful that Philippine Airlines, with its long
tradition of supporting noteworthy causes, could help in assuring Mr.
Hernandez' participation by extending a generous discount on the
Manila-Sydney (PR 221, June 18) and Sydney-Manila (PR 210, June 29)
segments of his travel itinerary.
Though
Mr. Hernandez will be representing Palau, his attendance as a player in
this prestigious event is a source of pride to our country and people.
Your consideration of this request will thus be highly appreciated. Best regards.
Very truly yours,
Ramoncito S. Marino (Ambassador)
In
his email to Hernandez on May 05, 2009, Mr Jan Berglund suggested to
get all the federation money from Gene Pastrana for Hernandez' ticket to
Brisbane.
He loaned money from a Swedish bank to pay for Palau's due to FIDE for this year to avail of 5% discount.
The
2007 2nd Palau Invitational Chess Championship, now known as the 2nd
Ambassador Marino Cup, was sponsored by the Ambassador with $1,000.00
prize pot.
Only $500.00 was awarded and the other $500.00 was saved to pay for Palau's 2008 FIDE obligation.
Mr.
Berglund paid for the 2008 due of Palau during the 2008 World Chess
Olympiad in Dresden, Germany from his own money also while the $500.00
from Mr. Pastrana is now down to a little over $200.00.
Mr.
Berglund also suggested not to purchase the ticket yet as he is waiting
for a quotation from a local travel agency in Sweden.
Mr. Berglund volunteered to coach Hernandez and he will be the nominated person to attend the Oceania Zonal Chess Meeting.
He will be paying all his expenses if the budget that he is asking from Mr. Gary Bekker will not be approved.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 13 & 15
Volume 18
May 11-17, 2009
BASIC RULES OF PLAY
Article 1: The nature and objectives of the game of chess
1.1
The game of chess is played between two opponents who move pieces
alternately on a square board called a 'chessboard'. The player with the
white pieces commences the game. A player is said to 'have the move'
when his opponent's move have been made. (See Article 6.7)
1.2 The objective of each player is to place the opponent's
king 'under attack' in such a way that the opponent has no legal move.
The player who achieves this goal is said to have 'checkmated' the
opponent's king and to have won the game. Leaving one's own king under
attack, exposing one's own king to attack and also 'capturing' the
opponent's king are not allowed. The opponent whose king has been
checkmated has lost the game.
1.3 If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn.
Article 2: The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard
2.1
The chessboard is composed of an 8x8 grid if 64 equal squares
alternately light (the 'white' squares) and dark (the 'black' squares).
The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near
corner square to the right of the player is white.
2.3 The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows: (Published on Feb. 23-March 01, 2009 Issue).
2.4
The eight vertical columns of squares are called 'files'. The eight
horizontal rows of squares are called 'ranks'. The straight line of
squares of the same color, running from one edge of the board to an
adjacent edge, is called 'diagonal'.
Article 3: The moves of the pieces
3.1
It is not permitted to move a piece to a square occupied by a piece of
the same color. If a piece moves to a square occupied by an opponent's
piece, the latter is captured and removed from the chessboard as part of
the same move. A piece is said to attack an opponent's piece if a piece
could make a capture on that square according to the Articles 3.2 to
3.8. A piece is considered to attack a square even if such piece is
constrained from moving to that square because it would then leave or
place the king of its own color under attack.
3.2 The bishop may move to any square along a diagonal on which it stands.
3.3 The rook may move to any square along the file or the rank on which it stands.
3.4 The queen may move to any square along the file, the rank or a diagonal on which it stands.
3.5 When making these moves the bishop, rook or queen may not move over any intervening pieces.
3.6 The knight may move to one of the squares nearest to that on which
it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal.
3.7 a. The pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in from of it on the same file, or
b. On its first move the pawn may move as in 3.7 .a:
alternately it may advance two squares along the same file provided both
squares are unoccupied, or
c. The pawn may move to a square occupied by an opponent's piece which
is diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece.
d. A pawn attacking a square crossed by an opponent's pawn which has
advanced two squares in one move from its original square may capture
this opponent's pawn though the latter had been moved only one square.
This capture is only legal on the move following this advance and is
called an 'en passant' square.
e. When a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its
starting position it must be exchanged as part of the same move on the
same square for a new queen, rook, bishop or knight of the pawn's color.
The player's choice is not restricted to pieces that have been captured
previously. This exchange of a pawn for another piece is called
'promotion' and the effect of the new piece is immediate.
THE 3.8 a. CONTINUATION WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT ISSUE.
There
is a possibility that Palau can send also a female player in the
Oceania Zonal Chess Championship if the budget for it will be approved.
The
promise of an airfare discount from Philippine Airlines in going to
Australia by Philippine Ambassador to Palau Ramoncito Marino is not yet
clear but a news that an Australian airline will fly Koror-Manila and
Manila-Australia is a very much welcomed news.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 13 & 15
Volume 18
April 13-19, 2009
