(220) Billah Upsets Hernandez: Daniel Lapitan Drew w/ GM Shirov

SECOND DRAW VS. A GRANDMASTER
Super Grandmaster (GM) Alexie Shirov of Spain signs the score sheet of his drawn game against Daniel Lapitan. Shirov also gave him a book and an autigraphed chess board. The small machine (Monroi) on Daniel's left side enables their game to be streamed live on the internet together with 7 other games. Shirov defeated the other 25 players in a simulteneous exhibition games as part of Surfer's Paradise Triple Chess Events held at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sept. 27, 2009. The 10-year old Daniel halved the point also with GM Dejan Antic in Dec. 2007.
                                                                                                        (Photo by Raymond Nancy Lapitan)

         

BILLAH UPSETS HERNANDEZ;
DANIEL LAPITAN DREW W/ GM SHIROV

BANGLADESHI bet Masum Billah overcame a whole rook disadvantage and scored the biggest win of his chess career by upsetting 4th seed Roberto Hernandez in 31 moves of Irregular Opening.

On the 17th move, he blundered away a rook but put Hernandez' queen out of play with a neat 20. ... Nd5 posting of his knight, blocking the white diagonal.

A king hunt ensued but the hunted king became the final offensive piece to force Hernandez' resignation.

Billah was beaten earlier by Jun Mahor in 38 moves of Larsen Opening and later by Romeo Caballes in 54 moves of another Larsen Opening.

Elpidio Manaligod and Caballes halved the point in 57 moves of Bishop Opening.

Craig Dittrich failed to exploit two connected pawns in the queenside and lost his first game to Palau's number one and top seed Menandro Manuel in 47 moves of King's Indian Defence.

Second seed Cyril Montel, Jr. made short work on Paquito 'Pax' Suringa, Jr. in just 20 moves of another King's Indian Defence.

On Thursday night, October 08, 2009, Joel Flor played 2 Class B games at Palau Royal Resort Dormitory 1. He bowed to Jamie Guevarra in 47 moves of Queen's Gambit Declined but outwitted Elizalde Madrinan in 63 moves of Ruy Lopez.

Mario Ramos drew with Andres 'Aying' Mestizo II in 39 moves of King's Pawn Opening.

After being in Guam for 2 weeks, Tito Cabunagan is back and trounced the other Bangladeshi bet Mohammad Manik Hossain in 40 moves of another Ruy Lopez.
Manik lost another one to Ramos in 60 moves of Sicilian Defence.

And in the last game of Sunday, October 11, 2009, at D. J. Cruz General Merchandise premises, Cabunagan dealt Flor his 2nd loss in a marathon 74 moves of Center Counter.

Panfilo Pepito, Jr. was present again and a default win was given to the lone female entrant Kristen Senajon, who was not able to play because there is no more available chess table to play on.

She said she is willing to play on weekdays. A possible opponent for her is Guevarra, who is off on Friday. And a match is set for them to play but it was just a chess clinic given by Jaime as Kristen is really not good enough. She will be given a special excuse not to write her moves so that she could concentrate more on the game.

On September 27, 2009, Daniel Lapitan, a 10-year old Filipino-Australian whom Hernandez met during the Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in June, had a draw with one of the top chess player in the world, super Grandmaster (GM) Alexie Shirov of Spain in a simultaneous game held at Goldcoast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Shirov played with 26 players from different states composing of very strong juniors, adults and senior players.

All of them got beaten except Daniel. After 3 hours of playing, Shirov agreed with a draw. He later called Daniel and told the crowd that he agreed with a draw because Daniel got a very good position.

Shirov gave Daniel his book entitled "Fire on Board Part II" with his signature along with an autographed chess board.

This was the 2nd time Daniel finished with a draw with a GM in a simutaneous game. He was only 8 years old in the first occasion when he drew with GM Dejan Antic of Serbia/Montenegro in December 2007.

Daniel's father Raymond had emailed Hernandez on July 15, 2009 that says:
Hi, Robert, Hope everything is okay with you there. Thank you for putting my son's story in your newspaper. It inspired him to practice everyday and become the best of what he can be in chess.
At the moment, Daniel is preparing for the Surfer's Paradise Open this coming September here in the Gold Coast. He will play in the Open division. He is also scheduled to particiapate in the simul with Alexie Shirov.
A draw with him would be very nice. He he he! He learned a lot of things in the Zonal and I'm helping him to correct his mistakes to improve his chess skill.
I will send you a copy of the newspaper about Daniel when it comes. That's it for now and enjoy playing chess. Regards again, Raymond Lapitan.

He subscribed to The Filipino Channel (TFC) 3 weeks ago. They are watching news about the great flood in the Philippines and they felt pity to their countrymen.

Daniel suggested that AU$200.00 from his chess prize savings will be donated to the ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Foundation after seeing the poor kids on TV.

This act of generosity is very rare for a 10-year old chess prodigy. More of his accomplishments will be featured next issue.

Special games were played on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at the tournament site. Paquito 'Pax' Suringa, Jr. played with venue host Gene Pastrana (his first) and the latter dealt Pax his 2nd straight loss in 54 moves of Sicilian Defence.

Tito Cabunagan and his wife were present also and he played a Class B game against Andres 'Aying' Mestizo II.

Pax played another game with Billah and he scored his first win when Billah failed to get the opposition in a king vs. king and a pawn endgame.

Billah asked Hernandez if there is still a vacant slot for another Bangladeshi player in Class B and he was given a go signal as Tutii Joe Chilton emailed Hernandez that due to his tight schedule, he is withdrawing from the tournament.

The current tournament is being sponsored by PALIBHASA ($60.00 cash prize) and by Bhoey Gopez of Island Logistics, Lucio Bandibas of WCTC and Ed Martinez of Print Zone. They are members of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Palau Chapters.


Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
             Tia Belau Newspaper
             Page 13 & 15
             Volume 18
             Issue 42
             October 19-25, 2009

(219) HOW INDIA BECAME A WORLD CHESS POWER

HOW DID INDIA BECAME

A WORLD CHESS POWER

MANY ASSUME India's success in chess is a natural consequence of their large population, just as China, Russia and the United States.

But come to think of it, if that is the case, then India should be successful in many sports which they are certainly not. For example, India got its first Olympic gold medal only recently in Beijing (in shooting).

India boasts 20 Grandmasters (GM), 8 Woman Grandmasters (WGM), 61 International Masters (IM), and 17 IWMs.

India hold the World Girls U-20 title, has won numerous medals in the World Youth and Asian Youth Championships.

GM S. Ganguly is the reigning Asian Champion, and, to top it all, the World Champion, Viswanathan Anand, is from India.

To find out the reason for their success, Casto Abundo, Deputy President of Asian Chess Federation, interviewed All India Chess Federation (AICF) Hon. Secretary D. V. Sundar at the AICF office in Chennai, India:

Q: To what do you attribute the success of India?

A: We hold many children's tournaments. Every week there is a children's tournament going on in one part or another of our 30 states. The 5 most active are in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kamataka, Maharashta, West Bengal. These states are historically good in producing chess players.We have many children's tournaments, alternating age groups Under -18 and 16. The AICF insists that all tournaments give certificates to all children. Not only children are encouraged but specially their parents.

Q: You concentrate on the development of the youth. But what more do you do?

A:We motivate organizers to hold rating tournaments. We have over 80 rated tournaments. Swiss Opens rated by FIDE. Many players are motivated to get a FIDE rating.

Q: I see that after playing in children's tournaments, the next stage is joining FIDE rated tournaments.

A: We organized our national age group championships one year ahead of the Asian and World Youth Championships. Mentally, that player who wins has a year to prepare. Aside from the traditional chess States, we have developed chess in Goa, Delhi, Orissa, Assam and Jharkhand. Kerala now organizes 5 to 6 rated tournaments every year with 150 to 300 participants each. Rajasthan organizes 2 or 3 tournaments every year. We are creating a mass appeal for chess.

Q: After you creat a mass chess base of players, how do they become so good to win so many medals?

A: We have a coaching program. Many coaches motivate children to take up chess. They teach them in their homes. We have man coaching academies. In Chennae alone we have 30 Academies for levels from beginner to mid-level and rated player. They alternate teaching children for 2 days, mid-level in the next 2 days and the advanced level for the next 2 days. These Academies operate independently of the AICF. We have grassroots level coaches who go to schools and teach chess. Schools employ these coaches. Schools and Sports are under separate government agencies. Players above 2300 look for a better coach. The AICF lets each State Association gather their 10 best players and we send them a coach at our expense.

Q: Please explain the organization of the All India Chess Federation.

A: The AICF is composed of 31 states Association with voting rights. Each can send 2 delegates to the General Assembly. Therefore there are 64 members.They elect 14 members from 14 different States, to a 15-member board including are President. The officers are a President, six Vice Presidents, six Joint Secretaries, one Hon. Secretary and one Treasurer. Finally, we have 4,500 registered players paying 200 rupees per year. They receive a montly magazine. A school sponsors the printing costs and we post to all members. Our office has a staff of 6 people -- one accountant, one magazine editor, 2 senior staff for the day to day activities, one staff for player registration and one rating officer. We estimate that we have 200,000 tournament players throughout India.

Q: What are your other sources of fund?

A: Chess in India has the advantage of requiring minimal infrastructure which is one of the reasons the game is flourishing. You only need a chess set. Organizers of rated tournaments pay 15,000 rupees ($300) to AICF and 10% of their prize fund. International tournaments pay 150,000 rupees ($3,000). We have around 3 GM tournaments per year. National Championships and age group championships pay 50% of the entry fees, much more for Special entry for extra players. For international travel of our players we received around $300,000 from national and state governments for air tickets and board and lodging. For invited players who are hosted, the government pays. The gold medalist gets this right. Silver and bronze receive assistance. Others participate on their own. Players benefit from the government system of Sports Reservation in Higher Education and Employment, a sports quota for players with national and international certificates. For trail travel, the government grants a 75% discount for sportsmen, including coaches and managers. You can find of all this in our website www.indianchessfed.org When players win international titles, the government gives munificent bonuses, $6,000 for GMs, $2,000 for IMs, $2,000 for Asian titles. Many are also entitled to choose their coach and are allowed 3 trips to tournaments abroad funded by the government. Coaches also get awards along with the medal winners. The government supports hosting of international tournaments in India. For foreign stints, the government supports us with foreign coaches. Then we have 12 Institutional Members who give jobs to chess players, GMs and IMs. For example, the Petrolium Sports Board has players whose job is to play chess. Once a year they have to represent the company in the National Team Championship.

Q: This is interesting. How do you convince them to become Intitutional Members?

A: The print media in India has wide circulation and chess is well publicized. Companies want to ride on the publicity for chess. We have also have had for the last 3 years a daily chess show on TV.

Q: What now are your goals?

A: We want to have 12 more GMs in the next 3 years. But we try to help our neighbors also. I want Nepal and Sri Lanka to develop GMs as well. We regularly invite them and Bangladesh to join tournaments in India, free of charge.

Editor's Note: Their neighbors and others too can follow the example of India --- here chess is second in popularity only to cricket and it is not because of the size of their population, but because of good organization.

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez

Tia Belau Newspaper

Pages 13 & 15

Volume 19

Issue 13

March 29-April 04, 2010

CHURCH HISTORY:

1. Apostolic (1st Watch)

2. Papacy (or Dark Ages) 2nd Watch

3. Reformation (Martin Luther King) 3rd Watch

4. End Time (4th Watch)

WORLD HISTORY:

1. Ancient

2. Medieval

3. Renaissance (Revival of Learning)

4. Modern Age or New Age or Atomic Age

(The first atomic bomb was dropped in August 06, 1945 and the second one in August 09, 1945)

(218) ANAND RETAINS WORLD CHESS CHAMPION TITLE

ANAND RETAINS

WORLD CHESS

CHAMPION TITLE

India's Viswanathan Anand has retained his world chess championship crown in a cliffhanger final game win over his challenger, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.

Vishy, as he is popularly known, seemed to have lost the upper hand in the match and was expected to fight hard for a draw with the black pieces in the last game to take the match into tiebreaks.

Anand employed the rock-solid Lasker Defence of the Queen's Gambit and quickly defused any aggressive intention from Topalov and won in 56 moves.

It soon become very crystal-clear that the defending champion was playing for a win, and his adversary obliged with a blunder to allow him to give up a pawn in exchange of a bewildering attack.

Topalov barely made it on the first time control, but Anand was not to be denied, and Topalov, confronted with imminent danger and complete annihilation, finally realizes that he had no choice but to desist from resistance and head-bent tendered his unconditional surrender.

This fantastic match comes to a fitting end, with no tiebreaks needed. The two protagonists deserve much praise for their huge contribution to this exciting match.

Anand won his 2nd consecutive world championship match against two former world champions, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and Topalov.

Kramnik is the only player who defeated retired former world champion Gary Kasparov in the Classical World Chess Championship in 2000 with 2 wins, 13 draws and no losses.

The next championship cycle to decide who will challenge Anand for the title will feature the loser of this match (Topalov), Gata Kamsky, runner-up in the 2009 qualifiers, Boris Gelfand, the winner of 2009 World Chess Cup, Lev Aronian, the winner of Grand Prix Series, his runner-up (to be announced), Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik, the two others highest rated players, and finally, a wildcard chosen by the organizers (to be announced, he must have a rating of above 2700).

Chess.com commentator GM Magesh Panchanathan has his say in his post-game analysis: To all our readers, there is only one thing that can be said about today's game, "Who would have imagined this? Topalov, the second highest rated player in the world ended up playing a move that deserted all logical chess ideas. It was very difficult to believe what had just happened on the board as I saw him play exf5 followed by fxe4 without even taking much time on his clock.

Unfortunately, a world championship match takes a big toll on one's nerves and till the last game, it looked like Anand was the one who was feeling the pressure more.

After taking the lead and maintaining it by half time, Anand looked like he was sliding a bit, particularly games 8, 9 and 10 looked bad from the result and psychological point of view from him.

Topalov on the other hand was consistently pushing and pushing each game and he even managed to win one and survive a completely lost game to reach this final game of the match.

Eventually it looks like Topalov had all his pressure saved up for the big occasion.

By the end of the opening, Topalov was slightly better, but he was facing some active counterplay from Anand. One should give credit to Anand for playing very active in the last game, I am sure this was an impact of his other black games where he kept going back into extremely passive positions and suffered quite a bit.

Once Topalov made his fatal mistake, there was no looking back for Anand. He finished off the game with clinical precision.

I wanted to share one funny comment from strong Spanish Grandmaster Miguel Illescas, who was commenting for Internet Chess Club. Towards the end he said, "Topalov is actually waiting for Anand to accidentally knock his king down, so he can claim that he won."

It would be an interesting way to win a World Championship match.

HERE ARE THE MOVES OF THE MATCH-CLINCHING GAME: White - Veselin Topalov (2805) vs. Viswanathan Anand (2797) World Chess Championship Round 12 (May 11, 2010)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 0-0 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 nd7 13. 0-0 b6 14. Bd3 c5 15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8 21. f3 Ba6 22. Rf2 Rd7 23. g3 Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Rb7 27. Nb3 Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 30. e4 f5 31. exf5? e4 32. fxe4? Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34. Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+ Kg7 41. Nf5 Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2 Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4 53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7 (White resigned)

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez

Tia Belau Newspaper

Pages 13 & 15

Volume 19

Issue 20

May 17-23, 2010

(217) ANAND RETAINS 2012 TITLE

ANAND VS. GELFAND

Viswanathan Anand of India, left, defending World Chess Champion, succesfully retained his title by outwitting Boris Gelfand of Israel in their World Chess Championship match last month. Anand grew up in Baguio City Philippines with his father, who worked there for many years.

ANAND RETAINS 2012 TITLE

THE 4^th game of the tiebreak brought a tangible advantage for Challenger Boris Gelfand, who needed to win with the black pieces to stay in the match. But World Champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand kept things under control and found a very neat solution to the problems. With a draw, the World Champion won the tiebreak 2.5-1.5 and keeps his title.

The World Chess Championship is being staged in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow between the current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and the winner of the Candidates tournament Boris Gelfand of Israel. The match is over 12 games and lasts from May 11-30. The prize fund is US$2.55 million, the winner getting 1.53 million (60%), the loser getting 1.02 million (40%).

Anand won the title for the 5^th time. This is also a hat-trick in classical matches for Anand, who won the tournament format in 2007 in Mexico. When FIDE switched to match format he defeated Vladimir Kramnik in 2009 in Bonn, Germany and then won against Veselin Topalov in 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria. This win against Gelfand is his 3^rd match win in a row.

Today, when it mattered most, the “Speed King” was at his tactical best be it in attack and defence. “It was a tough match and I am too tense now to feel anything more than a sense of relief,” said the 42-year old after the game.

Speaking on Anand’s win in Moscow, Mr. Rajendra S. Prawar, Chairman of sponsor NIIT, said,“I heartily congratulate NIITMind Champion Viswanathan Anand for retaining the World Chess Champion title. Anand’s 5^th world championship win – is a FIDE record and a milestone in the history of chess. Anand’s fighting spirit, perseverance and determination to overcome any challenge will surely inspire youngsters in India to embrace the game of chess. NIIT remains committed in promoting chess in schools in India, through the NIIT MindChampions’ Academy, our joint project with Anand.

The 12-game match has resulted in a 6-6 deadlock, and the tie breaks were needed to decide the title. In the first game of the rapid, where each player had 25 minutes on the clock with a ten-second increment for every move. Anand defended nicely with the black pieces, once again opting for the Slav Defence. The game ended in a draw after 32 moves.

However there was excitement with Anand wielding the white pieces in the 2^nd game. It was once again the Sicilian Rossolimo which saw Anand playing a novelty on the 7^th move. Once again the queens were exchanged rather early and thereafter it was a tactical battle between the minor pieces. Anand did appear better and won a pawn in the middle-game. Thereafter in an intense battle, Anand played fast and Gelfand found himself on the losing side after 77 moves.

Anand looked in trouble in the 3^rd game but wriggled out with a draw. The Indian GM, who needed just a draw in the 4^th game, played solidly to earn the vital half point after 56 moves.

NIIT MindChampions’ Academy is a joint initiative of NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s larget IT Trainer, and World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, to initiate young minds into the world of chess. Established in 2002, the Academy has fostered over 11,000 chess clubs with more than one million students as its members, in schools across India. GM Viswanathan Anand has personally travelled across India, spreading the message for enhancing thinking skills by learning chess and motivating the school students. NIIT MindChampions’ Academy conducts an annual event for the academy’s members. The Academy provides teaching learning material on chess, which includes computer-based tutorials, video based mentoring by Viswanathan Anand, chess software, puzzles and a database of games.

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 12-13
Volume 21
Issue 41
June 25, 2012

(216) FIDE Standard Pairing of 22 Players in NCC

OCEANIA ZONAL AND GOLD COAST OPEN CHAMPIONS

Newest Australian Grandmaster (GM) David Smerdon, left, and British GM Gawain Jones pose with Palau representative Roberto Hernandez, right, and Papua New Guinea rep Joselito Marcos. Smerdon clinched the Oceania Zonal plum and will represent the region to the World Chess Cup while Jones won the Gold Coast Open participated in by 119 players mostly from Australia. Retired GM Ian Rogers won the Gold Coast Open 8 times.                                                          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

FIDE STANDARD PAIRINGS

FOR 22 PLAYERS IN NCC

ON WEDNESDAY night, August 19, Roberto Hernandez had drawn the players' numbers in the 2009 Palau National Chess Championship in front of 5 other participants (Gene Pastrana, Andres 'Aying' Mestizo II, Flavin Andres, Masum Billah and Gene's son Ken Pastrana).

The 6 contestants alternately picked the players number as follows: 1. Michael Mercado 2. Gene Pastrana 3. Jaime Guevarra 4. Menandro Manuel 5. Tutii Joe Chilton 6. Flavin Andres 7. Tito Cabunagan of PPUC 8. Craig Dittrich 9. Roberto Hernandez 10. Elpidio Manaligod 11. Mario Ramos 12. Mohammad Manik Hossain 13. Masum Billah 14. Elizalde Madrinan 15. Zaldy Necia 16. Cyril Montel, Jr. 17. Hasan Mamud 18. Ken Pastrana 19. Andres Mestizo II 20. Val Vidar 21. Paquito Suringa, Jr. 22. Jose Misael de Jesus.

Interestingly, four players drew their own names: Ken, Aying, Roberto and Masum.

Practice games followed after the drawing with Roberto teaching Masum how to write chess moves while playing with chess clock.

Masum learns very fast but always forgets to press his time clock. He lost a bishop in the middle game that led to his defeat. He was taught also of touch move, en passant and proper way to capture a piece.

Aying and Gene practiced blitz chess without clock. Their regular training partner Jose Misael de Jesus or Jimboy as he is popularly known, had left Palau to attend the funeral of his mother.

Craig had practiced with 4 others last Tuesday night and confirmed his participation. Flavin is now studying IT but says he can find some time to play in the NCC. He is also being urged to run as PRO in the forthcoming election of officers of Palau Chess Federation.

Tutii Joe Chilton said he can't run for office but willing to be included in the Board of Directors and will participate in the NCC to gain international ranking.

Tito Cabunagan of PPUC was included in the list through Cyril Montel, Jr. while incumbent chairman Francis 'Sno' Temaungil will run for re-election.

Menandro Manuel will try to find others for the top post. Roberto and Gene will run as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

Morton Sawaichi can't be contacted if he's running for office. Also included in the election is the PCF Delegate/Coach where Jan-Olav Berglund (Sweden) and Jamie Kenmure (Australia) being considered as candidates if they will agree.

Others included in the Board of Directors position are Manuel, Montel, Jr., Jaime Guevarra, Aying, Jimboy, Mario Ramos and Paquito Suringa, Jr.

In his email to Joselito Marcos, Ric Ambatali, Raymond and Daniel Lapitan, Hernandez extended his invitation to the 4 overseas players to participate in the next Palau Invitational Chess Championship to be held sometime in 2010.

Lito, from Papua New Guinea, had a FIDE rating of 2200 that he got when he scored 10.5 points out of 14 games in 2002 Bled, Slovenia World Chess Olympiad.

Ric Ambatali is a part-time chess coach in Australia and will participate in Surfer's Paradise Open where GM Alexie Shirov of Spain will be the top seed.

The father and son tandem of Raymond and Daniel are invited also if they can find time for vacation in the Philippines before proceeding to Palau. The 4 players can communicate on what date is the most convenient for them.

Teaching kids to play chess while they're young is a good option for parents. Cyril asked for help of what materials he can use for his 6-year old daughter.

The Oceania Zone President Gary Bekker of Australia responded generously and will send materials to be used also for young and interested kids in Palau to learn chess.

This might be a jumpstart that Palau needed to make the sport more popular.

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez

Tia Belau Newspaper

Pages 13 & 15

Volume 18

Issue 34

August 24-30, 2009

(215) ROXAS TO PRR RAPID CHESS FINALS

A GIFT TO MARICEL SAPIDA
Rudel Roxas, middle, is a finalist to the 2011 PRR Rapid Chess Tournament. His prize of a gift certificate of dinner or lunch for 2 at PRR was promised as a gift to Maricel Sapida, right, a co-employee at Palau Royal Resort. Jeff Balbalosa, left, scored his 6th victory by nipping Roxas in this official game of 2011 Palau National Chess Championship.
                                                                                             (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)



                  ROXAS TO
       PRR RAPID CHESS FINALS

THE LONG awaited semifinals of the 2011 Palau Royal Resort Rapid Chess Tournament finally took place after 5 months of stoppage due to the 2011 Palau National Chess Championship.

The tourney is exclusively for the employees of PRR while a separate rapid chess tilt was held also at PRR Dorm 1 that features the top chess players of Palau: Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr., Menandro 'Boy' Manuel, Roberto Hernandez, Tito Cabunagan, newcomer Jose Celiz, Mohammad Manik Hossain and Jeff Balbalosa.

The top 4 finishers of PRR version are Jomar Alerta with a 14-3-1 win-loss-draw record that is identical to Elizalde Madrinan's slate.

The winner-over-the-other tiebreak was applied and Alerta will face 4th placer Ferdinand 'Bong' Gutierrez while Eli will challenge 3rd placer Rudel Roxas.

The winner of Alerta vs. Gutierrez will face Roxas in the finals as he defeated Eli in their match held on Fri. evening, Aug. 19 at PRR Dorm 1.

Roxas won a piece early in the game and when he won another rook, Eli resigned and their official match (90 minutes each) at the 2011 Palau National Chess Championship was postponed with Eli citing he is not in the mood to play.

STANDINGS OF THE REST OF THE PLAYERS ARE: 5. Jeffrey Negrillo (10-8-0) 6. Miguel Gancayco (9-8-0) 7. Ferdinand Altea (8-2-0) 8. Ronel Gutierrez (6-5-0) 9. Erick Ventinilla (6-4-0) 10. Mar Joel Gabris (4-1-0) 11. Rey Alenain (2-22-0) 12. Randy Sioson (1-23-0)

RATED PLAYERS' FINAL STANDINGS: (The unplayed games were declared draws) 1. Menandro Manuel (6-2-4) 8 points 2. Roberto Hernandez (6-4-2) 7 pts. 3. Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. (5-4-3) 6.5 pts. 4. Tito Cabunagan (5-4-3) 6.5 pts. 5. Jose Celiz (3-5-4) 5 pts. 6. Mohammad Manik Hossain (3-6-3) 4.5 pts. and 7. Jeff Balbalosa (0-3-9)
4.5 pts.

The winner-over-the-other was used for the 3rd and 4th place while the player with more wins (Manik) has won over Jeff at 6th and 7th spot.

Both tourneys have started in March 06, 2011 and should have been finished in April 10, 2011 with the time control of 30 minutes for each player to finish the game.

The Champion (Manuel) will receive a gift certificate of dinner for 2 at PRR while the 1st runner-up (Hernandez) will received a gift certificate of lunch for 2 at PRR.

Roxas will receive either dinner or lunch for 2 depending on the result of his final game.

Bernard Garcia has played a game at Beken's Store vs. Gene Pastrana, the venue host and the game ended in a draw. Garcia suggests the use of Nayong Pilipino restaurent as an alternative venue for the Sept. games of the ongoing Palau 2011 NCC.

Players are requested to order at least a drink or snack while playing there. It will be also a good promotion for Nayong Pilipino as it will be featured every Monday on Chessmate column of Hernandez on Tia Belau Newspaper.

Elpiodio Manaligod hasn't played a single game yet and he was asked by Hernandez to take advantage of the last 2 Sundays playing rapid chess format at PRR and play at least 8 games in this last 2 Sundays.

Edwin Acuyan is also advised to play in rapid chess format to catch up. Writing chess notations is optional in playing the rapid chess time control of 30 minutes for each player to finish the game.

A good turnout of players is expected on Aug. 21 with Garcia, Gutierrez, Angie Parrado, Dennis Gonzales, Hernandez, Tito Cabunagan, Jose Celiz, Gonzalo Escapatoria, Jeffrey Negrillo, Montel and Manuel expected to show up for the penultimate and final round.

They are expected to play as many games as they can to catch up. Gonzales is available also on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7 pm.

Manik is available on Sat. from 11-2 pm and on Sunday at 11-3 pm. A game is also set for Bong and Bernard on Sunday at 12 noon - 2 pm with Bernard generously offering Bong a free ride to Beken's Store and back to PRR.


Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
            Tia Belau Newspaper
            Pages 12 & 15
            Volume 20  
            Issue 34
            August 22, 2011

(214) PHOTOS -- KHANTY-MANSIYSK, RUSSIA

K-M 2

K-M 3

K-M 4

K-M 5

K-M 6

K-M 7

K-M 8

K-M 9

K-M 10

K-M 11

K-M 12

K-M 13

K-M 14

K-M 15

K-M 16

K-M 34

K-M 35

K-M 38

K-M 36

K-M 37

K-M 39

K-M 40

K-M 41

K-M 42

K-M 43

K-M 44

K-M 45

K-M 46

K-M 47

K-M 48

K-M 57

K-M 58

K-M 59

K-M 60

(213) CHESS & MUSIC (June 21)Amazing Piano Man

ROBERTO HERNANDEZ AT PALAU ROYAL RESORT




'If somebody requested me a song written on a piece of paper and I don't know yet the song, I will not throw away the paper. I will collect it and I will search for that song at National Bookstore. If I can't find it there, I will go to Raon, Quiapo Manila and I will ask the staff of music store to record those songs for me in cassette tape."

                AMAZING PIANO MAN
      (Report from Windson John Genova -- The International Filipino June 2012 Issue)

THERE MAY be KTV addicts who know how to sing 100 titles. But chances are they don’t know the complete lyrics of that many songs. And if lyrics are hard to memorize, what more remembering the tune and playing it with a musical instrument. Only the likes of virtuoso pianist Roberto Hernandez can play so many songs; close to 2,000 in fact.

No wonder Hernandez, 56, is the star piano man of Palau, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean hosting some 5,000 OFWs. No musician in Palau or perhaps in the entire Oceania, comes close to matching his talent for playing the piano. And not all of the 2,000 songs in his repertoire are English or American titles.

“My repertoire is international also. I know more than 50 Japanese songs, 45 Palauan songs, 38 Spanish songs, 12 Italian songs, 30 Greek songs, 10 Chinese songs, 300 Filipino songs, 1,200 American songs, French, German, Korean, Chamorro, Hawaiian, Mexican, Israeli, etc,” reveals Hernandez, who plays regularly at Palau Royal Resort hotel.

His long list of tunes was the result of passion and dedication to music over the years plus utmost professionalism.

“If somebody requested me a song written on a piece of paper and I don’t know yet that song, I will not throw away the paper. I will collect it and I will search for that song at National Bookstore. If I can’t find it there, I’ll go to Raon in Quiapo, Manila and I will ask the staff of music store to record those songs for me in cassette tape,” recalls Hernandez.

The evolution of Hernandez, who is working in Palau for 20 years now, did not start with a piano. The Hagonoy, Bulacan native first learned to play guitar and marimba. When he worked at The Plaza Restaurant in Makati in the ‘70’s, he enrolled at the Yamaha School of Music. He eventually became the pianist of The Plaza Restaurant in 1980.

Hernandez went to Japan to play with the First Quarter Band in 1982. He came back as pianist at The Plaza’s Aling Asiang Specialty Restaurant before working in Bahrain as a keyboard player at Khayam Taverna, a Greek Restaurant, from 1987 to 1989. He played piano at Beverly Hills Deli in Greenbelt, Makati before working and settling in Palau in 1992.

In Palau, he started as keyboardist for a band before becoming solo pianist for different restaurants and cafeterias until he was hired at Palau Royal Resort in 2007.

I’m also teaching piano, keyboard, guitar to kids and adults,” he adds. Hernandez is the piano instructor of Palau President Johnson Toribiong’s grandson.

With his mastery of the instrument, he is also a piano tuner. He once fixed the piano of Palau’s traditional queen for free as a belated Christmas present.

In 2009, the Philippine Embassy in Koror led by Ambassador Ramoncito Marino honored outstanding OFWs in Palau, including Hernandez, during the celebration of the 111^th anniversary of the Philippine Independence.

The award and certification he received was not only in recognition of his musical talent but for his promotion of chess in Palau. The musical genius is also a chess master with international rating. He is an official of the Palau Chess Federation and a member of Palau national team participating in the 2012 World Chess Olympiad happening on August 27 to September 10.

Hernandez and other Filipinos and locals regularly hold chess competitions in Palau. He even writes a chess and music columns in a Palauan newspaper.

Musician, piano teacher and tuner, chess master and journalist-writer. Also a loving husband to Flor, who has also been working in Palau the past 16 years. Indeed, Hernandez is very talented, an amazing Filipino we can be proud of.

Source: The International Filipino

              Reporter -- Windsor John Genova

             Superstart Column

             Page 10

             June 2012

             Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez

            Tia Belau Newspaper

            Pages 8-9

            Volume 21  
            Issue 40

           June 21, 2012