Gene Pastrana, right, Secretary/Treasurer of Knights and Rooks Chess Club receives his certificate of appreciation from Roberto Hernandez, Chairman of KRCC and Secretary/Treasurer of Palau Chess Federation. Both officers are currently the cellar dwellers in the ongoing National Chess Championship as their first 4 opponents are top seeds. Can they make a comeback in this double-round robin event? The top 6 finishers will play in the 2006 Palau Invititational Chess Championship at Palau Royal Resort in August 31-Sept. 04, 2006.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
MANUEL, MONTEL, JR., ETI
STILL UNBEATEN
EDWIN ETI kept the lead in the 4th round of National Chess Championship held on Palm Sunday, April 09 at Jean's Boutiqu and Store premises.
The trophies and $100.00 brilliancy prize are donations by Pinoy Express Remittance, Palau through the courtesy of its manager, Manny Kimpo.
Eti's lead is just a half point over top seed Menandro 'Boy' Manuel and 3rd seed Cyril Montel, Jr., who scored 2 victories each to stay undefeated with a perfect start of 4-0.
Manuel clobbered 4th seed Roberto Hernandez in 60 moves of Danish Gambit and nipped 2nd seed Jose Omega on a special game on Saturday, April 08 in 32 moves of Sicilan Defence (Najdorf Variation).
Later in the day he outwitted 5th seed Jimmy Valenzuela in 41 moves of Queen's Gambit Declined in a drawn endgame line.
Montel, Jr. took the measure of Hernandez in 40 moves of Modern Defence in the first game of the day and drubbed Valenzuela in 41 moves of King's Pawn Opening.
Eti drew his game with former champ Jess Toldoya in 48 moves of French Defence and outsmarted Palauan bet Morton Sawaichi in 61 moves of another French Defence to lead the tourney by half point.
His adjourned game with Omega is yet to be played. Omega didn't make it again on a Sunday schedule.
Venue host Gene Pastrana suffered his 4th straight loss and bowed to Valenzuela in just 27 moves of English Opening.
Pastrana and Hernandez share the cellar at 0-4 in their worst ever start of a competetive tournament. But there is still time to catch up as the current tourney now is a double round-robin format and will conclude on July 30 if new newcomers will be added to the current roster of 11 players.
Eric Espartero, a basketball player and a solid positional chess player has returned back to Palau more than a month ago. He would like to participate in the ongoing tilt.
He didn't make it last Sunday due to tight schedule. Had he finished his last few games in the 2005 Open Chess tournament, he would have won the 4th runner-up honor.
He lost all of his remaining games by default and allowed Hernandez to win the trophy instead.
The Secretariat of 2006 World Chess Olympiad has sent an email to Hernandez and Palau Chess Federation asking if Palau would send a team to the Olympiad to be held in Torino, Italy in May.
It's a record-breaking number of participating countries in this Olympiad but Palau could not send a team because of financial difficulties.
Maybe in the next Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in 2008, Palau will be ready to go international.
Palau is getting ready for the inaugural 2006 Palau Invitational Chess Championship slated to fire off in August 31- September 04, (Labor Day weekend) at Palau Royal Resort.
Gary Bekker, the Oceania Zone President, has done another act of generosity and support for Palau Chess Federation. He paid the $100.00 annual membership fee of $476.00 in early February.
He is also the sponsor of $700.00 cash prize of Palau Invitational.
Solution to last week's puzzle: 1. c5 bxc5 2. b6+ Kb8 3. Rd6 wins.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
April 14-21, 2006
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