Prior before his game, I talked to GM Alexie Shirov, now playing for Latvia, about his simul in Australia in 2009 where Daniel Lapitan was the only player that drew with him. I can't find anybody to take this picture so I take it myself. A smile elicit from GM Shirov when I did that. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
MINGLING WITH THE WORLD'S
TOP CHESS PLAYERS
PLAYING in the World Chess Olympiad is an unforgettable experience. Where can you find a greater place to mingle with the world’s best chess players? It’s only in the Olympiad. Where can you have 15 or 16 days of free full accommodation while enjoying the host country’s hospitality and historical places to visit? It’s only in the Olympiad. There are lots more reasons to it that’s why if given an opportunity or chance, grab it and be firm on your decision.
Palau finally participated in its first World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey on Aug. 27-Sept. 10, 2012. Although they are short of a player because of separate reasons from Tito Cabunagan and Mohammad Manik Hossain, Palau still completed the 4 boards with Roberto Hernandez at Board 1, Elizabeth Manuel at Board 2, Bernardo Garcia at Board 3 and Menandro Manuel at Board 4.
After each and every game in the Istanbul Olympiad, I make it sure that I take pictures of the top 10 boards that are still playing. It means 20 top countries in the standings fighting it off for honor to their countries.
Usually, the top players sit on their tables with just a few minutes before the games start. I’m lucky to have a picture with super Grandmaster Alexie Shirov, who played for Spain for many years and now playing for Latvia. I don’t have anybody to take a picture of us so I took it myself after giving him my card and talk to him about his simultaneous exhibition games in Australia in 2009.
In that exhibition games, he played 16 players at the same time and only the 10-year-old Daniel Lapitan was able to draw with him. GM Shirov remembers that and I told him that Daniel and his family became my friends when I participated in the 2009 Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in Australia.
I was able to talk to International Master of Philippines Oliver Dimakiling after he quickly lost his game at Board 4 against GM Gabriel Sargissian from eventual champion Armenia. He said he miscalculated the complex position of his game, which became his last game as reserve in that Olympiad.
There is an agreement between players and team captain of the Philippine team that whoever loses his first game, he will be replaced. Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre then became the Board 3 player and GM Mark Paragua replaced IM Dimakiling and since then, the Philippine team, 35th seed, scored successive victories or draws to higher rated opponents.
In Round 6, the Philippines defeated Bulgaria with Wesley So, Paragua and Torre securing draws and Oliver Barbosa delivered the winning margin by clobbering GM Kiril Georgiev in 59 moves.
Notable draw was achieved against 4thseeded Hungary in Round 7 with Wesley So and Peter Leko played a wild line of the Marshall Attack, but the game ended in a draw. Zoltan Almasi took his team to the lead with a win over Oliver Barbosa, but the legendary Eugene Torre, first Asian Grandmaster and record holder of 21 appearances in the Olympiads, escaped from a passive position to pull off a victory against Ferenc Berkes and equalize the score. (Palau’s Delegate Jan Berglund has claimed he’s got 22 appearances in the Olympiads but not as a player like Eugene but as captain/coach/Delegate or journalist).
In Round 8—ELO doesn’t really play a game in chess, as repeatedly proven by Philippines, who soundly beat the strong team of England by 3-1. Barbosa whipped Gawain Jones in 102 moves while the legendary Torre outsmarted Nigel Short. I remember Eugene said after losing to Short in the Candidates Matches in the ‘80’s: “I’ll never get short of Nigel Short again.”SWEET REVENGE!
China ends the winning streak of the Philippines in Round 9 by winning on boards 2, 3 and 4. Only So salvaged a draw to avert a shutout. Still in the top 10 tables, the Philippines drew with Vietnam in the penultimate round and lost to Romania in the final round to finish 21st. In 2010 World Chess Olympiad in Russia, the Philippine team finished 50th. Their best place finished is 7th at the 1988 Thessaloniki, Greece World Chess Olympiad and 11thin the 1974 World Chess Olympiad in Nice, France where Torre got his final GM norm to become Asia’s first GM.
Russia’s first match loss in an Olympiad was dealt to them by a strong USA team in the 9thround of Istanbul Olympiad. I’m there watching how USA top player Hikaru Nakamura defeated former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Before making his 40thmove (Rxe7), he will look up, stand up, talk to himself in silence, pretending to hold the piece to make a move, close his eyes for a few seconds, and all the other legal antics that you can think of. Most of the time, he’s watching other games if it’s his opponent’s turn to move. He spends more time standing/walking than sitting!
In the final round, Nakamura suffered his first loss to Poland’s Radoslaw Wojtaszek, who is the second/assistant of current world champion Viswanathan Anand for a long time.
World’s no. 4 Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan spends a long time before sacrificing his knight against a Grandmaster. He looks at the crowd, stand up, close his eyes, looked up staring blank, make it sure that the crowd will see him making the sacrifice. He moves while standing and authoritatively checked his opponent’s king. That move produces a whole point for him and Azerbaijan, who will host the 2016 World Chess Olympiad in Baku, the birthplace of former world champion Gary Kasparov.
Radjabov’s laptop was stolen in his hotel room while he is participating in a tournament in Europe and had to withdraw from the tournament because his preparations for the event are all in his laptop.
I was able to talk also to former Oceania Zone President Gary Bekker, who shouldered my airfare in 2009 so that I can participate in that Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in Australia. He said he is very glad that Palau finally sent a whole team to the Olympiad. He added that my position being at Board 1 had a very heavy responsibility because I’m facing the strongest players every time in every game so he understands my 3 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses record.
After the Istanbul Olympiad, chess is now booming in Palau. The ongoing 2012 Palau National Chess Championship exceeded all expectations in terms of junior and women participants. The Class A is for the top 8 of Palau in a double round-robin format.
The Class B or 1650 rating and lower has 21 participants with 4 more waiting in the line. They can’t be accommodated because of shortness of rated players in that division. Next year, Palau can have a separate tournament for kids 15 years and below, Class A, Class B and women.
The Palau Chess Team for 2014 World Chess Olympiad is already filled in the Open (Men’s)—Board 1 Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr., Board 2 Menandro Manuel, Board 3 CM Bernardo Garcia, Board 4 Tito Cabunagan, reserve Roberto Hernandez, Jeff Balbalosa and Paquito Suringa, Jr. The head of Delegation is Senator Mlib Tmechtul, the men’s team captain is Australian Jamie Kenmure and Delegate is Jan Berglund of Sweden. The almost complete line-up of women’s team is Board 1 Angie Parrado, Board 2 Mary Frances Lopez, Board 3 Bheng Codinera Mendoza (her real name is Baby Edna Mission as written in her passport), Board 4 Elizabeth Manuel, reserve Paz Ngiratechekii or Angelil Sisior. Suringa or Balbalosa can be their team captain defending on the availability of the positions. Mohammad Manik Hossain also confirmed his inclusion to the 2014 team but his hesitations in Istanbul Olympiad caused his slot to be taken by more committed and higher rated players.
MOVING FORWARD –CHESS IN PALAU!
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