TONY Villa has been to Palau for just 3 months and joined in the 6th week of the 2006 Rapid Chess tournament on Sunday, November 05 at Jean's Boutique and Store.
He lost his first game to 2nd seed Jose Omega but won the next 5 and drew the last one with National Master and Palau's top player Menandro "Boy" Manuel to finish the day with a very impressive 5-1-1 win-loss-draw slate.
Villa, a teacher a Palau Community College, defeated Koror State Legal Counsel Craig Dittrich and swept 4th seed Roberto Hernandez in Danish Gambit and Sicilian Defence.
He added Palau's first National Master Manny Nedic to his victims as all of them were in time trouble as he managed rapid chess very well.
He is losing his game against Manuel but because he is ahead in time,
Manuel conceded to proceed because of time trouble. After a 3-move repetition, a draw was declared.
In his 2nd game against Hernandez, there was a touch move violation as he touched his bishop and let it on a square and thought again for a better defense.
In tournament play, once you hold a piece and let it go, that will be your final move and even though you haven't press your time clock yet, it should be your final move once you let go a touched piece.
That game may be a subject for protest if Jess Toldoya or Francis 'Sno' Temaungil will come and decide on the issue.
The last player that Villa has defeated was Flavin Andres, who lost his queen and rook in the middle game and never recover as Villa unleashed a queen and knight combination to score his 5th straight.
He said later after the game that he don't like to experience what Hernandez had been through last week that he underestimated the lowest ranked player and almost lost the game.
Manuel bounced back from his loss to Hernandez last week to beat the latter in an exciting endgame that showed Manuel's mastery in defense as he found the right continuation to prevent Hernandez' h pawn from reaching the 8th rank.
Omega scored another point by defeating Dittrich in their 2nd game of this double round-robin event and the last of the year.
Next year's tournament will determine the Palau's representative to the Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in Fiji, the first step to the World Chess Championship.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
November 10-17, 2006
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