(563) CAN DIESTA MAKE IT TO TOP 4? (TBN-March 28-April 03, 2008)

FRANCIS Diesta has 2 more remaining games in the Class B division of Palau Royal Resort Rapid Chess Tournament against invited player Chat Miraflor, who has played only 2 games in more than a month.

Diesta showed good quality games and a potential master candidate if he will concentrate more on positional play, tactics and practical play. 

If Diesta can sweep Miraflor, he is still in contention for the top 4 spot. It will also depend on the performance of top three Arnold Rivera, Romy Cayanan and Morris Apresto.

No game was played within this week in the Class B division as most players enjoy the payday week in other activities.

But in Class A, Elizalde Madrinan finally scored half point after a string of losses and did it via 3-move repetition.

He sacrificed a rook to obtain a draw position and would not like to take chances with 3 pawns against a rook endgame against Paul Garcia.

That game was already recorded last week as a victory for Garcia, but according to them, it's just a practice game and not official. 

Garcia suffered his 4th loss when Arnel Pama, the elected Chairman of King Royal Chess Club of PRR, combined tactics and patient play to subdue the improved offensive and defensive plays of Garcia.

As the 2008 National Chess Championship is tentatively set on April 27, 2008, the Group A against Group B team match-up will be postponed.

Jan Berglund, the International Arbiter and trainer will be coming on April 24 via Continental Airlines from Manila. 

He will be joining the National Chess Championship to get the potential team players' strengths and weaknesses.

As group training is not possible, he will do the individual training of possible Palau team players to participate in the World Chess Olympiad to be held in Dresden, Germany on November 12-25, 2008.

PRR top players Roberto Hernandez, Jaime Guevarra, Dennis Lara, Pama and Eli are all interested to join the National Chess Championship to get World Chess Federation (FIDE) international rankings as Mr. Berglund already notified FIDE that the said event will be rated. 

He is also working on a possibility of having Palau be a CACDEC chess playing country to have the benefits of not paying tournament fees, world competition fees and other benefits such as chess sets, clocks and equipments.

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
             Tia Belau Newspaper
             Pages 13 & 15
             Volume 18
             March 28-April 03, 2008