(955) HERNANDEZ, CABUSO SCORE 5 STRAIGHT (TBN-May 18, 2015)

:   IDENTICAL 5-0 WIN-LOSS SLATE

                    Roberto Hernandez, right, and Rustum Cabuso, 2^nd from right, both sport a 5-0 win-loss card after 5 rounds of play in the Opening Day of 2015 Palau Blitz Chess Championship. Roberto nips Cyril Montel, Jr., left, in this 5^th round photo while Rustum drubbed Gonzalo Escapatoria, Jr. The 2-week event will conclude on Sunday, May 17 at Bethlehem Park.        (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)



             HERNANDEZ, CABUSO
               SCORE  5  STRAIGHT
      

THE 2015 PALAU Blitz Chess Championship started on May 10 at Bethlehem Park. Only 15 players made it –10 senior players, 2 women and 3 juniors. They are top seed Tito Cabunagan (1813 FIDE Blitz Rating), 2^nd seed Cyril Montel, Jr. (1785), 3^rd seed Roberto Hernandez (1776), 4^th seed CM Bernardo Garcia (1732-Standard rating), 5^th seed Rustum Cabuso (1674), 6^th seed Dennis Gonzales (1671), 7^th seed Eugene Labarda (1641), 8^th seed Gonzalo Escapatoria, Jr. (1608), 9^th seed Angelica Parrado (1585) 10^th seed Jeffrey Balbalosa (1551), 11^th seed Destiny Sisior (1529), 12^th seed Baby Edna Mission 13^th seed Angelil Sisior, 14^th seed Robert Godwin Sola (1341) and newcomer Rey Sanchez.

The couple Rafael Paloma and Gladys Anne Paloma informed that they will come at 3:30. They missed this event that started at 3:00pm. Had they paid their $10.00 registration fee earlier, they should have been included in the pairings and just forfeit the 1st round. One of the strict policies of this event is "NO PAY, NO PLAY". In the previous first 12 years of Palau chess competitions, some players were allowed to play even without paying their registration fee. Some never paid when they see that there is no chance for them to get some prizes. Some took 2 years to pay a measly sum of $10.00. Dennis Gonzales, the current Treasurer of Palau Chess Federation, is always the first one to pay his registration fees in all the chess competitions in Palau that he participated in. The number of participants is odd number so the number 15 had a first round bye (automatic win--1 point).

RESULTS OF 1^ST ROUND:

Top seed Tito Cabunagan lost to 8th seed Gonzalo Escapatoria, Jr. at Board 1 while at Board 2, 2nd seed Cyril Montel, Jr. clobbered 9th seed Angelica Parrado. 3rd seed Roberto Hernandez nipped 10th seed Jeffrey Balbalosa in their French Defence encounter. 4th seed CM Bernardo Garcia subdued 11th seed Destiny Sisior while 5th seed Rustum Cabuso is off to a good start by trouncing Baby Edna Mission. 6th seed Dennis Gonzales made short work of Angelil Sisior and 7th seed Eugene Labarda touted 14th seed Robert Godwin Sola. Newcomer Rey Sanchez had a bye.

                Roberto won his 2^nd round match against Parrado (Sicilian Defence); his 3^rd round match against Escapatoria, Jr.; the 4^th round clash with Gonzales and the 5^th round game against Montel, Jr. to tie Cabuso for the lead with an identical score of 5 wins and no losses. They will meet in the 6^th round on May 17 at 2pm sharp. The remaining 4 rounds will be played and the awarding of cash prizes and trophies will be given right away.

                THE MOVES OF CYRIL MONTEL, JR. (White) vs. ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (Black)     May 10, 2015

1. d4  f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 e6 4. e4 Bb4 5. e5 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 9. Qh5+ Kf8 10. f3 Nxc3 11. Ne2 Nd5 12. c4 Ne3 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. f4 Qb4+ 15. Kf2 Ng5+ 16. Kg1 Qd2 17. h4 Qe3+ 18. Bf2 Qxf2#                         0-1

STANDINGS AFTER 5 ROUNDS:

                                             Rating        Win      Loss         Total

1. Hernandez, Roberto      1776            5            0              5 pts.

2. Cabuso, Rustum             1674           5            0              5

3. Montel, Jr., Cyril            1785           4            1               4

4. Cabunagan, Tito             1813           3            2               3

5. Labarda, Eugene             1641          3            2               3

6. Balbalosa, Jeffrey           1551           3            2               3

7. Gonzales, Dennis            1671           3            2               3

8. Garcia, Bernard               1732          3            2               3

9. Escapatoria, Jr., Gonzalo 1608          2            3               2

10. Sisior, Destiny                 1529         2            3               2

11. Parrado, Angelica            1585         2            3              2

12. Mission, Baby Edna        1516         1            4               1

13. Sanchez, Rey                                   1            4               1

14. Sola, Robert Godwin      1341         1            4               1

15. Sisior, Angelil                  1452         0            5               0

                Solution to last week’s puzzle No. 3864: 1. Rxg7+! Bxg7 2. Ra8+ Bf8 3. Qg5 mate.

                This week’s puzzle No. 3865: White to move and mates in 3 (Solution next issue)

Source: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez

             Tia Belau Newspaper

             Page 9

             Volume 24

             Issue 40

             May 18, 2015 

 

 

(954) CYRIL, BERNARD, ROBERTOO--TOP 3 FINISHERS OF 2015 PALAU BLITZ CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

ROBERTO AND RUSTUM BOTH FINISHED WITH 6-3 SLATE
    The 6th round match of two undefeated leaders of 2015 Palau Blitz Chess Championship ended with Roberto, right, committing an illegal move after gaining an insurmountable advantage of a queen, bishop and a pawn against Cabuso's king and a pawn. However, Rustum lost his last 3 games while Roberto lost his 7th and 8th round matches and won the last one to end up with both 6-3 win-loss card. Roberto clinched 3rd place due to higher tiebreak points among 4 others with 6-3 record.
                                          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

        CYRIL, BERNARD AND ROBERTO--
        TOP 3 FINISHERS OF THE 2015
      PALAU BLITZ CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

IT WAS another very successful chess event held by Palau Chess Federation at Bethlehem Park from May 10, 2015- May 17, 2015--the 2015 Palau Blitz Chess Championship.

The 15 participants are 1. Tito Cabunagan 2. Cyril Montel, Jr. 3. Roberto Hernandez 4. CM Bernardo Garcia 5. Rustum Cabuso 6. Dennis Gonzales 7. Eugene Labarda 8. Gonzalo Escapatoria, Jr. 9. Angelica Parrado 10. Jeffrey Balbalosa 11. Destiny Sisior 12. Baby Edna Mission 13. Robert Sola 14. Angelil Sisior and 15. Rey Sanchez

In the first 5 rounds, Roberto sweeps his opponents -- Jeffrey, Angie, Gonzalo, Dennis and Cyril. Rustum likewise scores 5 straight to set up the unbeaten match-up on the 2nd and final week -- May 17.

Rustum with the white pieces went ahead in position and material but Roberto was able to promote one of his pawns to a queen and Rustum has to give up his rook and now left with only a king and a pawn while Roberto has a king, queen, bishop and a pawn.

BUT ROBERTO COMMITTED AN ILLEGAL MOVE DUE TO TIME PRESSURE. HE ONLY GOT 16 SECONDS LEFT WHILE RUSTUM HAS 49 SECONDS.

Roberto's queen is on a white diagonal and he checked Rustum's king on a dark diagonal for an illegal move in which Rustum had noticed. Upon realizing his mistake, Roberto accepted the setback that really affected his play in the next 2 games as he bowed to Tito and Bernard. He won by default over Robert Godwin Sola because the boy is absent.

After his win over Roberto, Rustum lost all 3 of his remaining games to finished with the same 6-3 slate with Roberto. 

Tito, Jeff and Eugene Labarda all finished with the same 6-3 win-loss card but after the Swiss Perfect software computed the 3 tiebreak systems, Roberto emerged at 3rd spot.

Rustum is complaining about the outcome because he thought that the Direct Encounter (winner-over-the-other) tiebreak will be applied. He's expecting that since he has beaten Roberto, he might have a good chance to beat him in the tiebreak.

Roberto explained to Rustum that in the early days of Palau chess, one game playoff game will resolve the tiebreak. There are 3 occasions that Jose Omega has been declared the winner via tiebreak (Sonnebonn-Berger System) but his co-winners asked for one playoff game and he both wins those--2003 Age Group Class B Championship against Mike Miguel, Jr. and 2005 Open against Bong Alipoon.

Omega won also his playoff match against Roberto in the inaugural Ambassador Marino Cup Rapid Chess Tournament in July 2006. He's got the beautifully crafted glass trophy but they split the $300.00 cash prize ($200.00 for 1st place and $100.00 for 2nd place).

The tiebreaker that the Swiss Perfect and Swiss Manager have been applying are the same that are being used in the World Chess Olympiad since the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden, Germany
 
Cyril swept his last 4 opponents after his loss to Roberto in the 5th round to emerge as champion to win the $150.00 cash prize and a trophy with an 8-1 win-loss record.

CM Bernardo Garcia, who participate for the first time in blitz competition, took the 2nd place plum with a 7-2 slate and got $125.00 cash prize and a trophy.

Roberto got $100.00 cash prize and a trophy. He donated 51%  of his cash prize ($51.00) to the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ in the 4th Watch (Palau Locale) for the construction of 10-storey Shiloah building in Marikina City in the Philippines.

Rustum settled for 4th, a trophy and $75.00 cash while Tito got a trophy and $50.00 cash for finishing 5th.

Jeff got a consolation prize of $20.00

Angie won the best women and $50.00 cash prize while her daughter Destiny Sisior won the best junior finisher and another $50.00 cash prize.

Certificates of participation were also given to Escapatoria, Jr., Rey Sanchez, Robert Sola, Baby Edna Mission and Angelil Sisior.

FINAL STANDINGS:
                                      Win     Loss         Total
1. Cyril Montel, Jr.           8           1              8
2. Bernardo Garcia           7           2              7
3. Roberto Hernandez      6           3              6
4. Rustum Cabuso            6           3              6
5. Tito Cabunagan            6           3              6
6. Jeffrey Balbalosa         6           3              6
7. Eugene Labarda           5           4              5
8. Dennis Gonzales           5           4              5
9. Angelica Parrado          5           4              5
10. Gonzalo Escapatoria   4           5             4
11. Rey Sanchez               4           5              4
12. Destiny Sisior             3            6             3
13. Baby Edna Mission      3            6             3
14. Angelil Sisior              2            7             2
15. Robert Godwin Sola    1            8             1


Source: The History of Chess in Palau
            By Roberto Hernandez
            June 09, 2002 - May 17, 2015
            To be published as a book in the future