Daniel Lapitan, left, won the under 12 years Australian Junior Chess Championship this year and will now represent Australia in the World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil on November 14-24, 2011. At right is Alex Stahnke, another strong candidate to be one of Australia's best junior players. (Photo by Raymond-Nancy Lapitan)
LETTERS of invitation to join in the 3rd Palau Invitational Chess Championship has been sent by organizer Roberto Hernandez to 7 invited participants -- FIDE Master Christopher Castellano; USA and Philippines Master Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr.; FIDE Arbiter Dr. Alfredo Paez and his wife; International Arbiter (IA) Erwin Carag; Papua New Guinea's Joselito Marcos, his wife and daughter; Jamie Kenmure of Australia and another one (male or female) from Australia.
Dr. Alfredo Paez was the first one to confirm his participation by email that says: "Dear Mr. Hernandez, Greetings! It is my pleasure to join in the Palau Invitational Chess Championship. I'm now preparing for the event. Pls. include me in the list of participants. Thank you for the invitation. Kind regards, Dr. Paez".
invited and local players were asked to give their comments and suggestions about the 3rd PICC and erstwhile top player of Palau Menandro 'Boy' Manuel suggested the following:
(1). The entry fee must be a requirement before any player can play his first game. This is an international event and prizes will be very important for the players to aim for. Maybe some amount in the club can be added to the prize. The tournament venue is quite important here. The site should be convenient and should have amenities standard for an event like this.
(2). The tournament will be a single round-robin event with 2 games to be played every playing day. The foreign participants will have no problem with this schedule but Palau-based players will definitely have. Almost all players here work from 7am-5pm and can be available only during weekends and maybe 6pm onward on weekdays. Maybe you adjust the locals playing time accordingly. Also locals should play full time during Sat. and Sunday as these are their day offs. If necessary, 2-3 games can be played in these days.
(3). I suggest Angie be included among the participants since she has confirmed her participation in the Istanbul Olympiad. If we will send a women's team and if she will be there 100%, we should give her all the exposures she needs to improve her game. She can take the place of Mohammad Manik Hossain and he will just be a reserve in case other participants back out.
Joselito Marcos also gives comments regarding these: "Please be advised that Palau players should make "sacrifice" if needed by asking their employers for day offs during the competition. The foreign participants are making lots of sacrifices themselves--do you think it was only a holiday for them (us)? If so, you are completely mistaken. Why not ask the assistance from the OCC for prizes? OCC should extend its hands to PCF even if there are no other Oceania participants except for me and Jamie Kenmure.
The invitational is an international tournament and should not be treated like the way games are scheduled in the Palau National Championships. It should remain as a closed tournament and as such the Palau local participants should be finalized at the soonest. No apologies for being blunt here."
Hernandez wrote an email to the president of Oceania Zonal Chess Confederation (OCC) Brian Jones. He responded with the following: "Dear Roberto and Gary Bekker, OCC is happy to provide support to contribute towards Oceania travel expenses provided that: (1). The host federation is not in arrears with FIDE and OCC. (2). The event is FIDE rated. (3). The The player is a member of an Oceania Federation. (4). Receipts from the Oceania travel expenses incurred are provided. For the Palau tournament, we would be happy to consider making a contribution to the travel expenses of any player from Australia, Guam or PNG. But I am not sure about Marlon Bernardino? Also, what is the $2,000? Maybe you need a proper budget? What is the target to be raised for Istanbul? Good luck! Brian Jones, President, FIDE Zone 3.6 (Oceania).
Source: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 20
Issue 47
November 14, 2011
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