: MENANDRO AND
ELIZABETH MANUEL AT THE 2012 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD
After the 2012 WCO, the Manuel couple
proceeded to Italy and France for 5 days before returning back to Philippines.
Mrs. Manuel is the one who gets the Turkish visas of Palau Chess Team members
and also the Schengen visa of her and Menandro, who didn’t have to be present
to get it in 2012. The 2014 Palau Chess Team (Open and Women) need to get their
Schenger visas in person for finger printing and interview. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
MENANDRO MANUEL ---
Most Successful Palau Chess Player
GEODETIC Engineer and National Master (NM) Menandro ‘Boy’
Manuel is the most successful Palau chess player, winning 22 chess
championships in Palau (including blitz chess competitions). The 2nd
most successful and the pioneer of chess in Palau NM and FIDE Instructor (FI)
Roberto Hernandez has 15 titles since the beginning of chess in Palau in June
09, 2002.
Third
in the list is the current No. 1 chess player of Palau NM Cyril Tomas Montel,
Jr., who has won 9 titles followed by NM Antonio Villa, who won 7 titles from
Oct. 01, 2006—April 26, 2008, mostly blitz titles and one National
Championship. A Palau player who won a
National Championship automatically becomes a National Master, with the latest
one going to Jose Celiz for winning the 2013 edition. Jeff Balbalosa is
projected to be the next NM of Palau but he won already Online Arena FIDE
Master title (AFM) – which is recognized by FIDE in his participation in the
2016 World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is now in the 4th
round where Palau was swept by ICCD, Barbados and Hong Kong.
In the 4th round, they will face Gambia, who
has the same record, at the last table.
Manuel
Nedic and Jose Omega are tied with 5 titles each while Civil Engineer Eddie
Grefiel had 4 titles in 3 years (2002-2004). NM Tito Cabunagan has 3 including
2 National Championships (2012 and tied with Hernandez and Montel, Jr. in
2011).
THE
RECAP OF MANUEL’S 30 TITLES:
1. The first tourney of 2003, (3) the Open, Menandro
Manuel topped the Class A and Chito Vargas clinched the Class B championship
that was held on Jan. 12-April 27.
2. (10) 2004 Blitz Chess Tournament (Sept. 12, 2004) 3.
(11) 2004 Sunday Blitz Chess Tilt (Sept. 26, 2004)
4. (13) 2004 Knights and Rooks Chess Club (Palau)
Christmas Party and Blitz Chess Festival (Dec. 19)
Co-champions –Eddie Grefiel and Menandro Manuel (both
with 8 wins and 1 loss).
5. (14) 2005 Regular Chess Tournament (Jan. 06-April 17)
6. (18) 2005 Blitz Chess Contest (July 24)
7. (19) 2005 Blitz Chess Competition (Aug. 7) 8. (20)
2005 Blitz Chess Tilt (Aug. 14) Manuel Nedic and Menandro Manuel –Co-champions.
9. (22) 2005 Blitz Chess Tournament (Sept. 4) Menandro Manuel, Cyril Montel,
Jr.—Champions. 10. (23) 2005 Blitz Chessfest (Sept. 18)
11. (24) 2005-2006 Rapid Chess Tournament (Oct. 23, 2005
– Feb. 12, 2006)
12. (28) 2006 Palau National Chess Championship (March
19-Aug. 06) Manuel Nedic (17-3-2) and Menandro Manuel (18-4-0) co-champions and
became Palau’s first National Master (NM).
13. (31) 2006 Blitz Chess (10 minutes) March 26 –Menandro
Manuel (6-0-0) – Champion.
14. (33) 2006 After the Games Blitz Chess Tilt (April 16)
Menandro Manuel (7-1-0) – Champion.
15. (36) 2006 Blitz Chess Contest (May 7) Menandro Manuel
(7-1-0)—Champion.
16. (39) 2006 Blitz Chess Tourney (June 11) Menandro
Manuel (10-0-0)—Champion.
17. (42) 2006 Rapid Chess Tournament (Oct. 01-Dec. 17)
Champions—Antonio Villa (13-3-4), Menandro Manuel (14-4-2). 18. (44) 2006 Blitz
Chess Contest (Oct. 18) 19. (53) 2007 Palau Invitational Chess Championship
(Sept. 15-20) Champions—Boris Michael Diez (Philippines) and Menandro Manuel.
20. (55) 2008 Palau National Chess championship
(Unfinished) April 26-Nov. 23 (Menandro Manuel – champion for having the most
number of points). 21. (57) 2010 PNCC –Champion –Menandro Manuel
22. (59) 2011 Palau Invitational Chess Championship (Dec.
14-20) Champions – Joselito Marcos (Papua New Guinea) and Menandro Manuel.
Manuel’s
first participation in World Chess Olympiad was in the 2012 WCO in Istanbul,
Turkey with teammates Roberto Hernandez (Board 1), his wife Elizabeth Manuel
(Board 2), him at Board 4 and Bernardo Garcia at Board 3, who became the first
titled player of Palau when he scored 3.5 points in the first 7 rounds after
losing the first 3 rounds by a sweep!
One
notable characteristic of Manuel is – he plays well when there is a good sum of
cash prizes at stake like the 2009-2010 PNCC, 2007 PICC, 2006 Rapid Chess
Tournament and the inaugural 2006 PICC where he won $100.00 for being the top
scoring Palau players with 4.5 points and edging Australian IA Gary Bekker. He
also won $150.00 in the 2011 PICC where he shared the $300.00 1st
and 2nd placer’s purse with the generous CM Joselito Marcos, who
donated his $150.00 cash prize to Palau Chess Federation so that it can pay its
yearly dues to FIDE.
While
waiting in line to check-in their baggage for his vacation in Philippines on
Dec. 23, 2011, he saw Mr. Marcos with his wife and daughter going to
Philippines also after the successful 2011 PICC. He asked Joselito if it’s
possible for him to be Board 4 instead of Board 1 in the 2012 Olympiad in
trying to get at least a CM title. That’s what happened in Istanbul but it’s
not meant to be as Garcia is the one who gained a CM title instead of him
because many countries are doing the same strategy.
Solution
to last week’s puzzle No. 3459: 1. Bd2 Nd3 2. Ra8 mate.
This week’s puzzle No. 3460: White to move and mates in 2
(Solution next issue)
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 25
Issue 83
September 05, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
To be published as a book in the future
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013 -- September 05, 2016
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- September 05, 2016
