: AUCKLAND, NZ—HERE THEY COME
Angelica Parrado-Sisior, 2nd
from left, and 3rd seed Tito Cabunagan, 2nd from right, played
their game of the 2016 PNCC ahead of schedule so that they can prepare for
their participation in the 2017 Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in Auckland,
New Zealand from Jan. 14-20. Tito easily beats Angie while top seed Cyril Tomas
Montel, Jr., right, rips Jojo Escapatoria, Jr. with Angie’s daughter Angelil
and Baby Edna Mission watching in the background. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
CYRIL, TITO BOUNCE BACK;
HERNANDEZ LOSES
THE 5TH round of 2016 Palau National Chess
Championship’s Top 10 Division had another twist when top seed Cyril Tomas
Montel, Jr. slays the giant-killer Gonzalo ‘Jojo’ Escapatoria, Jr. in 32 moves
of Unusual Lines of Queen’s Pawn Opening. Facing the consequences of being
humiliated by a pawn mate, Jojo resigned to snap a 2-game victory over me, the 2nd
seed and 3rd seed Tito Cabunagan, who clobbered his co-rep to the 2017
Oceania Zonal Chess Championship in Auckland, New Zealand on Jan. 14-20 Angie
Parrado-Sisior in 36 moves of another Unusual Lines of Queen’s Pawn Opening.
My
bid for at least a tie for 2nd place finish was derailed when I was
upset by Manuel ‘Jun’ Mahor, Jr. in the longest game of the day, Sunday, Dec.
11 at Bethlehem Park. We moved again to the Finance Building because there is a
garage sale going on there. Our game lasted till 6:30pm with no lights at the
hallway of the building. Baby Edna Mission used the flashlight of my cell phone
until the endgame where it took 82 moves for us to finish in our English
Opening vs. King’s Indian: Lines without …Nc6.
Earlier
on Friday, Dec. 09, 4th seed Jeff Balbalosa and 5th seed
Rustum Cabuso played their 5th round match at Jeff’s place and the
results is a fighting draw by perpetual check in 41 moves of French Defense
(Exchange Variation).
In my 77th issue of Chess
Mate in June 11-18, 2004, the title is “Kolty vs. Humprey Bogart”, in which
George ‘Kolty’ Koltanowski played the strongest Hollywood chess player/actor
Humprey Bogart without sight of the board or blindfold… http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2012/12/kolty-vs-humprey-bogart-tbn-june-11-18.html My 377th issue on March 15-21,
2010 is also about blindfold… http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2016/03/1181-blindfold-chess-vs-8-opponents-tbn.html
I
thought Kolty’s record of playing 34 games blindfolded in 1937 in Edinburg will
never be broken. But this report is interesting:
When
Miguel Najdorf played 45 chess games simultaneously blindfold in São Paulo,
Brazil, in 1947 the exhibition took over 23 hours, including an interval for
Najdorf to change his perspiration-soaked shirt and rest his eyes. Later the
Hungarian Janos Flesch played 52 games without sight of the board, but his
claim unraveled because many opponents resigned after a few moves, and it
seemed that Najdorf's performance would never be approached.
But
2 months ago, a little-known 41-year-old 2300-rated German master, Marc Lang,
toppled the record with 46 games in 21 hours. In previous years Lang set a
German record, then broke George Koltanowski's historic European mark of 34
games played at Edinburgh in 1937. Lang spent several months preparing for the
world attempt, taking time off from his computer business and seeing little of
his family.
During
the 21 hours at Sontheim in south Germany, Lang sat in the same room as his
opponents with a barrier which stopped him seeing his opponents' boards. He
typed his moves on to a computer screen which showed only the latest move
played, and at the end scored 75 per cent. Most of his opponents were rated
under 1700, weak club standard, but they could all see the board.
All
blindfold specialists use techniques to aid memory. Lang divided the games into
groups of five, taking the black pieces on every fifth board. He gave each
group a theme such as 1 Nc3 or 1 e4 and opened with the theme move in the
first and last games of each group.
Past
blindfold experts were mostly also great players in normal chess like Alexander
Alekhine, Harry Pillsbury and Najdorf, so the question is how a journeyman
master could surpass them. Lang may have been helped by typing his moves rather
than announcing them verbally, he had 19 draws, while some opponents played
feebly as in the two games below. Allowing for this, Najdorf and Alekhine gave
more impressive performances – but in world records it is the total number of
games that counts. The fact that Najdorf's landmark could be broken at Lang's
first attempt suggests that the potential human level is higher still, perhaps
now sparking interest from other contenders as occurred in the 1920s
and 1930s.
Solution
to last week’s puzzle No. 1 by CM Joselito Marcos: 1. Nd6 Kxd6 2. c8R Ke6 3. Rc6#
If
1. …Kxb6 2. c8Q Ka5 3. Qa6#
Published in StrateGems U. S.
A., July 1999
This
week’s puzzle No. 2: White to move and mates in 3 (Solution next issue)
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 25
Issue 101
December 19, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013 -- December 19, 2016
Memoirs of a Chess Amateur
My Memorable Games and Compositions
By CM Joselito Marcos
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- December 19, 2016
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 25
Issue 101
December 19, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013 -- December 19, 2016
Memoirs of a Chess Amateur
My Memorable Games and Compositions
By CM Joselito Marcos
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- December 19, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment