THRICE-POSTPONED GAME
Baby Edna Mission, left, and 2014 Norway
World Chess Olympiad teammate Joy Flores Whipps, finally played their
thrice-postponed match at Joy’s office in Jan. 17 at 12:15pm. The win by
Mission confirmed her being the 2nd Women National Master of Palau,
with its first WNM Angie Parrado currently participating in the 2017 Oceania
Zonal Chess Championship in Auckland, New Zealand together with Palau No. 3
Tito Cabunagan. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
MISSION IS THE 2nd
Palau Woman National Master (WNM)
THERE was a heavy traffic in downtown Koror from 7:30 am
on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 when I am going back to Palau Royal Resort for
breakfast. A few hours later, Palau’s No. 2 woman chess player Baby Edna
Mission a.k.a. Bheng Mendoza Codinera, called me that I should be there at
11:30am during their last round match with Joy Flores Whipps and to bring chess
materials for the game. It will be held at the 4th floor of
Surangel’s building at Joy’s office.
A
day earlier, I text Gonzalo ‘Jojo’ Escapatoria, Jr. for his possible match with
Paquito ‘Pax’ Suringa, Jr. at the Dormitory 1 of PRR on Monday or Tuesday
evening. Jojo chose Tuesday (Pax day off) at 5pm. I didn’t confirm to him
because I’m doing it again! They are the ones who will be playing and they
should be the ones communicating with each other. I asked Pax to text Jojo
about his available date and time. He’s stingy to spent $0.06 per text and he
doesn’t bring with him his cell phone all the time.
As I
was about to go to downtown after early lunch, Bheng called again. Because of
heavy traffic,
Joy will be late for half an hour. I calculate the trip
to be 20 minutes even with traffic but still I am late by 10 minutes. We set
the chessboard at Joy’s office table and they began their thrice-postponed
match.
While
they are playing, I updated the game chart of the 2016-2017 Palau National
Chess Championship’s Top 10 Division (in smaller paper inside my belt bag).
They are moving fast with Joy saying, “This is got to be a quick game.” Still,
I was able to finish one game vs. Magnus Carlsen (age 9) in my mobile phone’s
chess game app before they finish their game in which Bheng won convincingly.
Joy has not been playing serious chess since 2014 World Chess Olympiad in
Tromso, Norway where she is the Board 5/Reserve player of Palau in the women’s
division.
Ultimately,
Bheng achieved a WNM title with the win. Joan Gemota was the only player that
can catch her but when she defeated Joan in the earlier round, it’s a smooth
ride to the championship and she’s the only player that ‘chases’ her opponent
for their matches. The others may be feeling unprepared and not showing up
during Sunday’s matches.
I
took a 2-hour nap and wake up at 5pm, the time that Jojo said he will come. At
6:03pm, I text him with “Are you on the way? Pax is waiting for you.” He
replied with, “I replied yesterday and I said 5pm but no confirmation. A while
later, I text Pax if our game is on and no reply also. So I commit to do a
part-time job right now.”
I go
to Pax room and told him about Jojo’s reply. That’s the only time that he check
his cell phone and there’s the reply of Jojo again that his part-time job was
postpone and he’s coming for their game. In the future tournaments, I will not
arrange any match for players. They have their own phones to do it themselves.
Many of them are spoiled by my generosity and concerns that it is now being
abused. Pax won in 44 moves of Vienna Game.
There is only one new player, Johnny
Carandang, that gave me a phone load worth $1.00 for spending $0.12 when I text
him twice that his clock is running and he needs to come for his match in the
January, 2015 Palau Blitz Chess Championship.
There
were no games played on Jan. 25 penultimate round but I still brought the chess
materials. When I see no players around, I go to the Palau National Gymnasium
to watch basketball game. When I saw Jojo standing near the entrance, I talk to
him and gave him the chess materials and I proceed to Malakal fisheries to
evangelize the 23 Filipino fishermen caught fishing illegally in Palau waters.
All of them were baptized with 11 of them on Christmas day. I said to those who
were baptized on Christmas day that I was baptized also on Christmas day in
2005 and since then, I never missed the covenant of communion even when I go to
Russia, Turkey, Norway and Azerbaijan World Chess Olympiads in 2010, 2012, 2014
and 2016 respectively.
At
4:30pm, I’m back at Bethlehem Park and saw Jojo watching basketball game. He
said his opponent for that day, Rustum Cabuso, has a game of basketball to play
so they were not able to play their game. Jojo said he is claiming the win by
default because Rustum didn’t play with him and his last round game is on Sun.
against Pax. He said he has a commitment on Sun. Jan. 22 and he asked for Pax
number to ask him what day he will be available esp. in the evening.
In
his social media chat, Rustum said it is unfair for him to lose that game. I
replied that if he can explain his views/comments, he can convince Jojo to play
their game on Jan. 22.
I
can’t access to the 2017 Oceania Zonal Chess Championship links as of press
time, in Auckland, New Zealand to check the last 3 rounds (7-9 rds.) and see
how Tito Cabunagan and Angie Parrado-Sisior finished the 9-round biannual
event. Tito has 2 points and Angie, 2.5 going into the last 3 rounds.
Solution
to last week’s puzzle No. 13 by CM Joselito Marcos: 1. Rb1 h4 2. Bh1 h3 3. Rb7
h2 4. Kf5 g6+ 5. Ke4 Kc6 6. Kd4# (Published in Today, Philippines 11/08/1996.
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 26
Issue 7
January 23, 2017
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Memoirs of a Chess Amateur
My Memorable Games and Composition
By CM Joselito Marcos
Page 249
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://Palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013 -- January 23, 2017
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- January 23, 2017
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