Dhon Pano-on, center, celebrated his birthday at the tournament site of Rapid Chess Tournament (Palau Royal Resort Dormitory 1) by treating the chess players and non-chess players with ice cream and chesse cake. From left, Erick Ventinilla, Jordan Santos, Roberto Hernandez, Derrick Manipis, Miguel Gancayco and Ronel Gutierrez.
(Photo by: Roberto Hernandez - Taken by Tonet Medillo)
A DAY EARLIER
IN HIS telephone conversation with Menandro ‘Boy’ Manuel, Roberto Hernandez got an idea to make the 2011 Palau National Chess Championship more convenient to all players. Since Gene Pastrana is still waiting for his airfare to go back to work in Guam, Manuel suggested that he should join the PNCC that will start on Sunday, June 26 and one of the venues will be his Beken’s Store and General Merchandise premises.
Gene has an international FIDE rating of 1754 and if he will join the other 4 FIDE rated players, there will be a maximum of 15 participants and 10 of them can have international rankings. If Bernard Garcia is also joining, 18 can compete and if Manuel ‘Jun’ Mahor will also join, then a maximum of 21 players can join. One third is the required number of FIDE rated players to make a tournament FIDE rated. Palau top rated players are Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. (1941), Manuel (1910), Hernandez (1846), Pastrana (1754), Mahor (1646), Garcia (1629) and Paquito Suringa, Jr. (1602).
Manuel also suggested that the start the tournament will be a day earlier (Saturday) as it’s his day off and he can play as many games as he can because he is taking a vacation in July. The venue (Beken’s Store) is also excellent for other players like Jimboy de Jesus, Mahor and others who live nearby. The Palau Royal Resort’s players can play their games at PRR Dormitory 1 or at Bethlehem Park near Palau National Gymnasium for players who are watching basketball games.
After talking to Gene Pastrana, Hernandez was able to convince him to join the tourney and he’s willing to be the caretaker/arbiter of the games to be played at Beken’s Store. The FIDE Laws of Chess will be displayed at the giant chessboard that he converted into bulletin board so that any dispute will be settled by referring to it. Gene is also worried that he is rusty at this time but in only a week of practice, one can regain his top form.
One of the suggestions also of Manuel is to reduce the amount of registration fee from $20.00 to $10.00 and half of the collected fee will be for cash prizes and the other half is for the Palau Chess Team Fund of the 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.
The awarding of cash prizes of the 2010-2011 Palau National Chess Championship will also be held on the opening day of the PNCC. Manuel donated $20.00 of his $80.00 prize pot to the Team Fund and he will keep the remaining $60.00. First runner-up Jerry Sermeno will get all of his $65.00. Second runner-up Hernandez will donate $15.00 and will get $50.00. Tito Cabunagan will donate all of his $30.00 prize pot. Dennis Gonzales will get also his $40.00 cash prize with still undetermined amount of donation to the Fund as well as Montel, Jr. while Mohammad Manik Hossain will donate half of his cash prize ($10.00) and will keep the other half ($10.00).
Hernandez has
emailed the participants of the still unfinished 2011 Rapid Chess tournament
that suggested that all the remaining games be declared draws. Thus, the
following will be the final standings: 1. Menandro Manuel – 8 pts. 2. Roberto
Hernandez -7 pts. 3. Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. and Tito Cabunagan with 6.5 points
but the winner-over-the-other tiebreak gives the 3rd spot to Cyril.
5. Jose Celiz -5 pts. 6. Mohammad Manik Hossain and Jeff Balbalosa with 4.5
points each but Manik has won more games than Jeff.
The prize for the champion
(Manuel) is a gift certificate of dinner for 2 at Palau Royal Resort’s Waves
Restaurant and the 1st Runner-up (Hernandez), a lunch for 2 at PRR’s
Waves Restaurant. The registration fees that will be collected will be added to
the Team Fund.
The 3rd Palau Invitational Chess Championship has some good news from Philippine Congressman and President of National Chess Federation of the Philippines Prospero ‘Butch’ Pichay. Through a Facebook chat with USA and Phil. Chess Master Almario Marlon Bernardino, Mr. Pichay will be coming to Palau to visit Hernandez and maybe a discussion about the possibility of sponsoring some players to compete in the 3rd PICC, the inclusion of 2 young FIDE Masters to the Palau Chess Team to Turkey and some ways to develop chess in Palau.
This is the fulfillment of his promise to Hernandez during the last day of 2010 World Chess Olympiad in Russia that being short of players in future Olympiad will not happen again to Palau. And that he will visit Palau through his private plane (Cessna) in late part of 2010 or early in 2011. WELCOME TO PALAU CONGRESSMAN PICHAY!!!
Source: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 20
Issue 25
June 20, 2011
