(1598) SIDE BY SIDE WITH DING LIREN AND DON DACRES OF BERMUDA AT BATUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

SIDE BY SIDE 

WITH DING LIREN AND

DON DACRES OF BERMUDA

AT BATUMI 

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

While waiting to board the Turkish Airline plane at Batumi International Airport on Oct. 07, 2018 with the 13 members of Palau Chess Team to WCO in Batumi, Georgia, I am eating biscuit and watermelon seeds when Ding Liren of the Olympiad champion China team, came in crutches with a Chinese lady. They saw a vacant seat beside me and Ding sat beside me. My teammates recognized him easily and ask for photo session. Eric Whipps and his wife Joy is not yet around while Angelica Magno, Joan Gemota, Bobot Tan, Angelil Sisior are not interested. Filipina Sheila Cancino, who became friends with the Palau team joined in the once in a lifetime chance to have a photo with Ding. Tito Cabunagan, the Open team captain, left on Oct. 1 for job requirement.

Later, Bobot Tan, 2nd from right, join in the photo session with Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr., right, who got a CM title even being at Board 1, Rustum Cabuso, left, Ding, and Baby Edna Mission, who is showing her uniform while Sheila Cancino of Bermuda is at the back.

Don Dacres, middle, of Bermuda, talk to Ding Liren, right, before having this photo session. I told Don that we played in the 10th round of 2016 Baku, Azerbaijan World Chess Olympiad and that I thought that he resigned his game with me. We had some arguments then. That I need to win the 10th and 11th round games to gain a CM title. What he offered was a draw offered which I misunderstood. Later after that game, I told him that I need a win for me to get a CM title. He said, "You should have told me earlier." He is willing to sacrifice his game for me to get a CM title, which I am not in favor of. I can get a CM or FM title at the right time. It's not yet time in 2016. I am the Team Captain of Palau Women's Team and we were able to have Palau's first Woman FIDE Master in Angelica Parrado.

I asked Don Dacres, middle, if he was able to get a FIDE title in the 2018 Olympiad. He said yes but when I check the new FIDE rating of Bermuda, he don't have a title yet but Cyril and Angie got theirs.

Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
               Tia Belau Newspaper
               December 29, 2002 -- November 02, 2018

               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 -- November 02, 2018

               The History of Chess in Palau 
               By Roberto Hernandez
               June 09, 2002 -- November 02, 2018

(1487) 2018 FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament on March 10 (TBN-March 05, 2018)

GETTING USA VISA (10 YEARS) WITHIN A WEEK

                  On Feb. 15, 2018, I have an interview at the US Embassy in applying for USA visa. Roger T. Bluestone, right, the Local Guard Force Commander, escorted me to the interviewer, Jennifer Nehez, the mom of my chess/piano student. Roger, his wife and Mr. Ben Asuncion, at left, had dinner at PRR on Sat. Feb. 10, 2018. She requested “To Love Again”, “As Time Goes By” and “Love Story”. After this photo session, they proceed at Breeze Bar of PRR and enjoyed 2 hours of live music. Roger’s wife, to our surprise, can sing Spanish songs—“Amor, Amor, Amor”, Historia de un Amor, Besame Mucho, etc. Many PRR guests filled the place, thinking that there is live entertainment! Eventually, I’ve got a USA visa for 10 years on Feb. 16, 2018 and used it right away (Feb. 22-26, 2018) to attend the Pacific Area Fellowship of Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4^th Watch) in Saipan.                       (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

2018 FIDE World Chess Candidates

      Tournament on March 10

FIDE announces that the deadline for player’s participation in the Candidates Tournament is 26 January 2018. The event will be held in Berlin, Germany from 8 March (arrivals/opening ceremony) to 29 March 2018 (departures) and the qualifiers are:

1.       Sergey Karjakin (Russia, World Championship 2016 Finalist)

2.       Levon Aronian (Armenia, World Cup 2017 Winner)

3.       Ding Liren (China, World Cup 2017 Finalist)

4.       Shakhiyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, Grand-Prix 2017 Winner)

5.       Alexander Grischuk (Russia, Grand-Prix 2017 Runner-Up)

6.       Fabiano Caruana (USA, Rating Lists 2017)

7.       Wesley So (USA, Rating Lists 2017)

8.       Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, Organizer’s Nominee)

First reserve from the FIDE Grand-Prix standings is Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan). The winner of the Candidates Tournament will challenge Magnus Carlsen for the FIDE World Championship title in the last quarter of 2018.

I am being cordially invited to the Official Opening Gala of this event—the semi-final of the World Chess Championship cycle on March 09 at 19:00 in Kuhlhaus Berlin, Luckenwalder Str. 3.

I am welcome to attend the Tournament, which will start on March 10 and last until March 28 at the same venue. A three-week long chess fever, which will determine the challenger to the reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, will start with a gala at Kuhlhaus Berlin, former ice factory—a place most suitable for the coolest minds in the world.

The top 8 Grandmasters mentioned above will compete for the privilege to fight at the World Chess Championship Match later this year.

The organizers are expecting government and business leaders, diplomats and cultural trendsetters to witness these intriguing games with them. They are asking me to join the evening to meet chess stars, appreciate iconic for Berlin paintings by Thierry Noir and tune into Persian sounds mixed with electronic music by Madanii, a Berlin-based trio surrounding Iranian-German singer Dena Zarrin. Cocktails designed by World Chess’s very own mixologist Kenan Assab will help you up your game. The invitation is for 2 persons and is non-transferrable. Please kindly RSVP to rsvp@worldchess.com     Best regards, World Chess Team https://worldchess.com/berlin/ 

 Solution to last week’s puzzle No. 3801: 1. Qxg8+!! Kxg8 2. Rh8+!! Kxh8 3. Bf7#

This week’s puzzle No. 4373: Black to move and mates in 3 (Solution next issue)

Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez

               Tia Belau Newspaper

               Pages 9-10

               Volume 27

               Issue 18

               March 05, 2018

              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 -- March 05, 2018

            The History of Chess in Palau

            By Roberto Hernandez

            June 09, 2002 -- March 05, 2018