(707) PHOTOS -- 2014 PALAU OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT

Tito Cabunagan, left, underestimated John Joseph Pabiona, right, in the first round of supposed to be 5-round Swiss system 2014 Palau Open Chess Tournament and lost when he blundered away his queen.
                                                           (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Neph Macasaet is closely watching the Cabunagan-Pabiona match while Jose Celiz and Cyril Montel, Jr. are waiting for their opponent Joy Flores Whipps and Allan Leuterio respectively. They didn't show up for 3 weeks.                                          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Manuel 'Jun' Mahor, Jr., left, is practicing with Elpidio Manaligod. Both have skipped the tournament for different reasons. Jeff Balbalosa is also practicing with Alfredo Pacenos, Jr.  (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

The 2nd official game of 2014 Palau Open -- Charley Patris, left, vs. Baby Edna Mission. Their game ended in a draw with bishop-of-opposite-color endgame.                  (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
                 

Gladys Anne Paloma, right, defeated Jose Rodriguez Senase, former reporter of Tia Belau and now reporter of Island Times. Jose was mated in 17 moves of King's Pawn Opening game.

Island Times Reporter Peter Erick Magbanua, right, played his first serious chess game in the 1st round of 2014 Palau Open against Rafael Paloma in which their game lasted till 7pm.  (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

It's almost 7pm and Peter Erick Magbanua of Island Times, left, and Rafael Paloma are still playing even with low lighting available only from the electric power post. Peter already lost his queen and in passive position but still carry on. Roberto leave them at 6:50pm as he has to take his dinner and attend the Evangelistic Night at Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) Palau Locale.

(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

The first and longest game of the 2014 Palau Open (now round-robin) was played at Bethlehem Park on March 30, 2014 between Candidate Master Bernardo Garcia, right, and Palau Chess Federation Treasurer Dennis Gonzales which ended in a draw. Both have 2 pawns, a rook and a king.

(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Roberto Hernandez taught Neph Macasaet, right, how to write chess notations before his game with Alfredo Pacenos, Jr., left, with PCF Honorary Member Koichi Matsuda watching in the middle. Pacenos prevailed with Macasaet struggling with analysis, writing chess notation and pressing the time clock.
                                                          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Angie Parrado, left, lost a drawish game against Jeff Balbalosa in another bishop of opposite color endgame. She missed a bishop move that will surely draw the position.            (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

After losing in the first round, Tito Cabunagan, left, bounced back from defeat and scored 2 points off 2 women members of Palau Chess Team to 2014 World Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway Baby Edna Mission, right, and WNM Angelica Parrado. In the middle is the Garcia-Gonzales match while Nilo de Jesus, who skipped this tourney, watch from the sideline.       (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

FRONT AND BEHIND.  Tito Cabunagan defeated the top 2 women players of Palau. In front of him, Baby Edna Mission, aka Bheng Codinera Mendoza and WNM Angelica Parrado. 

(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

2nd game of the day for Neph Macasaet, left, vs. Palau top chess player Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. Another loss but another gain of experience. KEEP GOING, NEPH!           (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

And the 3rd game of the day for Neph, this time against Roberto Hernandez. After their game, Roberto teaches him the opening moves of Sicilian Defence (Najdorf Variation, Dragon Variation) and the dreaded Danish Gambit where 4 pawns were sacrificed for very quick development of white's pieces.
                                                       (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

(706) PALAU CHESS FEDERATION 2006 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THE HIGHLIGHT OF PALAU CHESS FEDERATION 2006 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
   Roberto Hernandez, left, and Australian Gary Bekker, right, and President of Oceania Zonal, are the brainchild of the inaugural 2006 Palau Invitational Chess Championship where the top 6 Palau chess players gained their initial FIDE rating.
                                                                 (Photo by Roberto Hernandez) 



             PALAU CHESS FEDERATION
            2006 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1. January 08 (Sunday) - February 12
     Resumption of the 2005-2006 Rapid Chess Tourney
     at Jean's Boutique premises. Sponsored by Helena
     Yoichi and Gene Pastrana.

2. March 05- May 29
    Palau National Chess Championship. 13-round Swiss 
    System. The Champion will become Palau first National
    Master. The venue is Palau Community College?
    SPONSORS -- Pinoy Express Remittance (Palau) c/o
                         Manny Kimpo  -- Trophies
                         William Blasquino -- Cash prizes

3. June 18 - August 13
     PALAU OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT
     Venue and Sponsors -- To be announced later

4. August 31-September 04
    FIDE-rated PALAU INVITATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP.
    10-player single round-robin. Two games a day will
    have to be played. 4 FIDE-rated players from Australia,
    New Zealand, Philippines or Fiji or Papua New Guinea
    will be invited. Venue -- Palau Royal Resort.
    Mr. Gary Bekker -- Sponsor of cash prizes:
                                  Champion -- $300.00
                                  2nd place --  $200.00
                                  3rd place --  $100.00
                      Palau top finisher -- $100.00

5. September 24 - December 18
    RAPID CHESS TOURNAMENT
    Time Control -- 30 minutes for each player to finish
                              the game.
    Blitz Chess tourney after the completion of regular
                              games. Registration -- $5.00

6. December 18
    Knights And Rooks Chess Club Christmas Party.
    Each player is asked to bring one dish.

7. December 18
    CHRISTMAS BLITZ CHESS FESTIVAL
    10-minute time control.
    Registration fee -- $5.00
    The champion will keep half of the cash collected.
    The other half will be spent on drinks.

8. December 26, 2006 - January 08, 2007
    CHRISTMAS BREAK RAPID CHESS TOURNAMENT FOR 
                                PALAUAN KIDS
    Double Round-Robin if the contestants reach 6 players.
    Single round-robin if there are 10 contestants.
    Registration fee -- $10.00
    Time controL -- 30 minutes for each player to finish
                               the game.


Source: History of Chess In Palau
            By Roberto Hernandez
            January 2006
      
              

(705) TFCP CALENDAR OF SPORTS ACTIVITIES from June 2002-December 2003

THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN PALAU (TFCP) VICE PRESIDENT AND SPORTS COMMISSIONER MR. SERGIO ALEMANIA ASKED ROBERTO HERNANDEZ IN 2002 IF THERE WERE ENOUGH CHESS PLAYERS TO START THE FIRST-EVER CHESS TOURNAMENT IN PALAU.

TWELVE YEARS AFTER THAT, PALAU IS NOW A MEMBER OF FIDE (WORLD CHESS FEDERATION in 2005), WITH 119 PLAYERS LISTED AT FIDE RATING LIST FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2014.

PALAU WAS ABLE TO SENT PLAYERS IN THE 2009 OCEANIA ZONAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN AUSTRALIA, 2010 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD IN KHANTY-MANSIYSK, RUSSIA, 2012 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY, 2013 GUAM INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT, 2013 WORLD YOUTH CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN AL AIN, ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND IN THIS YEAR 2014 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD IN TROMSO, NORWAY (AUG. 01-14, 2014) WHERE PALAU WILL BE SENDING TEAM IN MEN/OPEN AND WOMEN'S DIVISION.

 CRIS GONZALES WAS THE SPONSOR OF TROPHIES IN THE 2002 OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT WHERE PHILIPPINE CONSUL GENERAL JULIUS TORRES EMERGED AS CHAMPION.




HERE'S THE CALENDAR:

Source: History of Chess In Palau
               By Roberto Hernandez
               March 2014
 

(704) 2014 PALAU OPEN TO FINISH ROUND 1 ON MARCH 23 (TBN-March 24, 2014)

THANK YOU PASTOR JERIC DELA CRUZ


PMCC Pastor Jeric dela Cruz, 5^th from right, back row, brings back the repaired laptop of Roberto Hernandez, 3^rd from left, when he visited Palau for PMCC 9^th Thanksgiving and Spiritual Empowerment. At Roberto’s right is Mr. Yoshiharu Kurata, a senior JICA Volunteer, who rendered 2 numbers during the Gospel Concert. Squatting (L-R) Russel and Alex Lumawon, Darwil Cal and Patrick. Back row (R-L) Allan Sauro, Jun Quintana, Jhoie Salvador, Luz Palma, Norberto Singian, Rolly Adducul and Ryan Carandang. They are all participants of the Gospel Concert.           (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)


     2014 PALAU OPEN TO FINISH
          ROUND 1 ON MARCH 23
 

ONLY one game was played in the 1^st round of 2014 Palau Open Chess. New comer John Joseph Pabiona, with a FIDE Standard rating of 1214 and a more impressive Blitz rating of 1616, upset 4^th seed Tito Cabunagan (1829) in 47 moves of Center Counter.

                Tito lost his queen for a knight after being ahead by a bishop. Over-confidence cost Tito a whole point as Pabiona simplified the game and is about to win the last minor piece of Tito when the latter resigned. Tito stopped writing his moves on the 15^th move. Pabiona is not writing his moves because he has not been taught yet to write chess notations.

                Writing chess notations in this 90-minute time control is mandatory. Roberto Hernandez taught Jose Senase Rodriguez how to write chess notation before his game with Gladys Anne Paloma, who didn’t show up also. He will teach Charley Patris this Sunday how to write chess notations before his game with Baby Edna Mission.

                The Palau Chess Federation Board Members and its president held a meeting on Wed. March 19 and one of the tackled agenda is to finish the 1^st round of the event on Sunday. Absent players will lose by default so that the 2^nd round can begin on March 30. Players are also advised to pay their registration fee of $10.00 before playing their game. NO PAY NO PLAY will be implemented.

                The list of players listed at www.fide.com is COMPLETE for STANDARD RATED PLAYERS, which is 61. The Rapid/Blitz (17 players), unrated (22) and Rated but inactive (19) if totaled with Standard is 119.

                The year of birth of the players is listed in the website so that journalists can cite ages to indicate who are battling: youth vs. experience, youth vs. youth. It’s also indicative of possible progress for young ones. The difference in citing age or citing birth year is not an issue as it is published in the website anyway. Chess is for ages 5 to 105; meaning one is never too young or too old to learn and progress in chess.

            Poet Kahlil Gibran cited to FIDE, the World Chess Federation, should make this required reading for all chess parents: “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls. For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”

Solution to last week’s puzzle: 1. Qxg6+!! hxg6 2. Bxg6+ Ke7 3. Bc5 mate.

This week’s puzzle: White to move and mates in 3 (Solution next issue)

Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez

             Tia Belau Newspaper

             Page 9

             Volume 23

             Issue 24

            March 24, 2014 

(703) MUSIC AND ME (Feb. 06, 2014) HAJIMETE (FIRST TIME) IN PALAU

JUN KAWABATA -- FIRST TIMER IN PALAU (HAJIMETE)
     Jun Kawabata, right, is first time guest at Palau Royal Resort. He enjoyed the night of music with Roberto Hernandez at Breeze Bar. He likes to hear Palauan songs.                         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

                                              (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)


 This newly-wed (honeymooners) Japanese couple are also first timers in Palau. They enjoyed Roberto's rendition of Japanese songs. Roberto jokingly told them before they leave --"Please come back to Palau again with your baby."
    The date then is Feb. 26, 2014 at Breeze Bar of Palau Royal Resort. They are about 7 meters away from me playing Japanese songs on a keyboard. The lady, Yuka, knows all the Japanese songs I'm playing and while I'm singing most of the songs I'm playing, I can see her lips synchronized with my singing.
   At 11:00pm, I talked to them and tell them a story about Sakurajima mountain/volcano in Kagoshima City when it spewed ashes and I forgot to close the window of my apartment's room in April-September 1982.
   The ashes inside my room is about 2 centimeters thick.
Before going home, I asked for their names because I have hard time remembering names of persons if I will not write it.
   The guy's name is Masang Matsushita.
 

(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

In March 13, 2014 Thursday, Jun Kawabata, right, gave me $10.00 tip in the first time that we met. He requested Palauan songs. I played and sang for him "Dil Dil Lomais".

   Later when I talk to him, he come to Palau by himself. I joke him that you look for a wife in Palau.

He said he will come back on Saturday. He didn't but came back on Sunday again and gave me $5.00 this time.
    





                           HAJIMETE
                            FIRST TIME IN PALAU

I ALWAYS ask our guests, especially when they enjoy my music, if it's their first time in Palau.

When they say yes, I will ask them to please come back to Palau.

Almost all of them will answer "sure". And I believe them especially if the guests are Japanese. Palau is like a paradise. It's worth seeing it again, and again, and again.

  

On March 20, 2014, this Japanese couple enjoyed my music. The lady gave me $2.00 tip. She said she is a singer in Japan and her husband is bass player and drummer.

They are first timer also in Palau and will be back again to Palau with her parents and their baby! Yes, she is pregnant.                         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)







Source: Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
             The Beginning of Chess In Palau
             By Roberto Hernandez
             February 2014
             To be published as a book in the future

(702) PHOTOS (Micronesian Open 2014 Round 1-9)

Roberto Hernandez, left, and FM Brian Jones at Surangel Construction Office at 2:30 pm. on Feb. 19, 2014. Roberto has to work at 7-11pm and Mr. Jones is the only available player at daytime.
                                                       (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Mr. Jones prevailed in 58 moves of Pirc Defence.                 (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

2nd game of Roberto vs. Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. They are about to play at Bethlehem Park but it's raining hard and they decided to proceed to Surangel Construction Office with more privacy and quiet. Their game ended in a draw with both having a king and a pawn on h file.
                                         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

On Friday, Roberto's day off, he played against Angie Parrado and won in just 13 moves when Angie touched the h pawn instead of g pawn and was mated.          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Before going to Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) Palau Locale, for Prayer Meeting, Roberto left Jose Celiz, left, and Dennis Gonzales with the latter regaining his lost pieces and on the offensive. Finally, Jose resigned for his first loss.          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Tito Cabunagan, middle, escaped with a win in his game against Jeffrey Balbalosa, left, who was rattled by the blitz play of Tito. FM Brian Jones, right, drew his game against Palau top player Cyril Tomas Montel, Jr. in a closed game without a breakthrough.                          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)





                                    
CM Bernardo Garcia, Palau first title player, demolished WNM Angelica Parrado, who managed only one draw against Rafael Paloma in 9 games. Paloma also had half point in 9 games.
                                           (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Instead of playing their game on Sunday at 4pm, Roberto, right, and CM Bernardo Garcia played their game on Friday evening. Roberto prevailed in their English Opening game. Baby Edna Mission poses for a souvenir photo.                                                              (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Roberto played his game against Tito Cabunagan on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 9am. Roberto gave up his queen for a pawn and 2 rooks and have an overwhelming advantage but missed a good rook attack on Tito's queen before checking his king. Cyril saw the missed opportunity and after analyzing the game, it's a sure win for Roberto but he lost instead.                              (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Tito Cabunagan is watching the game between FM Brian Jones and Jeffrey Balbalosa. Another win for Mr. Jones. Only Cyril was able to draw with him in the event.     (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Mrs. Margaret Jones watches her husband's game against Jeff. Mrs. Jones also joined Brian in Guam during the 2013 Guam International Chess Tournament in Feb. 15-21 where Palau sent 3 players -- Balbalosa, Ksau Anthony Flores Whipps and his mom Joy Flores Whipps.     (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Roberto, left, defeated Jeffrey Balbalosa in their game on Saturday afternoon. Tito and Cyril drew their game after Tito escaped from another troublesome situation/position. Cyril scored 6 points in the event with 4 draws, 4 wins and a loss.                                  (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Palau No. 2 Jose Celiz, right, clobbered Hernandez in their game on Sunday afternoon. The two shared 4th place with identical 5.5 points. With the winner over the other or direct encounter, Celiz is 4th and Roberto 5th. In the March listing of FIDE rated players of Palau, Jose retained his no. spot with 5 points increase while Roberto is still 3rd with 6 points increase.               (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Brian Jones prevailed over CM Bernardo Garcia, left, in their Sunday afternoon match.
                                         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Cyril subdued Rafael Paloma.                                    (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Cyrelle Ann Montel, Cyril's daughter, watches the Jones-Garcia match while Angie and Dennis Gonzales are fighting it out at the other board.                                         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
                                                

 Robert, right, vs. Rafael Paloma, who couldn't sustain his material advantage and bowed to Roberto in another Sunday afternoon match.                                       (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Jose Celiz, left, is up by a piece against the stingy CM Bernardo Garcia and their game ended in a draw by perpetual check.                                                                (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Jeff vs. Dennis, right. Angie vs. Cyril.          (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)               

Final game (9th) of Roberto, right, against Dennis Gonzales. He won to finish the event with 5.5 points and tied Jose Celiz at 4th place.                                               (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)