FIDE Master Rosendo Bandal Jr. gave a 50-board simultaneous chess exhibition Saturday, playing against 50 opponents at the same time.
Chessplayers of all level joined the simultaneous chess exhibition.
Earlier on March 29, retired Judge Bandal also gave a 30-board simultaneous chess exhibition at Rizal Boulevard; one player won against him.
Judge Bandal is the highest ranked chessplayer in Negros Oriental. He is the only one from the Province who has represented the Philippines in the World Chess Olympiad — in 1968 in Lugano, Switzerland.
He became a National Kiddies Chess champion at the age of 10. At the age of 15, he was awarded a National Master title when he landed third place in the National Chess Championship. At 17, he became National Juniors Chess Champion. In 1967, he was runner-up in the National Chess Championship, and in the Buklod Bayan National Chess Championship in 1975. He was also the 1965 National PRISAA chess champion. He also represented the country in the 1969 World Students Team Chess Championship in Dresden, East Germany. In 1968, he also played in the Yugoslavia-Philippines Exhibition Chess Match in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.
Judge Bandal stopped joining national chess competitions for about 40 years when he worked at the Malacañang Legal Office, and later as a Regional Trial Court judge for 31 years.
Upon retirement from his judicial duties, he made a chess comeback where he became the Asian Seniors Chess Blitz champion in 2018.
For his performance, FIDE, the world chess organization, awarded him a championship trophy, gold metal and the FIDE Master title. (PR)
