So draws to keep 2nd spot

TAGAYTAY City—Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So did what he was supposed to do: simply draw the opponent in his 9th and final-round match in the just concluded Asian Zone 3.3 Chess Championship.

The 19-year-old So, the country’s highest-ranked player and the tournament’s top seed with an Elo rating of 2682, took a break from his studies at Webster University in the United States to compete in the event hosted by Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino Jr. and the city council, settled for a draw with Vietnamese GM Cao Sang after 30 moves of Four Knights Game to finish second place in the World Chess Olympiad qualifying tournament yesterday at the Tagaytay International Convention Center here.

So finished with five wins, four draws with an output of seven points in the Nine Round Swiss-System Tournament, which attracted 42 woodpushers, organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) headed by its chairman/president Prospero ‘Butch’ Pichay Jr.

“Okay lamang draw tiniyak ko na kasi ang pagpasok sa World Cup,” said So, who is
schedule to play in next month’s Reykjavic Open in Iceland.

Second seed Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son toppled GM John Paul Gomez after he scored 7.5 points and en route the title and joined So for the World Chess Cup.

So and GM Oliver Barbosa are currently the Filipino bets in the World Chess Championships.

Cut

Twelve-time national open champion GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., who hails from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, who plays under the baton of NCFP Director Mindoro Oriental Gov. Alfonso Umali, cut the point with last year’s champion Indon GM Susanto Megaranto after 30 moves of Nimzo-Indian defense to finish a tie for 3rd to 4th places with the latter’s (Megaranto).

Antonio and Megaranto, both tallied six points apiece.

“Talagang nauwi sa draw yung laban. Queen, Bishop pawn end game,” said Antonio, top player of Philippine Army Chess Team, undefeated in two International Tournament—PSC and Tagaytay Zonal—with seven wins, eleven draws.

“Pinilit kong manalo pero nauwi talaga sa draw,” added Antonio, next International Tournament is in Vietnam on March.

Top eleven

Rounding up to the top eleven (11) finishers were GM Mark Paragua (Philippines), Nelson Villanueva (Philippines), GM Eugene Torre (Philippines), IM Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa (Mongolia), FM Gombusruen Munkhgal (Mongolia), GM Cao Sang (Vietnam) and GM Darwin Laylo (Philippines).

Villanueva defeated Malaysian Yeoh Li Tian and earned his outright Fide Master title.

In other results, Paragua beat IM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam, Torre subdued IM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam, Gundavaa beat GM Richard Bitoon, Munkhgal drew Laylo. (PR)