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Thursday, December 23, 2004
Bitoon still up
By Lynde Salgados
Of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro
In a rash of upsets that marked the penultimate day action, International Master Richard Bitoon was lucky enough to avoid disaster as he grabbed the solo lead going into today’s last three rounds of the 2004 CDO Mixed Masters chess tournament at the Ganador Grill.
Bitoon was actually nursing an inferior position but Dipolog bet Jezreel Lopez failed to capitalize on a strong knight outpost on d3 to give up the match after 44 moves of an Irregular Opening.
“I had a difficult game because he got through my defense. I got lucky his follow-up move was weak,” said Bitoon, who finished runner-up behind IM Ronald Bancod in the 1st Misamis Occidental National Open last month.
The hard-earned victory somewhat cushioned the impact of the shocking loss by Bitoon’s Cebuano compatriot, IM Barlo Nadera, at the hands of Ibaryu Adante of Pagadian City.
Coming from a “miracle win” over 19-year-old Bukidnon talent Jeriel Manlimbana – who mishandled a one-piece advantage against Nadera – the black-wielding Nadera pushed his luck too hard against Adante to extend a hand after only 34 pushes of a French Advance Variation.
“My Qb2 was a bad move. It activated his dark-squared bishop,” said Nadera, the top-seed in the 84-player field and champion of the just-held Iligan Open.
Nadera’s laborious effort against Manlimbana was partly blamed on his erratic play in the sixth round. In that Nimzo Indian encounter, Manlimbana had a pair of Knights, a Bishop and two queenside pawns to Nadera’s rook, bishop and outside passed pawn.
Manlimbana lack of experience, however, took its toll on him.
Underestimate
“His king moved away from my remaining pawn on the a-file. I got back into the game after that. I underestimated him,” Nadera said of Manlimbana, a student of Bukidnon State College in Malaybalay City, who was adjudged top junior in the cash-rich Oroquieta Open. “He calculates well.”
Half a point behind Bitoon at five points are Fide Master Oliver Dimakiling of Davao City, NM Elwin Retanal of Cebu and CDO hopefuls NM Rustum Tolentino and Johnnel Balquin.
Upsets
Dimakiling befuddled NM Roger Verganio of Misamis Oriental with a Trompovsky Attack, Tolentino outmaneuvered fellow Cagayanon Bryan Jose, Retanal watched fellow Cebuano Vizco Ceferino Jr. commit a forgettable error, and Balquin outwitted Basilio Pandan of Butuan City in a Classical French.
Completing the round of stunning defeats were those of Jaime Joshua Frias II’s sixth-round conquest of ‘Chinese Killer’ NM Alex Milagrosa of Tagbilaran City, and the early-round debacles of NM Levi Mercado of CDO, NM Ernesto Fernandez of Zamboanga City and NM Mirabeau Maga at the hands of unheralded foes.
(December 23, 2004 issue)
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