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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Bitoon collapses, loses Asiad slot
By Jaime Frias
Sun.Star Correspondent
International Master Richard Bitoon kissed his bid to join the RP team for the Asiad goodbye after losing his last two games in the elimination tournament at the SM Mall of Asia yesterday.
Bitoon lost to IM Oliver Dimakiling in round 10 and to IM Ronald Dableo in the crucial match in the last round, in 43 moves of the Reti Opening.
Bitoon's quest for the right to represent the country's colors again will have wait for another year. He was sharing the lead until the last two rounds.
"Malas, sa kanya na talaga yun. Nag-collapse pa. Ganun talaga ang laro," said Cebuano National (NM) Master Elias Lao, who acted as arbiter in the tournament.
IMs Darwin Laylo, who drew with Bitoon in the fourth round, and Dableo earned the top two slots for the Asian Games in Doha Qatar in December.
Twelve-year-old Jedara Docena of Bohol also earned a seat in the women’s division of the Chess event.
Laylo took the seat after a hard fought draw against NM Rolando Nolte in a tactical Gruenfeld Defense at the last round.
Dableo, Dimakiling, Nolte, Rañola and NM Ali Branzuela finished with 8.5 points each, but Dableo won in the tiebreak and the slot to the Asian Games.
Tough choice in Surigao
With two rounds remaining, NM Levi Mercado, a father of two, had to decide whether to stop playing and spoil his title bid after learning that his house had burned down in Cagayan de Oro City.
In dire need of money, he continued playing and won the tournament Mindanao Open Chess Tournament in Surigao City.
Mercado pulled a win against NM Ernesto Absin in the penultimate round and settled for a quick draw against Jimmy Dano in 11 moves of the Pirc Defense to clinch the title.
Sun.Star Cebu tried to reach Mercado to no avail. It could not be ascertained how much Mercado won, although the tournament offered P60,000 cash prizes in all.
Dano took second place, while Johnnel Balquin came third, after defeating Johnny Corrales in 40 moves of the Reti Opening.
Prize circle
NM Ernesto Fernandez and Famie Fazon shared fourth and fifth places with 5.5 points each after beating their last round opponents.
Fernandez beat NM Elmer Sumngat in 33 moves of the Sicilian Defense, while Fazon scalped Mandaue City’s Eden Diano in 37 moves of the Slav Defense.
Fide Master Anthony Makinano lost his composure at the first board after absorbing a lost to Dano in round six.
However, Makinano managed to land in the prize circle and shared 6th to tenth places, along with Basilio Pandan, Absin, Carlos Moreno III, Ferdinand Leysa, Robert Cultura, Marcialito Penera and Corrales.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 9, 2006 issue)
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