Monday, January 15, 2007 Dimakiling bows to GM Torre
INTERNATIONAL Master Oliver Dimakiling of Davao City lost to Grandmaster Eugene Torre in the third round Saturday of the Asian Zone chess tournament in Vietnam.
Dimakiling now has 1.5 points in the event after winning his first assignment and drawing his second.
Meanwhile, unheralded Hamed Nouri of the Philippines provided the biggest surprise when he stunned third seed GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam in the second round and gained a share of the lead after the third round.
Nouri, the highest-placed Filipino player in the recent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Chess Challenge held at the Duty Free Mall last November, shocked Dao (ELO 2559) after only 30 moves of the Colle system to join compatriots GM Eugene Torre and national champion Wesley So and four other Vietnamese players in the lead going into the pivotal fourth round.
Equally impressive was So, at 13 the country's youngest national champion, who pulled the rug form under top seed GM Mark Paragua in 38 move so the Sicilian in the second round and drew with No. 8 seed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in the third round.
