PANABO City's Arena grand master (AGM) Henry Lopez tied for third to 10th place in the just-concluded Thailand Pattaya Open 2019 Open topped by Filipino grand master (GM) John Paul Gomez.
Gomez earned 7.5 points after nine rounds in the open division to clinch the gold medal, while compatriot IM Pascua Haridas had seven points to claim the silver while bronze medalist GM Villamayor Buenaventura of Singapore led seven other 6.5 scorers via superior tiebreaks.
Lopez, seeded 23rd, accounted for five wins, three draws and one loss in the Swiss System format chessfest held at Bay Beach Resort.
"First time ko to play in Pattaya, Thailand. My performance was good. I think I got paired with strong opponents and was able to hold my position," Lopez told SunStar Davao in a Facebook interview Friday, November 1.
He upset 11th seed Filipino player Mari Joseph Turqueza in the fifth round and 18th seed Thailand candidate master (CM) Warot Kananub in the ninth round in the 93-player field.
Lopez, who helped win two golds for the Philippines in the 9th Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2017, also bested John Marvin Jackson of the USA, Kanchanut Chaiyatud of Thailand and Filipino Menandro Redor.
He, however, split points Myanmar FM Kyaw Lay Htaik, Filipino FM Roel Abelgas and Myanmar FM Naung Thet.
In the amateur division, Davao City-based James Infiesto, who is also National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) 11 regional director, placed 11th with four points after seven rounds among 65 other contenders.