BANGKOK — Filipino Fide master (FM) Christian Gian Carlo Arca moved closer to earning his third and final international master (IM) norm after drawing with compatriot IM Paulo Bersamina in the seventh round of the 22nd Bangkok Chess Club Open 2025.
The match, played on Saturday, April 19, at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, ended in a 41-move draw using the King's Indian Defense. The result pushed Arca into a six-way tie for fifth place with 5.5 points. He now shares the spot with Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India, Bersamina, IM James Morris of Australia, IM Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines, and Arsens Batashevs of Latvia.
The 16-year-old Panabo City, Davao del Norte native is now within striking distance of his IM title.
“I am very happy to be close to getting my third and final norm in this tournament,” said Arca. “With two rounds, I’ll need just one draw to secure it. If I win both remaining games, I might even get a GM norm.”
To become an International Master, a player must achieve three IM norms across a minimum of 27 games and reach a FIDE rating of 2400 or higher. The Elo rating system is used globally to assess a player’s skill level.
Arca earned his first IM norm at the 18th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championships in 2023, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His second came at the Quang Ninh GM2 Chess Tournament in Ha Long City, Vietnam, on May 19, 2024.
In other results, GM Evgeny Romanov of North Macedonia defeated GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly in 38 moves using the French Defense, seizing sole leadership with 6.5 points. IM James Morris of Australia outplayed compatriot Tony Zheng in 38 moves with the King's Indian Attack, while IM Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines overcame Haoxuan Zhang of China in 64 moves using the London System. Arsens Batashevs of Latvia made quick work of IM Azarya Jodi Setyaki of Indonesia in just 24 moves with the Centre Game.
GM Stephen Gordon of England bested fellow English GM Nigel Short in 53 moves of the Sicilian Defense. With this win, Gordon holds 6.0 points and shares second to fourth place with GM Babu M R Lalit of India and FM Ern Jie Anderson Ang of Malaysia. Lalit defeated GM Jozsef Horvath of Hungary in 32 moves using the Torre Attack, while Ang toppled IM Arif Abdul Hafiz of Indonesia in 35 moves with the King's Indian Defense.
Meanwhile, John Paul De Guzman of the Philippines stunned overnight solo leader Tran Nguyen Dang Khoa of Vietnam to also climb to 6.5 points, joining Romanov at the top of the leaderboard. Marlon Bernardino/PR