BANGKOK — Teen chess sensation Fide Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca of the Philippines stunned top seed Super Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson of Germany in the third round of the ongoing 22nd Bangkok Chess Club Open on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, held at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.
Playing white, the 16-year-old Arca, who holds an ELO rating of 2250, defeated two-time Bangkok Open champion Gustafsson (ELO 2601) in 39 moves of a Reti Opening.
"Hope yung magandang pagsisimula ng performance ko po dito sa Bangkok ay magtuloy tuloy para sa posibleng pag sungkit ng IM norm o GM norm (I hope this strong start continues and leads to a possible IM or GM norm)," said Arca, the youngest member of the Philippine national training pool, who hails from Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
Joining Arca in delivering strong performances for the Philippines are International Masters Michael Concio Jr. and Paulo Bersamina. Concio defeated Candidate Master Benhood Delavari of Iran, while Bersamina edged out fellow Filipino Marc Kevin Labog.
Following their victories, Arca, Concio, and Bersamina now have 3.0 points each — tying with Grandmasters Evgeny Romanov (Macedonia), Surya Shekhar Ganguly (India), Vitaliy Bernadskiy (Ukraine), Babu MR Lalith (India), Stephen Gordon (England), as well as International Masters James Morris (Australia), Arif Abdul Hafiz (Indonesia), FIDE Master Alexander Chernyavsky (Russia), and Wei Yuyang (China).
In the Challenger Section, Filipino United Chess Master Almario Marlon Quiroz Bernardino Jr. notched his second win by defeating Peerathat Asvahem of Thailand, bringing his total to 2.0 points in three rounds.
Supporting NM Bernardino’s chess campaign are ALC Group of Companies Chairman and CEO Dominic Edgard Cabangon, Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro “Al” Tengco, Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mayor Jon Jon Ferrer, Mr. Jessie Villasin, and international billiards and snooker champion Marlon Manalo.
Meanwhile, in the Challenger Section, WNM Arvie Lozano, John Paul De Guzman, Remark Bartolome, Zwe Wait Yan Lin (Myanmar), Tran Nguyen Dang Koa (Vietnam), Azzamy Khalid Shafwan (Indonesia), and Nikolay Gutsulyak (Russia) all posted their third consecutive wins, creating a seven-way tie for first place. Marlon Bernardino/PR