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TOP seed GM Wesley So gently reminded everyone why he is the
country’s top player.
Stung by back-to-back draws against lower-rated
rivals in the previous two rounds, So quickly recaptured his old
brilliance and made a last-ditch bid to snatch the title by humbling
erstwhile unbeaten GM-candidate John Paul Gomez in their
keenly-awaited showdown in the penultimate round of the 2008
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) qualifying
tournament at the Kaban ng Hiyas Building in Mandaluyong City.
The 14-year-old high school student of St.
Francis College in Cavite, who rose to become the country’s
highest-rated player with an ELO of 2577 in a span of only two
years, hacked out the win over the previously-unbeaten Gomez after
only 27 moves of the Sicilian.
With the win, So tightened his hold on solo
second place and slashed Gomez’s lead in the overall standings to
only one point with still one round left in this 17-round tournament
organized by the NCFP in cooperation with the Mandaluyong City
government.
Despite the loss, Gomez remained in the solo
lead with a 16-round total of 12.5 points built around 10 wins, five
draws and one loss against So’s 11.5 points on eight wins, seven
draws and one loss.
But the loss could also prove costly for Gomez,
depending on the outcome of the final-round matches.
A win by So over IM Ronald Bancod, coupled with
a loss by Gomez to IM Rolando Nolte would force a two-way tie for
the top spot between So and Gomez.
In case of a two-way tie, So will win the title
by virtue of the winner-over-the-other rule over Gomez.
But regardless of the outcome of So’s game,
Gomez can bag the title outright with a win or a draw with Nolte.
Both Gomez and So are also already assured of
the two berths to the Philippine team to the World Chess Olympiad in
Dresden, Germany on November 12 to 25.
Also assured is GM Buenaventura “Bong”
Villamayor , who settled for a tame draw with IM Richard Bitoon
after only 30 moves of the Queen’s Gambit Decline.
Villamayor, the 41-year-old psychology graduate
of Far Eastern University who left a high-paying job as a chess
instructor in Singapore to resume his playing career, has 11 points
on nine wins, four draws and three losses.
GM Mark Paragua and IM Chito Garma also pulled
off a pair of emphatic victories over their respective rivals to
catch GM Jayson Gonzales in a three-way tie fourth to sixth places
with 9.5 points.
Paragua, still looking to regain his top billing
as the country’s highest-rated player, moved in excellent position
by humbling IM Julio Catalino Sadorra in marathon 75 moves of the
King’s Indian.
Garma, one of the country’s veteran
campaigners still hoping for the elusive GM title, outclassed NM
Haridas Pascua in 34 pushes of the Sicilian.
The wins enabled Paragua and Garma to catch the
second-seeded Gonzales, who lost ground when he lost to NM Edmundo
Gatus in 35 moves of the Queen’s Gambit.
GM Darwin Laylo halved the point with Bancod in
34 moves of the Irregular opening to remain in solo seventh place
with nine points.
Nolte and NM Loenardo Carlos agreed to a 31-move
draw in their Sicilian encounter to share eighth to ninth places
with 8.5 points.
Locked in a two-way tie for ninth to 10th places
with 7.5 points are Sadorra and Bancod.
In the women’s division, top seed Catherine
Perena halved the point with Chardine Cheradee Camacho in 71 moves
of the Nimzo Indian to grab the solo lead with seven points out of a
possible 10.
Shercila Cua downed Eden Tumbos in 62 moves of
the Queen’s Gambit while Jan Jodilyn Fronda shocked erstwhile
co-leader Daisy Rivera in 54 moves of the Sicilian in other crucial
women’s matches.
Cua moved into a tie for second place with Cua
with 6.5 points, while Fronda vaulted into a tie with Camacho with
six points.
Also moving up in the standings are Cristy
Bernales, who bested Rida Jane Young in 40 moves of the Modern
Defense; Sherily Cua, who upset Cristine Rose Mariano in 52 moves of
the Dutch ; and Kimbelry Janne Cunanan, who crushed Enerose Magno in
60 moves of the English.
Besides five slots in the men’s and women’s
teams to the World Chess Olympiad, the grueling two-week long
tournament also offers five berths to the men’s and women’s
squads to the inaugural World Mind Games in Beijing, China on
October 3 to 13.
NCFP executive director Willie Abalos is the
tournament director while Elias Lao is the supervising arbiter.
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