IM Bong Villamayor fought back from one-game down in the playoff by racking up two victories before forcing a draw against NM Idelfonso Datu to complete the semifinal cast in the Chess Pambansa Millennium Grand Prix at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay yesterday.
Trailing, 1-2, after losing the first of their two 30-minute playoff, the 32-year-old Villamayor flashed some kind of resiliency as he struck back with back-to-back victories, the last in their 15-minute duel, before sealing the match with a draw, 3.5-2.5.
That set him up against NM Enrique Paciencia, the unfancied bet from Marikina City who ensured his stint in the Asian Zonals next month by barging into the semis with a 1.5-0.5 win over NM Cesar Mariano.
"Naging passive si Idel (Datu) sa second game ng unang playoff namin dahil draw na lang ang kailangan niya para pumasok sa semis," said Villamayor.
It was indeed a sorry loss for Datu, who had prepared long and hard for this event only to be spoiled in his bid by a resilient Olympiad veteran. -