Atotubo, Lupian advance in Glutaphos chess GP

Former Olympian Rodrigo Atotubo and National Master Alexander Lupian crushed their foes in the fourth round and moved to the quarterfinals of the P2.2-million Glutaphos-Philippine Chess Federation Chess Grand Prix yesterday at the Sugarland Hotel in Bacolod City.

Atotubo, from Bacolod City, downed fellow NM Carlito La Vega, 1.5-.5, to advance to the semifinals against FIDE Master Jesse Sales.

Sales, representing Calamba, edged Fami Pazon of Surigao City, 1.5-0.5.

Lupian, from Davao del Norte, waylaid NM Cesar Mariano of Iloilo City, 2-0, and will next face NM Ernesto Jayme, who downed Vicente Lee, 1.5-0.5.

The tournament, staged by the PCF and sponsored by Pascual Laboratories, maker of the brain vitamin Glutaphos, uses the knockout format, with each contestant playing the white and black pieces. A win counts as one point and a draw a half point.

NM Reggie Olay of Kidapawan, Cotabato ousted NM Eric Gloria, 1.5-0.5. He will battle NM Horizon Villanueva who outplayed Francis Glen Panes of Talisay, Negros Occidental, 1.5-0.5 in the first tiebreaker.

A tie after the first two games is resolved through a tiebreaker, a 25-minute, two-game affair, with the winner stepping into the next round.

Subsequent ties are broken through a 15-minute two-game setto, and, if necessary, a five-minute blitz.

Joselito Tapulgo of Bacolod and NM Hamed Nouri of Lambuwao, Iloilo also played to a draw, with Tapulgo winning the tiebreaker, 1.5-0.5. Tapulgo goes against Misamis Oriental’s NM Rogelio Verganio, who also defeated Pagadian City bet Ernesto Fernandez in the first tiebreaker, 1.5-0.5

Verganio is sponsored by Misamis Oriental Governor Antonio Calingin.