Torre catches Russian GM at helm

Grandmaster Eugene Torre failed to exact revenge on Filipino chessers’ tormentor Vladimir Epishin but succeeded in gaining a share of the lead with a seventh round draw with the Russian super-GM in the 15 de Open van Leuven Open at the Zaal Ons Huis Hall in Leuven, Sweden Monday.

As GMs Joey Antonio and Bong Villamayor bounced back with victories and NM Oliver Barbosa sustained his amazing run, Torre trampled English Fide Master Stephen Berry in the sixth round before halving the point with Epishin in the next. The fancied Russian stopped Villamayor and Antonio on their tracks in the fourth and fifth rounds to seize the solo lead Monday.

With four victories and two draws, Torre caught up with Epishin at the helm with six points heading into the final two rounds in this 9-round Swiss system tournament serving as part of the Filipinos’ buildup for the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam next month.

Antonio and Barbosa stalked the joint leaders with 5.5 points, along with two others while Villamayor bounced back with back-to-back victories after losing back-to-back in the fourth and fifth rounds to lead the five pointers at eighth place.

Antonio, coming off a big victory in the Thailand Open two weeks ago, thumped Jeroen Claesen in the sixth round then drew with Alex Goloshchapov in the seventh, while Barbosa swamped Steven Stinis and Eddy van Espen to share third place with Ukrainian GM Mihail Golubev and Georgian GM Giorgi Bagaturov.

Villamayor thumped Benjamin Tonoli and David Houdart to leapfrog from joint 26th to a share of eighth as the Filipinos braced for a tough final day Tuesday where the last two rounds will be played.

Torre takes on Bagaturov in a crucial eighth round duel while Barbosa faces acid test as he goes up on the top board against the most feared player in the fold — Epishin.

Antonio tries to keep his title bid alive as he clashes with Golubev while Villamayor collides with Serge Vanderwaeren.