Paragua, Lomibao keep share of lead

Grandmaster Mark Paragua settled for a draw with Vietnam GM Nguyen Anh Dung for a share of the lead with veteran campaigner GM Utut Adianto of Indonesia after six rounds of the Zone 3.3 (East Asia Zone) Championships at Stanford Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia late Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Paragua opted not to force the issue with the white pieces unlike in his stirring fifth round victory over top seed Super GM Dao Thien Hai where he engaged Vietnam’s No. 1 player in a double-edged game listed as one of the most exciting matches played so far in the tournament.

That victory over Dao gave Paragua the solo lead but the draw against Nguyen enabled Adianto to gain a piece of the lead as the Indon bet whipped Fide Master Tirto to catch the Filipino top rated player at the helm with five points.

Woman Fide Master Sheerie Joy Lomibao drew her last two rounds and remained tied for the lead with four others after six rounds of the women’s play.

Lomibao, the lone Filipina entry, split the point with Mongontuul Bathuyag in the fifth round and then drew with WFM Luong Minh Hue to hike her total to 4.5 points in a tie with WFM Le Thi Phuong Lien, Hoang Xuan Thank Khiet, Phan Le Thao Nguyen and Bathuyag.

Lomibao faces Nguyen in a crucial seventh round match today.

Anh Dung stood just half-a-point behind the joint leaders with 4.5 points, the same output put in by GM Wong Meng-kong and IM Wynn Zaw Htun and GM, who scuttled the bid of two Filipino bets with a pair of victories. Wong outplayed GM Nelson Mariano II while Wynn trampled IM Jayson Gonzales in the other contest.

But four other Filipinos stayed in the hunt for two World Championship berths staked in the 9-round Swiss system tournament with GM Eugene Torre beating IM Nathanael Situru to lead the four pointers group which includes GM Joey Antonio, National Master Oliver Barbosa and last year’s topnotcher IM Ronald Dableo.

Antonio and Barbosa agreed to halve the point while Dableo pounced on Dao’s poor form to pound out a big victory over the most fancied player in the fold.

Mariano and Gonzales dropped to 3.5 pointers group and virtually dropped out of contention.

The event took a break yesterday with Paragua and Adianto expected to come out strong in the seventh round against separate rivals as well as the other contenders chasing one of the two slots in the world tilt.

Paragua handles the black pieces again as he clashes with Wynn while Adianto takes on Anh Dung on the second board. Other matches pit Torre against Antonio and Dableo against Barbosa.