Paragua fourth in Singapore Chess Masters

SINGAPORE – The last hard push of the Philippines was not hard enough to produce the desired results.

Filipino GM Mark Paragua defeated Israeli GM Victor Mikhalevski in 28 moves of a Queen’s Gambit Declined in the ninth and final round but finished fourth in the 2005 Singapore Masters and Challengers International Open Chess Championships Friday.

Paragua, 21, scored 6.5 points in nine games, the same output of former world junior women champion GM Koneru Humpy of India and IM Salor Sitanggang of Indonesia.

However, Paragua took fourth place on superior quotient. The trio received US$1,000.

National Master Darwin Laylo, the 2004 National Open obtained his last International Master norm by drawing with compatriot GM Nelson Mariano III in 15 moves of an English Opening.

Laylo scored five points to nail his third and last IM norm.

Laylo posted big wins over 2005 Penang Open champion IM Stefan Loeffler of Germany in the second round, GM Humpy and the top girl under-20 player in the third round. He drew with GM Wu Shaobin of Singapore in the fifth round.

Laylo, 25, obtained his first IM norm in the 1999 Asian junior chess championships in Vietnam after placing second to eventual winner Super GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India.

He got his second IM norm in the 2005 Asian Zonals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last August.

Second seed super grandmaster Ni Hua (ELO 2603) of China scored 7.5 points to win the top purse of $4,000 plus trophy after scoring a hard-earned victory over Singapore-based Filipino FIDE Master Julio Catalino Sadorra in 104 moves of a Slav Defense.