Gonzales edges closer to GM title
IM Jayson Gonzales demolished Malaysian Tze Meng Mok to move within a victory from obtaining his third and final GM result in the Asean Masters Chess Circuit in
GM Mark Paragua battled Fide Master Rolando Nolte to a 15-move draw to remain on top of the heap in Grandmaster (GM) B category with 6 points but Gonzales closed within at 5.5 points with that victory over Mok.
Nolte improved to 5 points as the RP bets threatened to dominate the 12-player field in Group B halfway through the round-robin event.
With two GM norms, Gonzales needs one more point to complete his GM title, according to Weekender chess contributor and statistician John Manahan.
Nolte, meanwhile, needs 1.5 points to clinch his first GM result.
In other matches, FM Oliver Barbosa stunned Armenian IM Ashot Nadanian in 21 moves of a Ruy Lopez Opening to raise his total to 3.5 points for solo seventh.
Nadanian was stalled at No. 4 with 4 points in a tie with FM Syarif Mahmud and IM Salor Sitanggang of
In Group A (GM category), top seed Singaporean GM Zhang Zhong beat IM Nathaniel Situru of
Tied for third to fifth places with 4 points were IM Tirto of
Tirto drew with fellow Indon IM Nasib Ginting, Hafizulhelmi upset GM Eugene Torre while Hamed crushed Indon FM Cecep Kosasih.
In Group C (WIM category), WNM Christy Bernales fell to her third straight setback, bowing to Evi Lindiawati of Indonesia after 58 moves of a Scandinavian Defense.
The loss dropped Bernales to joint sixth with WIM Beverly Mendoza and WFM Jeslin Tay of
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