Antonio on a roll in US chess circuit

Grandmaster Joey Antonio continued his winning ways in the US chess circuit, topping the Los Angeles Chess Club Open with four wins and a draw at the Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles Wednesday.

Antonio swept his last four matches after halving the point with Jeremy Stein in the first round, beating Ronald Morris, IM Emory Tate and William Pennucci to finish with 4.5 points.

Tate took the runner-up honors with a final round win over US Master Julian Landaw with four points.

Other category winners were Pennucci (Top Under 2200) and Arnel Odero (Top Under 2000).

Antonio also won the 10th annual Joseph Lleto Memorial Open Chess Championship, the Motor City Open, the North American Fide Invitational, the Universal Annual Swiss Chess Open, and the G/19 tilt in Scottdale, Georgia.

The top Filipino GM is slated to play in the 16th annual Western Class Championships on Jan. 16-19 at the Southern California Renaissance Hotel in Agoura Hills.