So topples Torre, claims 2-point lead

MANILA, Philippines - Wesley So humbled fellow GM Eugene Torre in a duel of present and past chess stars to remain on top after three rounds of play in the Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City Battle of GMs in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte Wednesday.

Ranged against a player with a vast experience in top-level chess, the 15-year-old So held his own with the black pieces as he essayed a 36-move win in their Slav encounter at the Dapitan City Resort Hotel.

Counting his earlier victories over GMs Bong Villamayor and John Paul Gomez, So had six points for a two-point lead over Gomez and three other players in the 11-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in cooperation with the Dapitan City government and Phoenix Petroleum.

Gomez, who nailed his GM title during the 38th World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany last November, trounced IM Ronald Dableo in 61 moves of the Dutch for joint second with four points under the unique scoring system which gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

Other four-pointers were GMs Darwin Laylo and Rogelio Antonio Jr. and IM Richard Bitoon.

Laylo beat IM Julio Catalino Sadorra in 48 moves of the Slav for his first win against two draws to remain in hunt for the top P200,000 purse.

Antonio, resuming his local campaign after a highly-successful stint in the United States, halved the point with Bitoon in 31 moves of the Caro Kann.

GM Mark Paragua crushed Villamayor in 32 moves of the Queen’s Gambit to tie IM Rolando Nolte at sixth place with three points.

Nolte, one of four IMs in the field, split the point with GM Jayson Gonzales in 38 moves of the French.

So tries to pick up his fourth win in a row as he faces Nolte in the fourth round of the week-long event. In other matches, Antonio meets Gonzales, Bitoon clashes with Laylo, Paragua goes up against Gomez, Sadorra takes on Villamayor and Dableo collides with Torre.

In women’s play, sisters Shercila and Sherily Cua scored a pair of hard-earned triumphs to gain a share of the lead with five points.

Shercila trounced WNM Kimberly Jane Cunanan in 43 moves of the English, while Sherily toppled erstwhile solo leader Jan Jodilyn Fronda in 64 moves of another English.

Dresden Olympiad veterans Daisy Rivera crushed Jedara Docena in 44 moves of the Sicilian and Christy Lamiel Bernales downed Rida Jane Young in 43 moves of the Queen’s Indian for joint third with Fronda with four points.

In other results, Rulp Ylem Jose humbled Catherine Perena in 56 moves of the Center Counter and Beverly Mendoza drew with Loreshyl Cuizon in 80 moves of the Queen’s Indian.

Fourth-round matches pit Bernales against Shercila Cua, Docena against Cunanan, Fronda against Rivera, Perena against Sherily Cua, Cuizon against Jose and Young against Mendoza.