Red-hot Wesley pulls away from pack

MANILA, Philippines - GM Wesley So continued to stamp his class over a field teeming with talent, scoring two victories to pull away from the pack after five rounds in the Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City “Battle of GMs” chess championship at the Dapitan City Resort Hotel in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte yesterday.

So outplayed IM Rolando Nolte in 27 moves of a Slav in the fourth round then trounced GM Jayson Gonzales in a 51 moves of another Slav to hike his output to 10 points under the new scoring system which gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

The 15-year-old whiz tries to make it six in a row as he goes up against GM Joey Antonio in the sixth round of the event which stakes P200,000 to the winner.

Antonio primed up for the showdown by downing Gonzales in 62 moves of a Nimzowitsch in the fourth round and drawing with GM Darwin Laylo in 27 moves of the Nimzo Indian in the fifth round.

The fifth-seeded Antonio seized solo second with seven points on two wins and three draws.

John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo posted back-to-back draws to remain in the hunt with six points.

Gomez drew with GM Mark Paragua by repetition in only 15 moves of the English in the fourth round and IM Julio Catalino Sadorra in marathon 76 moves of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted in the fifth round.

Laylo split the point with IM Richard Bitoon in 87 moves of the English in another hard-fought fourth-round duel.

GM Eugene Torre bounced back from a third-round setback to So by whipping IM Ronald Dableo in 46 moves of the King’s Indian Attack in the fourth round.

Torre, however, had to settle for a draw with Paragua in only 15 moves of the Sicilian in the fifth round for five points on one win, three draws and one loss.

Tied with Torre in fifth to eighth places with five points are Paragua, Nolte and Bitoon.

Nolte overwhelmed Dableo in 25 moves of the Caro Kann.

Villamayor outlasted Bitoon in 79 moves of the Queen’s Gambit to share ninth with Sadorra with four points.