Wesley charges back to share lead

MANILA, Philippines - Standings after 8 rounds:

6 – W. So (RP), J. Zhou (Chuna), L. Ding (China), A., Gupta (India)

5.5 – L.Q. Liem (Vietnam), S. Sethuraman (India), L. Chao (Chin)*, N. Hua (China)*       

5 –  R. Antonio (RP), K. Sasikiran (India), E. Ghaemmaghami (Iran), X. Deshun (China), S. Megaranto (Indonesia), A. Golizadeh (Iran), T. Bakre (India), B. Adhiban (India), Y. Yu (China), Y. Wan (China), N.T. Son (Vietnam), Z. Weiqi (China), R. Yu (China)

* Playing at presstime

GM Wesley So redeemed himself from a seventh round setback and whipped Yu Ruiyan of China to regain a share of the lead in the penultimate round of the ninth Asian Individual Chess Championships at the Subic Exhibiton and Convention Center in Subic last night.

Needing no less than a win to stay in the title hunt, So did just that, playing solid with the black as he outclassed his lower-rated but talented Chinese player to clinch the crucial victory in the power-interrupted eighth round.

The long night ended when Yu resigned after 58 moves of their Sicilian Rossolimo variation game with So threatening to promote his remaining pawn to queen.

The victory put the 16-year-old Filipino champion back into the lead with six points in a tie with GM Zhou Jianchao of China, who toppled second seed GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India; and GM Lign Diuren of China and Abhijeet Gupta of India, who drew their match.

Seventh-round co-leaders GMs Ni Hua and Li Chao, who tote 5.5 points, were disputing the solo lead at presstime.

A 45-minute power interruption forced the organizers to halt the games but failed to stop So from essaying a five-hour long victory.

Top seed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam crushed Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa of Mongolia and improved to 5.5 points in a tie with S.P. Sethuraman of India, who upset compatriot GM Pentala Harikrishna.

But while So got back into the thick of things, fellow GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. was held to a draw by untitled Wan Yunguo of China in 41 moves of a Caro-Kann. With five points, Antonio bowed out of contention for one of the five berths in World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia next year.

Antonio missed the right continuation in a complicated middle game skirmish and agreed to a draw despite a pawn advantage.

IM Ronald Dableo also lost to GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam while Dresden Olympiad veteran GM John Paul Gomez split the point with national junior standout Jan Emmanuel Garcia and remained in a big group of players with 4.5 points.

GM Eugene Torre whipped FM Timothy Chan of Singapore and IM Oliver Barbosa defeated IM Nasib Gintingof Indonesia to hike his output to four points in the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Tourism, PCSO, Pagcor and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

A total of $50,000 and trophies are up for grabs with the champion getting $6,000 and one of five slots to next year’s World Cup.