Nguyen, So qualify for World Cup

Tagaytay City, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So settled for a draw in the ninth round to place second overall in the Asian Zone 3.3 Chess Championship and secure a berth to the World Cup.

Sharing top spot through eight rounds and already assured of a World Cup slot, the 19-year-old So opted to play it safe in yesterday’s final round and halved the point with Vietnamese GM Cao Sang after 30 moves of Four Knights Game.

The top-seeded So tallied seven points on an unbeaten slate of five wins and four draws in the nine-round Swiss system tourney to wind up No. 2 behind Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son.

Nguyen, the No. 2 seed, defeated Filipino GM John Paul Gomez to finish with a winning 7.5 points, towing So to the Aug. 10-Sept. 5 World Cup in Tromso, Norway.

“Draw was a good result as I just made sure of my qualification to the Word Cup,” said So, who took a break from his studies at Webster University in the US to compete in the event.

So (Elo 2682) joined compatriot GM Oliver Barbosa in the World Cup. Barbosa earlier earned his spot with his No. 5 standing in the 11th Asian Continental Individual Chess Championship in Vietnam last year.

GM Joey Antonio, meanwhile, split the point with dethroned champion GM Susanto Megaranto in 30 moves of a Nimzo-Indian Defense to grab in a share of third and fourth with the Indon ace with a six-point tally.

“I went for a win but the game really ended in a draw, Queen, Bishop, Pawn end game,” said Antonio.

Rounding up the top (11) finishers were GM Mark Paragua, Nelson Villanueva, GM Eugene Torre, IM Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa and FM Gombusruen Munkhgal of Mongolia, GM Cao Sang of Vietnam and GM Darwin Laylo, who carded identical 5.5 points.

Villanueva defeated Malaysian Yeoh Li Tian to earn an outright Fide Master title.

Paragua beat IM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam, while Torre subdued IM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam, Gundavaa drubbed GM Richard Bitoon, and Munkhgal drew with Laylo.

FM Mari Joseph Turqueza halved the point with IM Farid Firman Syah of Indonesia after 32 moves of Queens Pawn game to score 5.0 points and obtain his first IM result.

WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An made it a double victory for Vietnam as she ruled the distaff side.

Nguyen Thi Thanh An closed out with a loss to WIM Catherine Perena of the Philippines but she had assembled enough points (6.5) to guarantee her triumph and entry into the World Cup.

Filipina Bernadette Galas, meanwhile, outclassed WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram of Vietnam to log six point, becoming the country’s youngest WIM at 16.