Tagaytay blanks Baghdad, pads lead in Asian chess

Standings after 5 rounds:

10 points – Tagaytay (PHL)

8 points – Wuxi (CHN)

7 points – Shanghai (CHN), Ulaanbaatar (MGL)

6 points – Manila-PSC (PHL), Singapore (SIN),Baghdad (IRQ),Pasay-PAF (PHL)

5 points – Shah Alam (MAS)

4 points – Sharjah  (UAE),Erdenet (MGL), Seoul (KOR), Colombo (SRI),Bs Begawan (BRU)

3 points – Dubai (UAE), Chinese-Taipei (TPE)

2 points – Kuwait (KUW)

1 point – Abu Dhabi (UAE)

MANILA, Philippines - The all-GM Tagaytay Philippines sustained its win run as it held off Shanghai-China, 2.5-1.5, then blanked No. 8 Baghdad, Iraq, 4-0, to pad its lead to two points over Wuxi-China in the fifth round of the 2013 Asian Cities Chess Team Championship-Dubai Cup at the Tagaytay International Convention Center in Tagaytay yesterday.

GM Oliver Barbosa defeated CM Zozek Salah Mohammed, GM Mark Paragua downed FM Akar Ali Salih, GM John Paul Gomez crushed FM Ali Layth Ahmed and GM Darwin Laylo dismantled CM Namir Mohammed Ismael as Tagaytay-Phl hiked its total to 10 points.

“I hope the boys will sustain their winning form,” said NCFP sec-gen Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, the Fide Asian Zone 3.3 president.

The top-seeded Tagaytay team earlier downed second seed Shanghai, 2.5-1.5, in the fourth round late Tuesday.

“It’s a tight position but I was able to squeeze out a win,” said Gomez after beating IM Lou Yiping to lift Tagaytay to the close win over Shanghai as Barbosa, Paragua and Laylo held GM Zhou Jianchao, WGM Ju Wenjun and WGM Zhang Xiaowen to draws.

The nine-round Swiss system event using the match point format which gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero point for a loss offers $3,000 aside from the Dubai Cup to the winning team. The second and third placers will receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

No. 3 WuXi, also of China, edged the fourth-seeded Philippine Sports Commission-Manila, 3-1, to climb to solo second with eight points, a full point ahead over Shanghai, China and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Meanwhile, the Col. Vicente Flora Jr.-backed Pasay-Philippine Air Force chess team bounced back after a sorry loss to Baghdad, 0-4, in the fourth round late Tuesday, beating Colombo, Sri Lanka, 4-0, behind IM Barlo Nadera, National Masters Onofre Espiritu, Ronald Llavanes and Raymond Salcedo.