Suede shocks Indian, wrests Asian Jrs lead

MANILA, Philippines - Mikee Charlene Suede pulled off a shock 62-move victory over fancied Indian WIM Furtado Ivana Maria yesterday to grab the lead in the girls’ section in the seventh round of the 2014 Asian Juniors and Girls Championships at the Tagaytay International Convention Center in Tagaytay.

Suede, 20, flashed her endgame brilliance to outplay Ivana Maria in their Center Counter Defense and notch her fifth straight win after dropping her opening round match to grab the solo lead with 5.5 points.

The loss dropped the 2012 Asian Juniors titlist to second with five points.

It was a big comeback for Suede, a UP physical education senior, who lost to Jerlyn Mae San Diego in the opener then barely recovered with a draw against Indian Joshi Supriya.

In boys’ play, FEU high school junior Merill Jacutina held defending champion IM Master Srinath Narayanan, also of India, to a draw after 51 moves of a Sicilian Opening.

Narayanan, however, kept his distance from Fide Master Paulo Bersamina, who was held to a marathon 113-move draw by Mongolian FM Sumiya Bilguun.

The 16-year-old Bersamina, the Tromso Chess Olympian and World Juniors campaigner, improved to five points but remained behind Narayanan in their hunt for the crown in the tournament hosted by Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) secretary general, and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia settled for a draw with Daryl Unix Samantila for 4.5 points.

The eighth round is still being played at presstime with Suede facing Marie Antoinette San Diego (5.0 points) on the top board and Furtado battling compatriot WFM J Saranya (4.5 points).

San Diego beat Indian PV Nandhidhaa while Saranya toppled WFM Sholpan Zhylkaidarova (four points) of Kazakhstan.

Jacutina, the 2014 National Juniors runner-up, forced Narayanan to a draw after 51 moves of a Sicilian Opening and joined Samantila and Bilguun in the four-pointer group.

In other results, Candidate Master Marc Christian Nazario subdued Tagaytay City’s Renz Marvin Santos while Istraleito Rilloraza (3.5) downed Alzarovni Ahmad for 3.5 points.

Guam’s Radcliffe Paras and UAE’s Al-Rashedi Mayed won by default over Bangladesh’s Haque Siam Ikramul (3.5) and Nepal’s Bibek Thing (3.0), respectively, to improve to three points.

In girls play, Indian WFM Rucha Pujari (four points) trounced compatriot Joshi Supriya; UAE’s Abdallah Aldhaheri (three points) defeated Jerlyn Mae San Diego (three points); and Glady’s Hazelle Romero (four points) whipped Bangladesh’s Zahuratul Zannat Zisha (1.5 points). WFM Shania Mae Mendoza (three points) bested Nepal’s Bina Jaiswal (1.5 points) and Tagaytay City’s Karen Mariano (three points).