i TV Pinoy

Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News

Corus Group B Standings after Round 9:

6.5 points - GM Anish Giri (Netherlands)
6 points - GM Erwin L'Ami (Netherlands), GM Ni Hua (China)
5.5 points - GM Wesley So (Philippines), GM Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany)
5 points - GM Pentala Harikrishna (India), GM Parimarjan Negi (India)
4.5 points - GM David Howell (England)
4 points - GM Emil Sutovsky (Israel), WGM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine)
3.5 points - GM Liviu- Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania)
3 points - GM Tomi Nyback (Finland)
2.5 points - GM Dimitri Reinderman (Netherlands)
2 points - GM Varuzhan Akobian (United States)

-- Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So missed a chance to win the endgame of his Round 9 match in the ongoing 72nd Corus International Chess Championship Group B Tuesday night (Manila time).

His match against Israeli Emil Sutovsky ended in a fighting draw using the advantageous white pieces at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.

A series of exchanges left So a pawn up and he managed to simplify the position into a rook plus two knights endgame with the Filipino having a passed e-pawn in the center. It was now a matter of coordinating his pieces to continue creating threats.

The 16-year-old So’s e-pawn reached the 6th rank on his 35th move and Sutovsky, who is fresh from winning the Inventi GM event in Belgium, used his rook to block the pawn advance.

But the 32-year-old Sutovsky defended well and after an exchange of knights, So’s pawn could not make headway and a truce was declared after 42 pushes of Gruenfeld defense, Classical variation.

The Bacoor, Cavite native is currently in 3rd place with 5.5 points, the same output of top seed German GM Arkadij Naiditsch who beat So's 10th round opponent, Finnish GM Tomi Nyback, after 40 moves of Ruy Lopez Schliemann skirmish.

So’s Corus stint is being supported by Filway Marketing Inc. CEO/President Hector Tagaysay and National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President/Chairman Prospero Pichay, Jr.

Dutch GM Anish Giri remains on top of the standings with 6.5 points despite yielding to Ukrainian Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Anna Muzychuk after 55 moves of Sicilian Rossolimo.

Second placers Dutch GM Erwin L'Ami and Chinese GM Ni Hua tallied 6 points each after winning their respective matches.

Ami downed British GM David Howell after 61 moves of French Tarrasch while Ni toppled American GM Varuzhan Akobian after 50 moves of Gruenfeld Defence.

Indian GM Pentala Harikrishna settled a truce with Romanian GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu after 24 moves of King's Indian defense while Indian GM Parimarjan Negi crushed Dutch GM Dimitri Reinderman after 40 moves of Sicilian Modern Dragon.