Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So and Woman Fide Master (WFM) Rulp Ylem Jose each scored wins in the ongoing 26th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) chess competition in Palembang, Indonesia.
So defeated International Master (IM) Jimmy Liew of Malaysia to gain a share of the lead in the Men’s Standard with GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia.
In the Women Standard category, 2-time National Open champ Jose upset Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Irine Kharisma Sukandar of Indonesia.
Jose now has 2 points, half point ahead of second-running Woman International Master (WIM) Nguyen Thi Mai Hung of Vietnam.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. is confident that the Filipino woodpushers will perform well.
"Confident ako na makaka kuha tayo ng 3 hanggang 4 na gintong medalya sa Southeast Asian Games. Maganda ang chances nina Wesley at Rulp Ylem," said Pichay.
Other players competing in the SEAG chess competition are GM Oliver Barbosa, GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr., GM Mark Paragua, and Beverly and Jedara Docena.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- After competing in the Aeroflot Open 2010 in Moscow, Russia, Filipino Grandmasters (GMs) Wesley So and Darwin Laylo headed straight to the World Blitz Championship-Preliminaries.
So, who defended his junior title in Aeroflot, finished 62nd in the World Blitz prelims after scoring 9.5 points.
Laylo, on the other hand, finished 114th in the 156-player field by scoring 7.5 points.
French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave topped the event with 13.5 points, and qualified for the World Blitz Championship to be held in Moscow in November 2010.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So still went home a winner even if he settled for 11th place in the Aeroflot Chess Festival 2010 in Moscow, Russia.
The Bacoor, Cavite native successfully defended his junior title as he finished with 5.5 points on 3 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in 9 outings.
So, 16, bested GM Sanan Sjugirov of Russia and GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan, who both tallied with 4.5 points. GM Saleh Salem of the United Arab Emirates, meantime, had 3 points.
He took home 2,500 euros for winning the top junior award again.
The chess whiz kid drew his 9th-round and final match against Venezuela’s GM Eduardo Iturrizaga (Elo 2616) in just 10 pushes of the Slav defense Queen’s Gambit Accepted transposition with the black pieces on Wednesday.
The country's highest-rated player (ELO 2656) finished in a tie for 7th to 19th places with 5.5 points. After the tie break point was applied, the 2009 Corus C champion was named the overall 11th placer.
So’s 2010 Aeroflot performance gained praises from Philippine chess officials.
“Wesley is a sensation and have made us Filipinos proud again,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President/Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr.
Wilfredo “Willie” Abalos, NCFP executive director and event manager, added: “He is an inspiration to Filipinos.”
Meanwhile, Vietnamese GM Le Quang Liem (ELO 2647) beat Russian GM Ian Nepomniattchi (ELO 2658) after 60 moves of English Opening using the advantageous white pieces to end on top with 7 points. He received the champion’s purse worth 21,000 euros.
GM Anton Korobov (ELO 2648) of Ukraine overcame GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (ELO 2616) of Vietnam after 36 moves of Gruenfeld defense. The Ukrainian came in 2nd place and was awarded 12,000 euros.
Source: GMA News
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines practically kissed his title bid goodbye after playing GM Zhou Jianchao of China to a draw in the eighth and penultimate round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess tournament at the Izmailovo Gamma-Delta Hotel late Tuesday (Manila time).
The game was drawn after 34 moves of the King’s Indian defense.
So, who handled white, chose a solid opening and tried to shake off his lower-rated but more-experienced Chinese opponent by initiating an early attack on black’s kingside.
But Jianchao defended accurately with bishop and knight maneuvers and offered a draw after So’s knight push to c3 on the 34th.
The draw all but dashed the hopes of the 16-year-old Filipino to catch up with the frontrunners and snatch the title in this prestigious tournament.
The high school student of St. Francis College-Cavite raised his score to five points on three wins, four draws and only one loss with still one round remaining.
But So dropped a full point behind GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and half a point behind former champion GM Ian Nepomnichtchi of Russia, GM Anton Korobov of Ukraine and GM Boris Grachev of Russia.
So, however, has already matched his output of five points in finishing in a tie for 17th to 36th places last year. The Filipino wound up with three wins, four draws and two losses in 2009 to capture the top junior award, ahead of GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan and GM Sanan Sjugirov of Russia.
Top junior trophy
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman Prospero Pichay expressed hopes that So will again bring home the top junior trophy.
With one round remaining, So stood half a point ahead of GM Sanan Sjugirov of Russia in the race for the top junior plum.
“It’s almost in the bag for Wesley. He needs only a draw in his last-round match to clinch the award for the second straight year," said Pichay.
So will play black against GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela in the ninth and final round on Wednesday.
Iturrizaga, seeded 37th with an ELO of 2616, toppled last year’s co-champion GM Alexander Moiseenko of Ukraine in the eighth round to improve to a 4-2-2 win-draw-loss record.
The day clearly belonged to Vietnamese players Le and Nguyen.
Le trounced erstwhile co-leader GM Boris Savchenko of Russia, while Nguyen shocked GM Evgeniy Najer of Russia to share the lead with six points out of a possible eight.
Korobov humbled GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany, while Nepomniachtchi and Grachev battled to a draw to share third to fifth places with 5.5 points.
Fifteen players, including So, top seed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France and defending champion Etienne Bacrot of France, shared sixth to 20th places with five points.
So’s compatriot, GM Darwin Laylo, withdrew from the tournament after losing six of his seven matches.
Source: GMA News
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines battled and GM Artyom Timofeev of Russia to a short and uneventful draw in the seventh round but remained within striking distance in the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess tournament at the Hotel Gamma-Delta.
So, seeded 17th with an ELO of 2656, and Timofeev, ranked 20th with ELO 2652, decided to split the point after the Russian’s 21st move, capturing the Filipino’s pawn on c6 with his knight.
The two players, however, have the same number of pieces on the board – queen, rook, bishop and five pawns for the Filipino, and queen, rook, knight and five pawns for the Russian when they agreed to a standoff.
The draw, which he achieved from the black side of the board, enabled So to remain in a tie for sixth to 16th places with 4.5 points, only half a point behind GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Boris Savchenko and Boris Grachev, all of Russia, and GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, both of Vietnam.
At the same time, So boosted his chances to capture the top junior award for the second straight year.
The 16-year-old Filipino champion, who has three wins, three draws and only one loss in the tough, nine-round tournament, is half a point ahead of GM Sanan Sjugirov of Russia and a full point ahead of GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan for the top plum for junior players.
Last year, So edged Safarli, Sjugirov and GM Ray Robson of the United States for the award.
So, who was voted as the “Chess Player of the Year" by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), resumes his campaign when he plays white against No. 33 seed GM Zhou Jianchao of China in the penultimate eighth round.
Jianchao (ELO 2632), however, is fresh from a stunning upset win over former world championship candidate GM Gata Kamsky of the United States in their seventh-round showdown.
A win by So over Jianchao will further boost his chances for at least a Top 10 finish in this annual 80-player tournament.
A big letdown was GM Darwin Laylo, the only other Filipino campaigner in the tournament.
Laylo (ELO 2556) bowed to GM Alexei Iljushin (ELO 2551) of Russia and remained in the bottom of the standings with only one draw and six losses.
The campaigner from Lipa City was not paired in the eighth round.
In other seventh round results, Nepomniachtchi whipped GM Arman Pashikian of Armenia, Savchenko crushed GM Giovanni Vescovi of Brazil, Grachev drew with Truong Son and Le split the point with GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany.
Top seed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France trounced GM Loek van Wely of the Netherlands to move into a tie for sixth to 16th places with 4.5 points.
Defending champion GM Etienne Bacrot of France settled for another draw with GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India to join the 4.5 pointers.
Last year’s co-champion GM Alexander Moiseenko of Ukraine also drew his match against GM Vadim Zvjagisnev of Russia to lag behind with only four points.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Teenage Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So (ELO 2656) tried hard to squeeze out a victory but eventually settled for a draw with Armenian GM Arman Pashikian (ELO 2642) in the 6th round of the Aeroflot Open 2010 Chess Tournament.
The 16-year-old So gave Pashikian some uneasy moments in the highly-positional battle that took place at the Izmailovo Gamma-Delta Hotel in Moscow, Russia.
The Bacoor, Cavite native seemed to challenge his Armenian opponent before settling for a truce in 52 moves of the Slav defense Queen’s gambit transposition.
According to National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President/Chairman Prospero Pichay, Jr., both players castled on opposite sides of a Slav defense Queen’s gambit transposition and the game ended in a bishop and pawn endgame.
“Bali book draw na ang naganap. May isang pawn at white bishop si Wesley habang isang pawn y’ung Armenian GM. Pag na capture ni Wesley ang pawn sa c2 square ay ilalagay na ng Armenian GM ang kanyang king sa h8, kahit may isa pang pawn at bishop si Wesley ay book draw kasi black ang square sa h8.” said Pichay.
The 2009 Corus C chess champion So has 4 points along with 10 other players. He is still half a point behind the 3 leaders, GM Boris Grachev (ELO 2653), GM Le Quang Liem (ELO 2647) and GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (ELO 2616). They tallied 4.5 points each after 6 games of play.
Another Filipino, GM Darwin Laylo (ELO 2556), has 0.5 point after yielding to Ukrainian GM Yuriy Ajrapetjan (ELO 2525) after 55 moves of Slav defense using the disadvantageous black pieces.
In Monday’s 7th round, So and Laylo will go against Russian GMs Artyom Timofeev (ELO 2652) and Alexei Iljushin (ELO 2551), respectively, using the disadvantageous black pieces.
The 2 Filipinos’ participation in the Aeroflot Open A1 group is backed by Pichay.
Source: GMA News
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines produced another strong effort with the white pieces, pulling off a resounding victory over GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov of Russia in the pivotal fourth round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship at the Hotel Gamma-Delta Friday (Manila time).
So, at 16 already one of the world’s most successful junior players, threw caution to the wind and battled it out with the lower-rated Russian player (ELO 2591) in a furious middle game before coming away with the win in 35 moves.
The 17th-seeded Filipino champion (ELO 2656), who bagged the top junior award here last year, pounced on a blunder by Rakhmanov on the 26th move and captured his opponent’s queen with a rook three moves later.
When the end came, So had a queen, bishop and five pawns against the Russian’s rook, two bishops and six pawns. So, however, is on the verge of gobbling up Rakhmanov’s unprotected rook with 35. Qg8.
The win followed So’s heart-breaking setback to fellow child prodigy GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in the third round Thursday, a game the Filipino blew with the disadvantageous black pieces.
But more importantly, the win enabled the Cavite-based So to vault into a tie for ninth to 33rd places with 2.5 points with still five rounds remaining.
So, who has two wins, one draw and one loss, is only a full point behind Nguyen and another Vietnamese campaigner, GM Le Quang Liem.
The 40th-seeded Nguyen followed up his stirring upset win over So with another gigantic triumph over No. 20 seed GM Artyom Timofeev of Russia.
Le, for his part, halved the point with GM Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria in the other featured fourth-round encounter.
So will meet No. 59 GM Hrant Melkumyan of Armenia in the fifth round late Saturday.
Melkumyan, one of four Armenian players in the 80-player field, has one win and three draws so far.
Reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo drew with IM Alexandre Danin of Russia to finally snap a three-game losing skid.
The Lipa City-based Laylo lost his first three games against GMs Rauf Mamedov and Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan and GM Markus Ragger of Austria.
In the fifth-round, Laylo (ELO 2556) will take on GM Josep Manu Martinez (ELO 2593) of Spain.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So scores his first win in the ongoing Aeroflot Open 2010 Chess Tournament in Moscow, Russia by turning back Russian GM Dmitry Bocharov in the second round.
The 16-year-old chess wizard from Bacoor, Cavite prevailed after 32 moves of the Sicilian defense while using the white pieces late Wednesday (Manila time).
According to his coach NM Roberto Suelo Jr., 1996 Philippine Junior champion, the 27 year-old Bocharov (ELO 2594) made a mistake when he took So’s f-pawn. The Russian resigned after So’s 32nd move.
“Nagkamali ‘yung Russian GM sa kalagitaan ng laro kaya nakalamang ng isang piyesa si Wesley nang mag-exchange sila ng mga piyesa,” said Suelo.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. said: “We hope he (GM Wesley So) can sustain his momentum and enable to surpass his 5.5 points in the last year’s edition.”
In last year’s edition, So won the top junior award with 5.5 points.
Another Filipino, GM Darwin Laylo absorbed his second defeat at the hands of Azerbaijan GM Eltaj Safarli while using the disadvantageous black pieces after 48 moves of another Sicilian skirmish.
With the win, So raised his total score to 1.5 points. He is now tied for 3rd to 32nd placers, trailing a half point to tournament leaders GM Bu Xiangzhi of China and GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam who both tallied perfect 2 points.
So drew his first game with the black pieces against GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran in 25 moves of a Queen’s gambit Tuesday while Laylo lost to Azerbaijan’s GM Rauf Mamedov in his first game after 26 moves of Modern defense using the white pieces.
The two Pinoy GMs, backed by the NCFP, are competing in the A1 group (for chess players with a FIDE rating higher than 2549). The winner of this prestigious tournament gets 21,000 euros.
In the Thursday’s third round, So will face 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games gold medallist GM Nuyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam using the black pieces. Laylo goes up against GM Markus Ragger of Austria also with the black pieces.
PSC monthly stipend
In other related news, So is expected to receive P20,000 a month in the monthly stipend from the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Harry Angping.
Under the PSC’s new policy, So will be categorized into those belonging to the “elite group” that includes former World Bowling Cup champion Biboy Rivera and tennis players Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey.
The PSC chief said that So stands to receive from P1 million to P2 million in terms of allowance and international exposure.
So is a coming off a quarterfinal finish in last year’s World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia and a 5th place finish in Corus B chess in the Netherlands.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
-- Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So settled a truce with GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran at the start of Aeroflot Open 2010 Chess Tournament in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday.
The chess whiz kid used the disadvantageous black pieces in the match that ended in a fighting draw after 25 moves of a Queen's gambit.
So entered in the A1 group, which brackets chess players with 2549 FIDE rating. The 16-year-old currently has an ELO rating of 2646 points.
The Cavite native will play the white pieces against 27 year-old GM Dmitry Bocharov (ELO 2594) of Russia in the 2nd round on Wednesday.
GM Darwin Laylo, on the other hand, lost in his first match as he yielded to Azerbaijan GM Rauf Mamedov after 26 moves of Modern defense.
He will face another Azerbaijan, GM Eltaj Safarli, in the weeklong event which offers 21,000 euros to the winners.
The Filipino duo’s Russia trip is backed by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr.
“Confident ako na makakapasok sa Top 10 sa Aeroflot si Wesley,” Pichay said in an interview.
So is coming off a 5th place finish in the recently-concluded Corus B chess tournament in the Netherlands.
Source: PhilStar
-- Wesley So failed to shake off lone female player IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia and settled for a draw, finishing in joint fourth with GM Erwin l’Ami of the Netherlands at the close of the 72nd Corus chess tournament at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands Sunday.
The 16-year-old So and Muzychuk halved the point via repetition of moves in 38 moves of the Capablanca variation of the Nimzo-Indian defense, giving the Filipino champion a 7.5 point total after 13 rounds of play.
That was 1.5 points behind GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands, who emerged solo champion with nine points, followed by top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany with 8.5 points and GM Ni Hua of China with eight points.
Although he had a three-pawn advantage over Muzychuk in a double-edged queen and rook ending, So was forced to accept a draw offer after the Ukraine-born Slovenian made a strong counterplay with her queen and two connected rooks.
Source: GMA News
Standings after 12 rounds:
8.5 points – A. Giri (Netherlands)
7.5 - A. Naiditsch (Germany), H. Ni (China), E.l’ Ami (Netherlands)
7.0 – W. So (RP)
6.0 – D. Howell (England), P. Negi (India). P. Harikrishna (India)
5.5 – E. Sutovsky (Israel)
5.0 – A. Muzychuk (Slovenia), L. Nisipeanu (Romania)
4.5 – T. Nyback (Finland), D. Reinderman (Nethelrands)
3.5 - V. Akobian (US)
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines battled GM David Howell of England to a quiet, positional game before settling for a draw in 20 moves of the French Tarrasch in the 12th and penultimate round of the 72nd Corus chess tournament at the De Moriaan Community Centre Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
So, who looked spent after his heartbreaking loss to GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the previous round, responded to Howell’s 1.e4 with the French defense which served him well during the 2009 World Chess Cup and initiated an early battle for control of the center.
But Howell, who played board three for England during the World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in 2008, came up with precise counterplay to earn a draw with the higher-rated Filipino champion.
When the game was drawn, Howell and So had the same number of pieces on the board – queen, two rooks, bishop, knight and six pawns each.
The standoff left the 16-year-old So with a 12-round total of seven points, 1.5 points behind his 10th-round tormentor Giri with only one round remaining in the prestigious category-16 tournament.
So also stood half point behind top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany, GM Ni Hua of China and GM Erwin l’Ami of the Netherlands, who shared second to fourth spots in Group B.
So’s opponent in the 13th and final round is lone female participant IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia.
Muzychuk, the 19-year-old campaigner from Lviv, Ukraine who adopted Slovenian citizenship in 2004, holds the distinction as the only player to beat Giri during the two-week long competition in this small resort town in Northern Holland.
Giri, the 15-year-old son of a Nepalese father and a Russian mother, will go for the title when he meets GM Parimarjan Negi of India in the final round.
Naiditsch and l’Ami will battle each other, while Ni will take on GM Dimitri Reinderman of the Netherlands.
In Group A, top seed GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway drew with GM Pete Leko of Hungary to take a slim half-point lead over erstwhile co-leader GM Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and GM Alexei Shirov of Spain.
Kramnik lost to world champion GM Viswanathan Anand, while Shirov drew with GM Sergey Karjakin of Russia.
Overall, Carlsen tallied eight points against 7.5 points by Kramnik and Shirov.
Anand moved up to solo fourth place with seven points.
In the final round Sunday, Carlsen will play white against GM Fabiano Caruana of Italy.
Kramnik will meet Karjakin, Shirov will tackle GM Leinier Dominguez of Cuba and Anand will battle Loek van Wely of the Netherlands.
Source: GMA News
Standings after 11 rounds:
8.0 points – A. Giri (Netherlands)
7.0 - H. Ni (China), E. L’Ami (Netherlands)
6.5 – W. So (RP), A. Naiditch (Germany)
6.0 – P. Negi (India)
5.5 – P. Harikrishna (India), D. Howell (England)
5.0 – E. Sutovsky (Israel), A. Muzychuk (Slovenia)
4.5 – L. Nisipeanu (Romania)
4.0 – D. Reinderman (Netherlands)
3.5 – T. Nyback (Finland)
3.0 – V. Akobian (US)
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines did everything right for most part against solo leader GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands until he threw it away with a horrible blunder leading to a mate in two in the 11th round of the Corus chess tournament at the De Moriane Community Centre.
So defended very well against Giri’s relentless kingside attack that culminated with a sacrifice of two pieces and reached the endgame with basically a winning game in his hands.
But the 16-year-old Filipino suddenly blundered with his knight push to e2 on the 36th move, allowing the lower-rated but hard-fighting Dutch to checkmate him with a rook and queen in two moves.
The win enabled Giri, the 15-year-old Russian-born son of a Nepalese hydrologist working in a research firm in the Dutch capital, to widen his lead to a full point with only two rounds remaining in this prestigious category-16 tournament.
Giri now has eight points, a full point ahead of GM Ni Hua of China and GM Erwin l’Ami of the Netherlands.
Ni halved the point with GM Pentala Harikirshna of India, while l’Ami drew with IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia.
So, on the other hand, dropped to a share of fourth to fifth places with top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany.
Experts who watched the game opined that So might have tried again to blitz an opponent under time pressure.
“Until that unfortunate giveaway, So was clearly the better player in this game. It's probably a blessing that he sees the consequence of unnecessary blitzing while he's winning. If he keeps this lesson in mind, he will dominate Giri for the rest of their chess careers," noted one analyst.
"Wesley had about 28 minutes to Giri’s one. But he has a bad habit of trying to blitz an opponent under time pressure. He got away with it once in this tournament, but not a second time. This is a tough lesson for him to learn, but should help him in the long run," added another expert.
In a match that could decide the champion in this 14-player Group B tournament, So opened with 1.e4.
But Giri, who holds the record as the world’s youngest active GM, deviated from his usual Sicilian and responded with the Petroff defense (1….e5 2. Nf3 Nf6). He launched an attack and sacrificed his knight then his bishop to open up lines towards So’s king.
Although So defended well, Giri found some inaccuracies and persevered until the Filipino’s blunder.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
Corus Group B Standings after Round 10:
7 points - GM Anish Giri (Netherlands)
6.5 points - GM Wesley So (Philippines), GM Erwin L'Ami (Netherlands), GM Ni Hua (China)
6 points - GM Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany)
5.5 points - GM Parimarjan Negi (India)
5 points - GM Pentala Harikrishna (India), GM David Howell (England)
4.5 points - GM Emil Sutovsky (Israel), WGM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine)
4 points - GM Liviu- Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania)
3.5 points - GM Dimitri Reinderman (Netherlands)
3 points - GM Tomi Nyback (Finland)
2.5 points - GM Varuzhan Akobian (United States)
-- Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So turned back Finnish GM Tomi Nyback after 46 moves of Slav defense using the disadvantageous black pieces to create a 3-way tie for 2nd place in the 72nd Corus International Chess Championship Group B.
The 16-year-old So currently has 6.5 points after winning his 10th round match on Wednesday at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.
Dutch GM Erwin L'Ami and Chinese GM Ni Hua were also in 2nd place with 6.5 points.
Ami split the point with GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania after 21 moves of King's Indian Classical while Ni settled a truce with GM Parimarjan Negi of India after 51 moves of Gruenfeld defense.
Overnight leader GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands remained on top with 7 points. The Dutch champion, a teen of Nepali origin, drew with top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany after 22 moves of Semi-Tarrasch Defence.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President/Chairman Prospero Pichay, Jr. said: “We (NCFP) hope that Wesley can maintain his momentum going to the last three rounds.”
Pichay and Filway Marketing Inc. CEO/President Hector Tagaysay funded So’s Netherlands trip.
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.
Source: GMA News
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines faces another major challenge when he meets fifth seed GM Emil Sutovsky of Israel in the pivotal ninth round of the 72nd Corus chess tournament at the De Moriaan Community Centre Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
The sixth-seeded So plays white against Sutovsky, the last of five players with a higher rating than him in this 13-round Group B tournament being held at the wind-swept Dutch resort town.
After Sutovsky, So (ELO 2656) will battle four more players with lower ratings in the next five days.
So’s remaining opponents are seventh seed GM Tomi Nyback of Finland in the 10th round; GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the 11th; GM David Howell of England in the 12th; and lone female participant IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia in the final round.
Giri, however, could provide another stern test.
The Nepal-born Dutch champion, who will turn 16 on Thursday, enjoys a 1.5 point lead over So and two other players, GM Ni Hua of China and Erwin l’ Ami of the Netherlands.
Giri has 6.5 points on five wins and three draws against So’s five points on two wins and six draws.
Experts said So must gain headway in the next two rounds against Sutovsky and Nyback in time for his keenly-awaited 11th-round match against Giri on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
“He (So) must be able to narrow Giri’s lead to at least one point ahead of their 11th-round showdown this Friday," said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) executive/events director Willie Abalos.
“It will be interesting to see how Giri will play black against Wesley with only a point separating them," added Abalos.
Before the ninth-round match against Sutovsky, So drew his first five matches against top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany; GM Erwin l’Ami of the Netherlands; Varuzhan Akobian of the United States; GM Parimarjan Negi of India; and GM Pentala Harikrishna.
The fourth-year high school student of St. Francis College-Cavite then swept his next two matches against second seed GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania in the sixth round and No. 13 seed GM Dimitri Reinderman of Netherlands in the seventh.
He again drew with GM Ni Hua of China in the eighth round Sunday (Monday in Manila) before the one-day break.
Last year, So topped Group C of the Corus tourney with a 13-round total of 9.5 points on seven wins, five draws and only one loss. He finished a full point ahead of Giri and GM Tiger Hillarp Persson of Sweden.
This year, both So and Giri were invited to play in Group B.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, ABS-CBN News
Corus Group B Standings after Round 8:
6.5 points --- GM Anish Giri (Netherlands)
5 points --- GM Erwin L'Ami (Netherlands), GM Wesley So (Philippines), GM Ni Hua (China)
4.5 points --- GM David Howell (England), GM Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany), GM Pentala Harikrishna (India)
4 points --- GM Parimarjan Negi (India)
3.5 points --- GM Emil Sutovsky (Israel)
3 points --- GM Tomi Nyback (Finland), WGM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Liviu- Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania)
2.5 points --- GM Dimitri Reinderman (Netherlands)
2 points --- GM Varuzhan Akobian (USA)
-- Filipino teen Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So made a quick draw over Chinese GM Ni Hua after 17 moves of Sicilian Rossolimo using the disadvantageous black pieces at the 72nd Corus International Chess Championship on Sunday.
So’s victory created a three-way tie for second placers after the 8th round at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.
The 16-year-old GM is now tied in 2nd place with Ni and GM Erwin L'Ami with 5 points each. They are 1.5 points behind standings leader Dutch GM Anish Giri who got 6.5 points in eight outings.
“Nag offer ng draw si Ni Hua kay Wesley So sa 17th move, tinanggap naman ni So ang draw. Okay na din para maireserba niya ang kaniyang lakas sa nalalabing limang round. Saka whites pieces siya sa 9th round kay Emil Sutovsky,” said 1996 Philippine Junior champion National Master (NM) Roberto Suelo, Jr., the first coach of So.
So, who hails from Bacoor, Cavite, will face Israeli GM Sutovsky on Monday.
The Filipino teenager’s Corus B stint is being supported by Filway Marketing Inc. CEO/President Hector “Chito” Tagaysay and National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President/Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr.
Source: gmanews.tv
Standings after 7 rounds:
5.5 points - A. Giri (Netherlands)
4.5 – W. So (RP), D. Howell (England), H. Ni (China), E. l Ami (Netherlands)
4.0 – Naiditsch (Germany), P. Harikrishna (India)
3.5 – P. Negi (India)
3.0 – E. Sutovsky (Israel)
2.5 – T. Nyback (Finland), A. Muzychuk (Slovenia), L. Nisipeanu (Romania)
2.0 - V. Akobian (USA)
1.5 – D. Reinderman (Netherlands)
-- GM Wesley So of the Philippines made it two in a row in the 72nd Corus chess tournament Saturday (Sunday in Manila), pulling off a decisive seventh-round win over GM Dimitri Reinderman of the Netherlands at the wind-swept De Moriaan Community Centre.
Buoyed by a breakthrough win over former European champion GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania in the sixth round Friday, the sixth-seeded So wisely steered the game out of the book line and methodically cut down his lower-rated Dutch opponent with two bishops and a passed pawn in the end game.
The end came for Reinderman in 36 moves of the Dutch Defense Stonewall Variation with So threatening to capture one of his opponent’s two rooks with a deadly bishop push to b5.
Chessdom.com analyst GM Buenaventura “Bong" Villamayor said So played exceptionally well considering “he only encountered the Dutch Defense only once since 2004 - in his second game against GM Gata Kamsky during the 2009 World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk which ended in a draw."
“After Wesley’s 29. Rc1, he already had clear advantage due to passed pawn and two bishops and needed only to consolidate," Villamayor noted.
Overall, So vaulted into a tie for second to fifth places with 4.5 points, only a full point behind hometown hero GM Anish Giri, who halved the point with compatriot GM Erwin l’Ami.
Tied with So for second to fifth places in the 14-player, category-16 tournament were GM David Howell of England, GM Ni Hua of China and l’Ami.
Howell pulled off the only other win during the seventh round, beating GM Tomi Nyback of Finland.
Ni drew his match with top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany.
Naiditsch, who drew with So in the opening round, now shared sixth and seventh spot with GM Pentala Harikrishna of India.
So gets another big test in the eighth round Sunday, playing black against Ni.
Giri, the 15-year-old Dutch champion, battles Howell in another keenly-anticipated match.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, abs-cbnnews.com
-- The year 2009 is almost over but for the Philippines’ brightest chess hope, Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So, his phenomenal chess career is just beginning.
This comes after the World Chess Federation (FIDE) released on Saturday the expected rating change of the 16-year-old whiz kid from Bacoor, Cavite, who will be back in the world’s top 100 players next month. He was ousted from the world’s top 100 list in the November 2009 FIDE rating chart.
So, whose current ELO rating is 2640, is expected to have the rating of 2656 when the January 1, 2010 FIDE-RP rating list is released in a few days.
His sterling performance in this year’s World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia gave him 15.8 points after defeating World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2 and defending champion GM Gata Kamsky of the United States in Round 3. He lost to Russian GM Vladimir Malakhov in Round 4.
So’s best ELO rating was 2646 in July 2009. He then lost two ELO in September 2009 (2644) and four ELO in November 2009 (2640).
GM Mark Paragua had 2621 ELO rating points during his peak in April 2006 while Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre had 2580 ELO rating points during his prime in the mid 1980’s.
The teenage chess player, meantime, declared that he hopes to reach the “magical point of 2700,” and be called a Hydra GM.
He will kick off 2010 by playing in the Group B section of 72nd Corus chess tournament on January 15 to 31 at the Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.
So, the 2009 Corus Group C champion, is supported by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. and Filway Marketings Inc. CEO/President Hector “Chito” Tagaysay.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, abs-cbnnews.com
-- Four Filipino chess players based in the United States made respectable finishes in a series of chess tournaments held in the US.
The Virginia-based FIDE Master (FM) Anton Paolo del Mundo, a former Ateneo de Manila University stalwart, won the 14th annual Northern Virginia Chess Championships in Arlington.
Del Mundo finished in a tie for 1st place with FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat of Mongolia and International Master (IM) Adu Oladapo of Nigeria after tallying 4.5 points each in five outings.
National Master (NM) Romulo Fuentes, meantime, shared the top honors with Chinese Yian Liou with 4.5 points each at the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco, California. Former Asian junior champion IM Ricardo de Guzman settled for overall 3rd place with 4.0 points.
IM Enrico Sevillano, on the other hand, settled for overall 4th place with 5.0 points in the 45th Annual American Open in Los Angeles, California. The event was topped by Russian IM Melikset Khachiyan with 6.0 points.
Sevillano, another ex-Asian Junior champion, is the prodigy of Cebuano sportsman NM Matias “Bombi” Aznar.
Source: Marlon Bernardino, abs-cbnnews.com
-- Following a magnificent performance in the recent World Chess Cup, young Filipino grandmaster Wesley So will again compete with some of the world renowned players in the 72nd Corus chess tournament this coming January.
The Corus chess tournament, an elite event in the Fide calendar, will be held in Wijk Aan Zee, a North Sea resort in the Netherlands from January 15 to 31, 2010.
So, the reigning Corus Group C champion, will be participating in Group C.
There are three sections in tough Corus chess—A, B and C, according to chess columnist Frank “Boy” Pestano.
“Wesley has been invited to play in Group B. To be invited to Corus is like to be invited to the White House,” he said.
Participants in Corus Group B (all GMs) are Ni Hua of China, Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany; Emil Sutovsky of Israel, Pentala Harikrishna of India, Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, Varuzhan Akobian of the USA, David Howell of England, Parimarjan Negi of India, Tomi Nyback of Finland, Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia, and Erwin l’Ami, Dimitri Reinderman and Anish Giri of the Netherlands.
The 16-year-old So recently posted a fourth-round finish in the World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, subduing World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2 and World Chess Cup last year’s titlist GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3.
It is arguably the country’s best showing in World Chess Cup history, surpassing the efforts of his compatriots GMs Rogelio Antonio, Darwin Laylo and Mark Paragua (who competed in the 2005 edition of the tournament).
So gained 15 points in the event. He now has a live ELO rating of 2655.
Breaking the 2700 barrier
The Bacoor, Cavite based chess player earlier said he will be working to break through the 2700 ELO barrier.
"I dream that sooner or later, I will come to the magical point 2700. I don't know how much time I will need for that," said So, whose local and international campaign is being supported by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. and Filway Marketings Inc.
CEO/President Hector “Chito” Tagaysay.
GM Eugene Torre, Asia’s first grandmaster, has stated in a local radio program said So has the goods to be among the world’s best.
"The talent and skills are already there and he has proven that. This year could be a test of character and nerves for him because everybody knows him already," said Torre.
