FILIPINO Grandmaster (GM) John Paul Gomez beat Chinese GM Zhou Jianchao yesterday to move into a tie for second place after five rounds of the 11th Asian Continental Individual Chess Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Binan, Laguna based Gomez raised his total to 4.0 points, the same output of GM Ding Liren and IM Liu Qingnan of China, GM Parimarjan Negi of India and GM Salem A R Saleh of UAE.
Ding split the point with countryman Liu, Negi beat GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and Saleh outclassed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam.
GM Yu Yangyi of China toppled GM Oliver Barbosa of the Philippine to grab the solo lead with 4.5 points.
GM Mark Paragua of the Philippines nipped IM Nezad Husein Aziz of Qatar to join compatriot Barbosa in 7th to 13th spots with 3.5 points each.
The country’s top rated chesser GM Wesley So scored his first win after beating GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J of India for 3.0 points in a tie for 14th to 27th place alongside GM Ni Hua of China, who downed GM Darwin Laylo of the Philippines.
Asia’s GM Eugene Torre lost to FM Pitra Andika of Indonesia to remain at 1.5 points.
Meanwhile, 12-time national open champion GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. decided to withdraw from the said competition which is a qualification tournament for the World Chess Cup.
The Filipinos’ campaign in the 11th Asian Continental Individual Chess Championships is backed by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee./Correspondent Marlon Bernardino