Barbosa, Gomez still up with 1 rd. left in India chess

STANDINGS AFTER 11 ROUNDS:

8.5 pts — GM John Paul Gomez (Philippines), GM Oliver Barbosa (Philippines)

8.0 pts — IM Lalith Babu M R (India), IM Shyam Nikil P (India), IM Rathnakaran K (India), Ma Qun (China)

7.5 pts — GM Mark Paragua (Philippines ), GM Evgeny Gleizerov (Russia), GM Martyn Kravtsiv (Ukraine), GM Abhijit Kunte (India), IM Vaibhav Suri (India), IM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (India)

FILIPINO Grandmasters (GMs) Oliver Barbosa and John Paul Gomez defeated their respective rivals in Sunday’s 11th round in the 10th Parsvnath International Grandmasters Chess Tournament at Ludlow Castle Sports Complex, Civil Lines in New Delhi, India.

The Taytay, Rizal native Barbosa beat compatriot GM Mark Paragua with the white pieces after 33 moves of Gruenfeld defense while the Binan, Laguna bet Gomez displayed a solid tactical game using the white pieces to beat GM Deepan Chakkravarthy of India after 42 moves of King’s Indian defense.

Barbosa and Gomez have 8.5 points apiece, half-a-point ahead of IMs Lalith Babu M R, Shyam Nikil P and Rathnakaran K of India and Ma Qun of China.

“We at the NCFP hope that Oliver and John Paul can maintain their momentum up to the final round,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) chief Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. who is monitoring the tournament live through the internet.

“Both of them have a chance to win the coveted title after a crucial win in the penultimate round,” added Pichay, who is fully supporting the players’ overseas campaign as part of the Philippine Team’s preparation for this year’s 38th World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Bulacan based Paragua, remained stuck at 7.5 points after his loss to Barbosa and dropped into a share of 7th to 12th spots alongside GM Evgeny Gleizerov of Russia, GM Martyn Kravtsiv of Ukraine, GM Abhijit Kunte, IMs Vaibhav Suri and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi of India.

Meanwhile, GM Richard Bitoon of Medellin, Cebu crushed IM Sahu Sekhar Chandra of India to raise his total to 6.5 points, good for a share of 34th to 58th places.

In the eleventh and final round, Barbosa battles IM Shyam Nikil P of India on Board 1, Gomez plays Ma Qun of China on Board 2, Paragua goes up against GM Evgeny Gleizerov of Russia on Board 5 while Bitoon faces Kulkarni Chinmay of India on Board 19.