Cebuano GM opens title retention bid in Cannes Chess Festival today

FILIPINO Grandmaster (GM) Joseph Sanchez will defend his title in the 26th Cannes Chess Festival which gets underway today at the Lerins Island in Cannes, France.

Sanchez, Cannes winner in 2009 and 2011, heads the list of 60 participants who will compete in the 9-round Swiss event, with the top French Grandmaster Etienne Bacrot seeded first.

The organizers have put up a prize fund of 10,000 euros with the champion getting 2,200 euros.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Russia, International Master (IM) Jan Emmanuel Garcia suffered a heart-breaking 8th-round loss to GM Alexey Kislinsky of the Czech Republic in the 11th Aeroflot Open Chess Championship.

The loss effectively dimmed Garcia’s chances of earning a GM norm.

The Ateneo de Manila University standout remains stuck at 4.0 points, good for a share of 55th to 76th places in the 130-player event.

Another Filipino entry GM John Paul Gomez also lost, bowing to GM Arseny Alavkin of Russia to remain at 3.0 points good for a share of 94th to 110th places. /Correspondent Marlon Bernardino