Wong draws with Bitoon, stays on top

MANILA, Philippines - Standings after five rounds: (RP unless stated)

4.5 - M.K. Wong (Singapore)

4 - N.T., Nguyen (Vietnam), T. Kotanjian (Atmenia), R., Bitoon

3.5 - A. Filippov (Uzbekistan), R. Dableo, M. Mchedlishvili (Georgia), E. Ghaemmaghami (Iran), R., Antonio, J. Gomez, M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), D. Laylo, G. Nayanan (India), T.H., Dao (Vietnam)

International Master Richard Bitoon battled GM Meng Kong Wong of Singapore to a draw in their fifth-round encounter to keep his hopes alive in the fourth President Arroyo Cup international chess championship at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque.

Bitoon, the pride of Medelin, Cebu, drew with Wong with the white pieces to remain in a three-way tie for second to fourth places with GMs Nuyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and Tigran Kotanjian of Armenia with four points with still four remaining in this tough, nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Nguyen subdued No. 13 seed GM Anuar Ismagambetov of Kazakhstan while Kotanjian outplayed No. 16 GM Pyotr Kostenko of Kazakshtan to boost their chances for the title and the top prize of $6,000 put up by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay.

Ten players, led by top seed GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia and World Cup-bound GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Darwin Laylo, shared fifth to 14th places with 3.5 points.

Mchedlishvili, the highest-rated player here with an ELO of 2613, bounced back from a stunning fourth-round loss to Bitoon by humbling No. 15 seed GM Mark Paragua.

Antonio and Laylo, who will represent the country in the World Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia starting Nov. 21, halved the point with compatriot GM John Paul Gomez and GM Anton Filippov of Uzbekistan, respectively.

GM-elect Ronald Dableo, who dropped out of the lead after defaulting his fourth-round match against Wong due to widespread flooding spawned by typhoon “Ondoy”, drew with No. 9 GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam to remain in contention with 3.5 points.

Also moving up the standings with 3.5 points are second seed GM Gopal Nayanan of India, who outdueled compatriot GM Das Neelotpal; fifth seed GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami of Iran, who subdued GM Jayson Gonzales.; and sixth seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia, who outwitted GM Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor.

Defending champion GM Eugene Torre settled for his fifth straight draw against FM Leonardo Carlos to remain in the lower half of the 56-player tournament.

Torre, who finished in a three-way tie for first place with GM Li Shilong of China and GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore last year, also drew his first four matches against lower-rated Filipino rivals.

In other notable fifth-round results, little-known Reggie Olay upset IM Tirto of Indonesia, IM Oliver Dimakiling outplayed Edgardo Garma, Randy Segara surprised IM Rolando Nolte, IM Chito Garma whipped Roel Abelgas, Ric Portogalera stopped Efren Bagamasbad, Ali Branzuela beat Nicomedes Aliangco, Voltaire Sevillano edged Richard de la Cruz and Haridas Pasacua beat Glidel Gabica.

Bitoon stuns top seed, moves up to second

MANILA, Philippines - GM-candidate Richard Bitoon posted the first major upset win in the storm-hit fourth President Arroyo Cup International Chess Championship, beating top seed GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque yesterday.

Bitoon handled the black pieces with aplomb to pull the rug from under the highly rated Mchedlishvili and gain solo second place behind surprise leader GM Meng Kong Wong of Singapore.

The 17th-seeded Bitoon now has 3.5 points on three wins and one draw in the tough, nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Wong, the lone participant from Singapore, won by default over erstwhile co-leader GM-elect Ronald Dableo.

World Cup-bound GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. whipped IM Oliver Dimakiling and Darwin Laylo outclassed Emmanuel Senador while GM John Paul Gomez crushed Edgardo Garma to share third with five others with three points.

Third seed GM Anton Filippov of Uzbekistan drew with fourth seed GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and No. 8 GM Tigran Kotanjian demolished Tirto of Indonesia to stay in the hunt for the top prize of $6,000 with three points apiece.

Fifth seed GM Ehsan Ghaemaghami of Iran halved the point with GM Bong Villamayor, while sixth seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia split the point with GM Mark Paragua for 2.5 points. Also in the group are Paragua, Villamayor, GM Jayson Gonzales and FM Leonardo Carlos.

But defending champion GM Eugene Torre failed to gain headway, settling for his fourth straight draw, this time with No. 34 seed Reggie Olay.

Torre also drew his first three matches against Ali Branzuela, Allan Macala and Deniel Causo.

Floods spawned by typhoon Ondoy forced the postponement of the fourth-round match late Saturday. But seven other players still failed to show up for their matches early Sunday, including Dableo, who lost by default with Wong in their top board match.

Dableo, who nailed his third and last GM norm during the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur last month, swept his first three assignments.

The other players who missed their fourth round matches were IM Barlo Nadera, Deniel Causo, Ali Branzuela, Edmundo Legaspi, Conrado Diaz and Albert Rivera.

4th PGMA Cup Reels Off in Manila

Duty Free Philippines Deputy General Manager Lorenzo Formoso (right) making the ceremonial moves with GM Mkhael Mchedlishvili to open the 4th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup in Manila, Philippines. Looking on are National Chess Federation of the Philippines officials, from left, Executive Director Wilfredo Abalos, Auditor Edmund Legaspi, President and Chairman Prospero A. Pichay, Jr., Treasruer Red Dumuk and FIDE Delegate Casto Abundo, Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation.

20 GMs, 7 IMs and other title holders in a field of 56 players competing for $40,000 in cash prizes. Top seed at 2613 is GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia.

Foreign GMs vie in GMA, Pichay tilts

MANILA, Philippines - Chess gets another major boost with the staging of two major international chess tournaments – the fourth President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Cup international chess championship Sept. 24-29 at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque City and the fifth Prospero Pichay Cup international chess tournament Oct. 2-7 at the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Bldg. in Diliman, Quezon City.

As much as $70,000 in cash prizes is at stake in the twin tournaments being organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), headed by president/chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay, and sanctioned by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF).

Close to 100 local and foreign players from all over Asia and Europe are expected to see action in the twin tournaments being supported by Department of Tourism, Pagcor, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Duty Free Philippines and LWUAA.

“After the highly successful Asian Individual Chess Championship in Subic, we are very proud to host two more major international chess tournaments in the Asian calendar,” said Pichay, who is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the success of the twin tournaments being held for the fourth straight year.

Pichay, whose leadership in the chess association already produced seven grandmasters in less than three years, said top foreign players had been invited to participate in the three-week long competition to be held in succession.

In the PGMA Cup, the champion will receive the lion’s share of $6,000 out of the total prize fund of $40,000.

The runner-up will receive $5,000, while the third placer will pocket $4,000.

The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth placers will receive $3,000, $2,000, $1,500, $1,300 and $1,200, respectively. The ninth up to the 32nd placers will also bring home consolation cash prizes.

The opening ceremony and the first round of the PGMA Cup will begin at 9 a.m. on Sept. 24.

In the Pichay Cup, the total cash prize is US$30,000, with the champion taking home the top purse of $5,000.

The runner-up and the third placer will get $4,000 and $3,000, respectively.

The fourth up to the 24th placers will also receive cash prizes.

The tournament proper is set to start at 10 a.m. on Oct. 2 after a one-hour opening ceremony.

ACF deputy president Toti Abundo will be the chief arbiter, while NCFP executive/events director Willie Abalos will be the tournament director.

For inquiries on the PGMA Cup and Pichay Cup, call up Abalos at cell 0928-5513089, 0929-2266210 and 0929-2390644 or the NCFP office at tel 381-7224 or email the NCFPsecretariat@yahoo.com

Paragua cops Asian Indoor chess berth

MANILA, Philippines - GM Mark Paragua and veteran campaigner Catherine Perena shared the limelight recently at the close of the Asian Indoor Games qualifying tournament held at the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Employees’ Lounge in Diliman, Quezon City.

Paragua swept his remaining three matches against Mari Joseph Turqueza, Ali Branzuela and GM Buenaventura “Bong”Villamayor to clinch top honors with 12.5 points on 10 wins, five draws and only one loss in the tough, 17-player tournament.

He finished one and a half points ahead of top seed GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and two points ahead of IM Rolando Nolte.

The win solidified Paragua’s claim as one of the country’s top players and enabled him to clinch one of four berths to the Philippine team seeing action in the Asian Indoor Games scheduled Sept. 30-Oct. 8 in Vietnam.

Joining Paragua will be Antonio, Nolte and GM Jayson Gonzales, who edged fellow GM Darwin Laylo for the fourth and last seat.

Davao to host Shell chess

MANILA, Philippines - The Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship (Shell Active Chess) wraps up its seven-leg nationwide eliminations in Davao on Sept. 19-20 with a stellar field tipped to clash for top honors in two divisions at the SM City Davao Event Center.

Due to the expected big number of participants, organizers of the event have staked four berths each in the kiddies and juniors divisions, one more than what the past six legs had offered.

The top four players in both the 20-and-under and 14-and-under categories will advance to the national finals on Oct. 10-11 at the SM Megamall.

FIDE ARBITERS SEMINAR

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines, on behalf of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE, is hosting a FIDE Arbiters Seminar to be held on September 23 - 25, 2009 in Manila.

Participants may earn the FIDE Arbiter norms after passing the examination.

The seminar program is:
September 23 Lecture (Laws of Chess, Rapid, Blitz)
Lecture (Tournament Rules, tie breaks, basic principles for organizing
tournaments)
September 24 Lecture (Systems of playing, Round Robin, Swiss system, pairing rules)
Se[tember 25 Lecture (Title and Rating Regulations, Arbiter title regulations)
Examination

Arbiters Seminar course fee is Php 7,500 Exclusive of Board and Lodging.

PRES. GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO CHESS CHALLENGE

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) is staging a tournament to cater to players who have not attained the required rating to participate in the Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup IInternational Open Chess Championships. This will be held from September 24 - 20, 2009 at the Duty Free Fiestamall, Paranaque City.

A total of P 143,000.00 in cash prizes will be awarded for the top 10 placers, with the champion taking home P 50,000.00 and a trophy while 2nd & 3rd placers receive P30,000 and P20,000 respectively to go along with their trophies.

For further information please contact NCFP Office tel 381-7224 or Excutive Director Wilfrdo Abalos Cel No. 09285513089 or 09292266210

Women's World Team Chess Championship 2009

Ten teams will participate in the 2009 edition of the Women's World Team Chess Championship. Top seeded is the first team of China, led by GM Yifan Hou, with average rating of 2490. Their main competition will come from Georgia, with Chiburdanidze on board 1, and Russia who come without the World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.

India and the USA will be led by their dynamic duos, Dronavalli - Schadev and Krush - Zatonskih respectively. The other participating teams are Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, China B, and Vietnam, who can all bring surprises at the event.

The opening ceremony is September 1st and rounds start on the next day. There will be a total of 9 rounds, round robin (each plays each). Here are the team for the event (courtesy of Chessdom.com):

China A 2490

1 GM Hou Yifan 2584
2 GM Zhao Xue 2544
3 WGM Shen Yang 2453
4 Ju Wenjun 2443
5 WGM Huang Qian 2424

Geogia 2474

1 GM Chiburdanidze, Maia 2506
2 GM Dzagnidze, Nana 2536
3 IM Javakhishvili, Lela 2470
4 IM Lomineishvili, Maia 2427
5 IM Khukhashvili, Sopiko 2430

Russia 2468

1 IM Tatiana Kosintseva 2539
2 IM Nadezhda Kosintseva 2482
3 IM Ekaterina Kovalevskaya 2436
4 IM Marina Romanko 2447
5 IM Valentina Gunina 2437

Ukraina 2444

1 IM Anna Ushenina 2478
2 WGM Natalia Zhukova 2461
3 IM Yanovska Inna 2428
4 IM Maria Muzychuk 2441
5 WGM Natalya Zdebska 2412

India 2390

1 IM Harika Dronavalli 2474
2 IM Tania Sachdev 2423
3 WGM Kruttika Nadig 2361
4 WGM Eesha Karavade 2359
5 WGM Gomes Mary Ann 2332

Poland 2378

1 IM Iweta Rajlich 2448
2 WGM Jolanta Zawadzka 2387
3 WGM Joanna Majdan 2382
4 IM Joanna Dworakowska 2345
5 WIM Karina Szczepkowska-Horowska 2327

USA 2372

1 IM Irina Krush 2458
2 IM Anna Zatonskih 2466
3 IM Rusudan Goletiani 2391
4 WIM Alisa Melekhina 2270
5 WFM Tatev Abrahamian 2273

Armenia 2372

1 IM Elina Danielian 2503
2 IM Lilit Mkrtchian 2479
3 WGM Lilit Galojan 2323
4 WGM Nelli Aginian 2322
5 WIM Siranush Andriasian 2235

China B 2356

1 Tan Zhongyi 2435
2 WIM Zhang Xiaowen 2391
3 IM Wang Yu 2380
4 WFM Ding Yixin 2343
5 Wang Xiaohui 2231

Vietnam 2177

1 WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram 2274
2 WIM Pham Le Thao Nguyen 2314
3 WFM Hoang Thi Nhu 2119
4 WFM Pham Bich Ngoc 2105
5 WFM Vo Thi Kim Phung 2073