3 Pinoy GMs gear up for World Cup

GRANDMASTER Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. said he isn’t too confident of his chances when he joins the World Chess Cup slated on Nov. 20 to Dec. 15 in Russia.

“Thirty percent chance lang na manalo kay (Gata) Kamsky, pero lalaban tayo,” said Antonio.

Kamsky is the reigning world champion.

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The 12-time National Open champion Antonio is fresh from an impressive eight-win and one-draw performance in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games blitz chess competition in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Antonio first joined the World Chess Championships in 1999 in the US, where he lost in the second round of the playoff against eventual runner-up GM Vladimir Akopian of Armenia.

The first meeting between Antonio and Kamsky was in the 2005 HB Global Challenge in the US.

The game ended in a fighting draw after Antonio employed his pet line Caro-Khan defense with the black pieces.

Antonio is rated 2574,while Kamsky is 2695.

If Antonio pulls an upset against Kamsky, his second round opponent in this Fide knockout tournament will be the winner between GM Emil Sutovsky of Israel and GM Zhou Weiqi of China.

If Antonio wins his second round assignment, he could meet compatriot GM Wesley So in the third round if the latter also wins his first two matches.

So, rated 2640, will face GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan, rated 2625. A victory will pit him with either GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and GM Alexei Bezgodov of Russia in the second round.

GM Darwin Laylo, the other member of the RP chess team, will face GM David Navara of the Czech Republic. (PR)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 13, 2009.