CHINA’s newest chess sensation Li Chao scored 1.5 points in the last two rounds to emerge over-all champion in this year's Dato Artur Tan Malaysian Open (DATMO) Chess Tournament yesterday at the Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The 28-year-old untitled Chao, currently ranked No.13 in China-FIDE, garnered an Elo Fide rating of 2529 as he toppled countryman and top seed GM Zhang Zhong (2634) in the tenth and penultimate round using the white pieces after 33 moves of a four knight game and then held GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh (2522) to a draw in their top board encounter in the final round to finished with 9.0 points to bag the championship trophy and the top prize of US$4,000.
Meanwhile, Barlo Nadera of Mandaue, Cebu trounced compatriot fellow International Master Ronald Bancod of Quezon City after a marathon 68 moves of a Reti Opening using the black pieces yesterday morning in the penultimate round to climb into a share of fourth place with five others, including Vietnamese GM Dao Thien Hai, his final round opponent.
Nadera, a member of multi-titled Philippine Airforce Team now has 7 points after 10 rounds and can only hope for a runner-up finish in the annual event which attracted 86 wood-pushers in this 11 round Swiss-system World Chess Federation (FIDE) sanctioned tournament.
Wan Yunguo, another untitled Chinese like Li who holds an Elo Fide rating of 2436 , also has 7.5 points and battles IM Sadikin Irwanto of Indonesia using the white side as of press time.
Aside from Nadera and GM Dao, others with 7-points are Sadikin, GM Nguyen Ahn Dung of Vietnam, IM Wang Rui and WGM Li Ruofan of China.
Singapore-based Pinoy IM Julio Catalino Sadorra was the next best-placed Filipino with 6.5 points in the company of GM Murray Chandler of England, Wang Li and Zhou Weiqi of China, GM Utut Adianto of Indonesia, IM Girinath P.D.S. of India, IM Hafizulhelmi of Malaysia and Zhong.
The loss left Bancod with 6 points, the same score tallied by compatriots IM
Richard Bitoon of Medellin, Cebu, IM Oliver Dimakiling of Davao City, FM Hamed Nouri of Escalante City and NM Rolando Nolte of Quezon City.
The other Filipino entries and their scores: NM Emmanuel Senador of Iloilo (5.5 points); NM Rhobel Legaspi (5.0); and WIM Sheerie Joy Lomibao (5.0) of Quezon City.
In the AmBank chess tournament, another tournament played concurrently with the Malaysian Open, FILIPINO Allan Cantonjos of Gingoog City beat Kaushal Khandar of Malaysia to raise his total 8.0 points after round 10 and join Che Hassan Abdullah of Malaysia in the leadership board. Abdullah held in to a draw with Albert Rivera of Makati City.
(Report from MARLON BERNARDINO)
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