JAYSON GONZALES EYES THIRD GM NORM

WILL COMPETE IN THE ASEAN MASTERS CIRCUIT,

GM Event A, Category IX:
GM Zhang Zhong (Singapore, 2617)
GM Susanto Megaranto (Indonesia, 2563)
IM Wesley So (Philippines, 2526)
GM Eugene Torre (Philippines, 2519)
IM Danny Juswanto (Philippines, 2467)
IM Barlo Nadera (Philippines, 2417)
IM Salor Sitanggang (Indonesia, 2410)
FM Cecep Kosashi (Indonesia, 2408)
IM Nasib Ginting (Indonesia, 2392)
IM Mas Hafizulhelmi (Malaysia, 2382)
IM M. Ivan Situru (Indonesia, 2375)
FM Fernie Donguines (Philippines, 2345)

GM Event B, Category VII:
1. GM Mark Paragua (Philippines, 2521)
2. GM Cerdas Barus (Indonesia, 2479)
3. IM Jayson Gonzales (Philippines, 2454)
4.IM Ashot Nadanian (Armenia, 2436)
5. FM Rolando Nolte (Philippines, 2412)
6. IM Oliver Barbosa (Philippines, 2410)
7. GM Ardiansyah H (Indonesia, 2409)
8.FM Tirta Chandra P (Indonesia, 2383)
9. IM Mok Tze Meng (Malaysia, 2346)
10. FM Syarif Mahmud (Indonesia, 2344)
11. Sugeng Prayitno (Indonesia, 2312)
12. WIM Irine Kharisma Sukandar (Indonesia, 2266)

INTERNATIONAL Master Jayson Gonzales, the country's top scorer in the 2004 World Chess Olympiad, is eyeing his third and final grandmaster norm as he competes in the inauguration of ASEAN Masters Circuit Chess Championships on January 8 to 20 in Tarakan, Indonesia.

Gonzales, head coach of Far Eastern University (FEU) is eyeing his third and final grandmaster norm to complete his status and join the company of compatriot GMs Eugene Torre, the late Rosendo Balinas, Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr., Buenaventura "Bong Villamayor", Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua, Wesley So and Darwin Laylo.
"I would like to thank to Congressman (Butch) Pichay (NCFP president), chairman (Butch) Ramirez (PSC chairman), Mr. (Mark) Molina (FEU sports director) and the Philippine Army for their undying support of my GM title quest, I will do my very best for flag and country," said Gonzales, member of the multi-titlist Philippine Army chess team.

Gonzales is also invited to play in the GM (grandmaster closed tournament) Event B, Category VII, where he needs to score 8.5 points to became the country's newest grandmaster. He will face tough opposition in his group that includes top seed GM Mark Paragua (Philippines, 2521), GM Cerdas Barus (Indonesia, 2479), IM Ashot Nadanian (Armenia, 2436), FM Rolando Nolte (Philippines, 2412), IM Oliver Barbosa (Philippines, 2410), GM Ardiansyah H (Indonesia, 2409), FM Tirta Chandra P (Indonesia, 2383), IM Mok Tze Meng (Malaysia, 2346), FM Syarif Mahmud (Indonesia, 2344), Sugeng Prayitno (Indonesia, 2312) and WIM Irine Kharisma Sukandar (Indonesia, 2266).

His first GM norm came in the 2004 Calvia Open in Calvia, Spain where he finished third with 7.0 points in nine rounds. He fell half a point off a norm in the World Chess Olympiad in Majorca, Spain after finishing with 8.0 points in 11 matches. Gonzales placed sixth in the individual classification on Board 4. He earned his second GM norm in the Asian Zonal eliminations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in September 2005.

Meanwhile, Asean Masters Circuit are divided into three brackets---GM event A, GM event B and WIM section which aims to produce future world class player.

Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Wesley So, IM Barlo Nadera and Fide Master Fernie Donguines was bracketed in GM event A while Woman International Master Beverly Mendoza and WNM Christy Lamiel Bernales will seeing in action in the WIM section that includes GM Edhi Handoko and IM Irwanto Sadikin of the host country.

After Indonesia, the Asean Masters Circuit will fly to Vietnam, Singapore and Philippines.

Tarakan is an island off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a marshy island situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of 117 square miles (303 km²). Tarakan was the site of battles between Allied and Japanese forces in 1942 and 1945.

Contributed by MARLON BERNARDINO