FILIPINO GM MARK PARAGUA IS 6TH IN MILLENIUM CHESS TILT

FILIPINO Grandmaster Mark Paragua defeated Yuri Barnakov of Virginia in the fifth and final round to finish in a tie for 6th to 11th placers in the just concluded 8th Millennium Chess Festival was held last Feb. 29 to March 2 at the Virginia Beach Confront Hotel in Virginia, Beach, Virginia, United States.

Paragua, the 2003 Southeast Asian Games most bemedalled athlete finished with 3 wins, 2 loses in five games of play to raise his total 3.0 points, the same output of American GM John Fedorowicz, Kazim Gulamali, Macon Shibut, John Russel Potter and Erickson Smith, however GM Fedorowicz took the 6th spot while Paragua satisfied 7th placers after the tie break points was applied.

Another American GM Joel Benjamin is clear first with 4.5 points, half point ahead with American IMs Lawrence Charles Kaufman and Raymond Kaufman.

Paragua finish over-all 7th place in the 2008 St. John's Masters at the Marshall Chess Club in New York, New York last February 19 which topped by Georgian GM Zviad Izoria, and back to back wins in the Original 4 rated Games last Feb. 21 and 28, respectively, at the Chess Center of New York.

In an email to the electronic mail "The Weekender", Paragua wrote from New York City that he would also enter the prestigious Foxwoods Open (Connecticut) and Chicago Open in May.

"May mga simul din po kasi ako sa California at Vegas (I also have simultaneous exhibitions in California and Las Vegas, Nevada)," he wrote.

"I'm also planning to enter the Foxwoods Open," he said, adding that it is his brother making the arrangements.

The Foxwoods Open is one of the most prestigious US chess events. Among its former champions are Gata Kamsky, Alexander Shabalov and the late Polish-American GM Alex Wojtkiewicz.

In the Asean Masters in Tarakan, Paragua finished first in Group B with 9.0 out of 11, ahead of Armenian IM Ashot Nadanian, then IM Jayson Gonzales and FM Rolando Nolte. Gonzales earned his third and final GM norm and Nolte an IM norm in the same event.

Paragua was supposed to compete in the Aeroflot Open last month but he demurred because of a previous commitment as he was preparing for his trip to the United States.

Born on March 29, 1984, Macmac became the youngest Filipino to become a national master—at the age of nine and, before the advent of Wesley So, became the youngest Filipino grandmaster. So earned his GM title last December at the age of 14.

A child prodigy, Macmac won the 1998 Disney World Rapid Chess Championship for Kids on tiebreak over another prodigy, Bu Xiangzhi of China.

Paragua became the country's first and only super GM when he finished second in the 2005 Asean Zonal Championship in Malaysia. His highest rating that year was 2618, but a series of setbacks in 2006-07 caused his rating to fall to his current 2521.

Lately, however, Paragua regained his old winning form and expects his rating to rise.

Contributed by: MARLON BERNARDINO.