Chinese stay on top; Sadorra earns IM title

SUBIC – Top seed Chinese GM Wang Yue took a step closer to clinching the Philippine Open Invitational Chess Championship crown with a draw against compatriot Ni Hua even as GM Eugene Torre bounced back with a crucial win over Hamed Nouri and FM Julio Catalino Sadorra became the country’s newest IM with a victory over IM Barlo Nadera in the penultimate round of the $40,000 event at the El Centro Legenda Hotel here Wednesday.

Wang, the highest-rated player here with a 2656 rating, continued to live up to the hype as he held the second seed Hua to a draw and remained in solo lead with 6.5 points, half-a-point ahead of fellow Chinese players Zhao Jun, Zhang Zhong and Hua heading into the final round of the 9-round Swiss system event offering a top purse of $6,000.

Zhang trounced fellow GM Li Shilong, while Zhao trampled untitled Li Chao to join Hua in second with six points as the Chinese braced themselves for a sweep of the top three places in this event organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) under Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. and backed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Globe Telecoms and Duty Free.

But three Filipino players - Torre, Sadorra and GM candidate Oliver Dimakiling - bounced back with key victories that gained them a share of fifth place with 5.5 points, one full point behind Wang but just within sight of the joint second placers.

Torre, stalled by a loss to Hua in the seventh round, downed GMA Cup top local performer Hamed Nouri in 31 moves of a Trompovsky; Dimakiling, gold medalist in the recent Asian Cities Chess Team Championship in Iran, upstaged GM Mark Paragua in 40 moves of a Slav Defense; and Sadorra outwitted Nadera to clinch his IM title regardless of the outcome of his ninth and final-round assignment.

The 27-year-old Dimakiling will face Hua in the final round late Thursday.

Torre takes on GM Ehsan Maghami Ghame of Iran while Sadorra draws Zhang in the final round.

Tied with the three Filipino campaigners were GM Varuzhan Akobian of the United States, who beat FM Fernie Donguines in 34 moves of the Reti; and GM Wang Hao of China, who defeated NM Ernesto Fernandez.

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. whipped Roderick Nava in 31 moves of the Queen’s Indian Defense, while IM Wesley So settled for a draw with GM Utut Adianto of Indonesia to lead seven other players with five points.