GM Eugene Torre hurdled the biggest stumbling block to his title drive as he beat defending champion GM Li Chao of China in the seventh round yesterday to keep his one-point lead intact in the President Arroyo Cup international chess championship at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque City.
The 56-year-old Torre pounced on Li’s blunder in the middle game of their Scotch game to gain a slight initiative then sustained his edge with sound moves to turn what had appeared to be a drawish game into a resounding victory with the black pieces.
“It’s a great feeling to be ahead with only two rounds left. I like my chances now,” Torre said.
Torre clinched the crucial win with a mate threat in one as his younger but higher-rated Chinese opponent resigned on the 57th to hike his output to 6.5 points.
That included a draw against GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore, whom he split the point with in the sixth round late Wednesday after 43 moves of the London system, the same opening Torre used in posting back-to-back victories over GMs Li Shilong and Weiqi Zhou Weiqi to seize control.
Seeded only 12th in the event organized by the National Chess Federation of the Phils., headed by Butch Pichay, Torre zeroes in on the crown late Thursday as he takes on third seed GM Mikheil Mchedlishvili (Georgia).
He needs at least a draw in the last two games to boost his bid for the top $6,000 prize in this tournament backed by Duty Free Phils., Department of Tourism, Pilipinas Shell, Globe and Pagcor.
The second seeded Zhang whipped No. 21 GM Wen Yang of China to trail Torre by one point with 5.5. Zhang faces top seed GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan in the other crucial eighth-round encounter.
Newly crowned ASEAN Grand Prix champion IM Julio Catalino Sadorra stunned GM Jayson Gonzales for 4.5 points and a share of 11th place.
But Sadorra blew his bid for a GM result when he lost to Mchedlishvili in the sixth round.
GMs Mark Paragua and Wesley So also raised their total to 4.5 points with the former halving the point with IM John Paul Gomez in the sixth round and IM Barlo Nadera in the seventh.
So, on the other hand, demolished No. 30 IM Richard Bitoon in the sixth round but was held to a draw with No. 39 Wang Li of China in the seventh round.