Laylo draws with Antonio, nears chess title

MANILA, Philippines - GM Darwin Laylo held his ground against top seed GM Joey Antonio and escaped with a draw to keep his half-point lead intact with one round left in the National Open Chess Championship at the Victory Central Mall in Monumento, Caloocan City yesterday.

Laylo, one of five GMs in the 129-player field, had answer to every Antonio attack and came away with the much-needed draw to hold off his rivals for the top P100,000 purse.

Laylo remains on top with 6.5 points with Antonio, who recently qualified for this year’s World Cup, staying in second with second seed GM John Paul Gomez, No. 3 IM Richard Bitoon, fifth seed GM Mark Paragua and unheralded Ali Branzuela with six points.

Laylo’s final-round opponent is Bitoon, who also drew his match with Gomez.

Branzuela, meantime, pulled the rug from under sixth seed IM Rolando Nolte to join the big guns in second.

GM Jayson Gonzales also settled for a draw with Deniel Causo to lead seven other players with 5.5 points. They include IMs Barlo Nadera and Chito Garma, NM Emmanuel Senador, Christian Arroyo, Alcon John Datu, Causo and Carlos.