Unknown chesser pulls off stunner; So settles for draw

MANILA, Philippines - Unheralded Allan Macala pulled off a shocker over GM Tu Hoang Thong of Vietnam in the Asian Chess Championships at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center in Subic Saturday.

Macala, a mainstay of multi-titled Tagaytay chess team in the inter-cities and inter-province chess championships, upended his higher-rated rival to join 10 others in fourth with 3 points, half-a-point behind GMs Wesley So, Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and Yangyi Yu of China.

The 80th-seeded Macala has also beaten WIM Dronavai Harika of India in the first round and won by default over GM Mohammed Al-Sayed of Qatar before losing to GMM Ni Hua of China in the third.

World Cup veteran GM Darwin Laylo trounced compatriot IM Oliver Dimakiling to join the big group of three-pointers in the $50,000 tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Tourism, PCSO, Pagcor and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

So, who handled black, and Yu agreed to split the point after 30 moves of the Sicilian Najdorf, while Megaranto also drew with GM Li Chao of China to share the lead in the event which offers $6,000 to the winner and one of the five slots to the 2011 World Cup.

“There are really no winning lines,” said So, who swept his first three games in convincing fashion.

So, the 2009 Corus Open Group C titlist, and Yu, the 2004 under-10 world champion, had a queen, two rooks and four pawns each when they agreed for a draw.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion and Yu also drew their match here last year where the Chinese eventually placed third with 7.5 points and So finished outside the top 10 with 6.5 points.

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. settled for another draw against fellow GM Dashzegve Sharavdorj of Mongolia for 2.5 points.

Also drawing their matches were GM John Paul Gomez against FM Asghar Glizadeh of India, IM Oliver Barbosa against GM Ehsan Ghaemmagham of Iran and Jan Emmanuel Garcia against Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa of Mongolia.

GM Eugene Torre, meanwhile, absorbed his second straight setback, losing to FM Namkhai Battulga of Mongolia and falling farther behind with only one point in four rounds.

In women’s play, Chinese IM Wang Yu kept top spot after halving the point with compatriot WFM Ding Yixin.