So draws Shirov but RP bows to Spain

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So held former world championship finalist Alexei Shirov to a draw but GM John Paul Gomez lost to GM Ivan Salgado as the Philippines dropped a 1.5-2.5 loss to Spain in the second round of the World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia Wednesday.

The 16-year-old So held his ground against his higher rated, more experienced rival and came out of a middle game skirmish virtually unscathed as they agreed to a draw in a rook-and-pawn ending after 39 moves of a Petroff game.

When the game was drawn, Shirov and So had a rook and four pawns each on nearly identical position. The two players slugged it out in a tense middle game battle that saw them exchange their queens and other major pieces.

It was the second straight standoff for Shirov and So, who also halved the point in their Dresden Olympiad encounter two years ago.

A noted chess author, the 38-year-old Shirov was born in Riga, Latvia where he studied under fellow Latvian and former world champion Mikhail Tal. In 1994, he got married and moved to Tarragona before becoming a citizen of Spain.

GM Darwin Laylo also halved the point with GM Jordi Magem Badals in 50 moves of a Sicilian, while IM Richard Bitoon also split the point with GM Daniel Alsina in 42 moves of the Sicilian Sveshnikov.

But Gomez succumbed to Salgado in only 22 moves of the Slav in the only win for the 12th- seeded Spaniards. The Filipino bet, who earned his GM title in Dresden, resigned with his isolated king under heavy siege by Salgado’s queen, rook and bishop.

The loss came after RP blanked South Korea, 4-0, and it dropped the Filipinos to joint 43rd with two match points based on the scoring system that gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

The 37th-seeded Filipinos hope to bounce back against No. 63 seed Scotland in the third round of the 11-round tournament with GM Eugene Torre making his debut. Scotland lost to second Ukraine, 0-4, in the second round.

So, in his third Olympiad appearance, will play white against GM Colin McNab while Laylo will replace Gomez on board two and take on GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, one of several female players seeing action in the men’s section.

Torre battles IM Stephen Burns-Mannions on board three while Bitoon squares off with FM Graham Morrison on the last board.

The RP ladies also took a severe beating from Romania, absorbing a 0.5-3.5 setback with Cheradee Camacho averting a shutout with a draw with IM Cristina Adela Foisor on the top board.

Catherine Perena lost to WGM Elena Cosma, Shercila Cua bowed to WGM Carmen Voicu and Rulp Ylem Jose fell to WGM Alina l’Ami.

The Filipinas also try to rebound as they meet unfancied Qatar in the third round.

It will be Camacho against WFM Salana Al-Khelaifi, Perena against Aisha Al-Khelaifi, Jose against WFM Reem Safar and debuting Jedara Docena against Ghada Al-Khulaifi.