Gomez leads Phl past Kazakhstan

GUANGZHOU – GM John Paul Gomez outwitted GM Rinat Jumabayev to deliver the crucial point in the Philippines’ 2.5-1.5 victory over Kazakhstan in the fourth round of the Asian Games chess competitions at the Guangzhou Chess Institute here yesterday.

The victory gave the Philippines a six-point total for a share of second with India, two points behind pacesetting China, as they remained in the hunt for a medal.

GM Wesley So battled to a draw with GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev, the same results posted by GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. against GM Darmenb Sadvakasov and GM Eugene Torre against GM Rustam Khusnutdinov.

The win also primed up the Filipinos against the fancied Indians in a crucial fifth round encounter today.

Top seed China edged India, 2.5-1.5, in the other featured fourth-round showdown to keep the solo lead.

GM Ni Hua subdued GM G.N. Gopal for the Chinese’s lone victory over the Indians.

Drawing their games were GM Wang Yue and GM Pentala Harikrishna, GM Wang Hjao and GM Kirshnan Saskiran; and GM Bu Xiangzhi and GM Surya Shekhar Ganugly.

Vietnam and Uzbekistan battled to a 2-2 draw for joint fourth Iran, which also drew with Mongolia, 2-2, and Kyrgyzstan, which whipped Maldives, 3-1.

Other fifth-round matches pit China against Iran, Vietnam against Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan against Uzbekistan and Qatar against Bangladesh.