Ivanchuk joins So at helm in Canada; Torre tops BGM

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So lost his way in Canadian FIDE Master Vladimir Pechenkin’s French Defense but found a way to escape with a marathon 109-move standoff, allowing Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk to catch up on him on top in the ninth Edmonton Chess Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada yesterday.

The draw gave the top-seeded So, 20,  six points in a share of the lead after seven rounds with No. 2 Ivanchuk, a former World Challenger who smashed Canadian FM Dale Haessel’s Petroff Defense in just 20 moves.

It was a sorry outcome for So as he fell from No. 12 in the world with a rating of 2754 the day before to No. 15 with 2749 after it.

So, who is coming off a sensational victory in the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba early this month, will have a chance to get back on track as he plays GM Irina Krush of the United States and Haessel in the last two rounds.

Back home in the Battle of GMs, Eugene Torre downed youthful International Master Paulo Bersamina in  57 moves of a Torre Attack to crown himself champion with 23 points, edging out GM John Paul Gomez by half a point.

Former solo leader Gomez halved the point with IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia in 26 moves of a Symmetrical English opening that allowed the 62-year-old Torre to snatch the title.

Torre and Gomez thus clinched the last two berths in the Phl team bound for the World Chess Olympiad set Aug. 1-15 in Tromso, Norway along with So, Julio Catalino Sadorra and Oliver Barbosa.