Suede, Indian virtual Asian jr champs

MANILA, Philippines - Indian IM Srinath Narayanan of India and local bet Mikee Charlene Suede scored crucial eighth round victories late Wednesday to all but clinch the crown in their respective divisions with one round left in the Asian Juniors and Girls Championships at the Tagaytay International Convention Center in Tagaytay.

Narayanan bested Haque Siam Ikramul of Bangladesh to raise his total to seven and move beyond reach of Fide Master Paulo Bersamina, who has six points, in their battle for the boys’ Open division crown.

Suede, on the other hand, thwarted Marie Antoinette San Diego to extend her winning run to six for a 6.5-point total to likewise stay one point clear of Indian WFM J Saranya (5.5 points) in the girls division of the tournament for players aged 20-years-old-and-below.

The top-seeded Narayanan is battling cellar-dweller Renz Marvin Santos (1.0) while Suede, seeded only seventh, is tangling with Indian Pv Nandhidhaa (5.0) in the ninth and final round at presstime.

Even if Narayanan and Suede lose and Bersamina and Saranya win their matches, the pacesetters will still emerge winners with higher tiebreak scores.

Bersamina, 16-year-old spearhead of Letran in the NCAA, is ahead of Ateneo stalwart IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia (5.5 points), who subdued Tagaytay City’s Renz Marvin Santos (one point).

Suede, who started poorly with a loss to Jerlyn Mae Santiago and a draw with Indian Joshi Supriya, will be rewarded with the outright WIM title and a Woman Grandmaster norm, according to Asian Chess Federation executive director and chief arbiter Casto Abundo.

Reeling from her loss to Suede in Round Seven, top seed WIM Furtado Ivana Maria (five points), the 2012 Asian Girls titlist also bowed to Saranya in the penultimate round of the tournament backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Other eighth round results saw Daryl Unix Samantila (4.5 points) split the point with Mongolian FM Sumiya Bilguun, Candidate Master Marc Christian Nazario (4.5 points) beat United Arab Emirates’ Alzarovni Ahmad (one point) and Istraelito Rilloraza (4.5 points) down Guam’s Radcliffe Paras (three points).