Elman beats Nica, paces Manny chess

MANILA, Philippines – National Masters Joel Pimentel Jr. and Hamed Nouri and untitled Syrell June Coleta beat their respective rivals to lead Elman 1 to a 3.5-0.5 rout of Nica Team Ilonggo for the solo lead with 13 match points going into the final two rounds of the second Manny Pacquiao Random Chess Championship at the SM Mall in Gen. Santos City yesterday.

The win gave the 32nd ranked Elman 1 a one-point edge over Team Zamboanga, which scored a 4-0 shutout over Team Kalipay for a total of 12 MPs.

Top board player NM Joey Florendo, Kritz Albelar, Patrick Erle Florendo and Alexander Clavite all won their matches to stay in the hunt for the P400,000 top prize.

Despite the loss, Nica Team Ilonggo stayed in the title race with 11 points, while Café Ligbeans B, Aqua Eternal, Team Larry D, San Isidro Makati Chess Club, Aqua Eternal Brilliancy, Tagaytay City Chess Team, Team Kalipay and Bobby Pacquiao “A” shared fifth place.

A point behind are the Nelson Mariano II-led Knighters Chess Club, the LCA-Jolly Smile Dental Clinic, and Elman 2 with nine points apiece.