Age doesn’t matter for Torre

Torre wins anew, nears crown
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:54:00 09/12/2008

Standings after seven rounds (RP, unless stated):

6.5 points—E. Torre; 5.5—Zhang Z. (CHN); 5.0—Li C. (CHN), M. Kazhgaleyev (KAZ), M. Mchedlishvili (GEO), E. Ghaemmaghami (IRN), Zhou W. (CHN), K. Shananava (UZB); 4.5—Wang L. (CHN), N. A. Dung (VIE), J. Sadorra, N.N. Truong Son (VIE), M. Paragua, Yang W. (CHN), W. So, M. Dzumaev (UZB), D.T. Hai (VIE), S. Iuldachev (UZB), B. Nadera

MANILA, Philippines—Grandmaster Eugene Torre outmaneuvered Chinese defending champion GM Li Chao in the seventh round Wednesday night, removing the biggest stumbling block to his title aspiration in the third President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup international chess championship at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque City.

Pushing back time again, the 56-year-old Torre exploited Li’s blunder in the middle game of the Scotch to take the win and keep his one-point lead with just two rounds left.

The country’s most successful chess player ever was threatening mate when his higher-rated Chinese foe finally yielded after 57 moves.

Before beating Li, Torre halved the point with Singaporean GM Zhang Zhong in 43 moves of the London system, the same opening he used to vault into the solo lead with wins over GMs Li Shilong and Weiqi Zhou Weiqi in the third and fourth rounds.

The draw with Zhang was the 12th-seeded Torre’s first after a string of five wins.

“It’s a great feeling to be ahead with only two rounds left. I like my chances now,” said Torre, who completed his GM requirements—the first to do so in Asia—in 1974.

Torre will next meet third seed GM Mikheil Mchedlishvili of Georgia. He needs at least two draws in the last two rounds to snatch the US$6,000 top prize.

Zhang kept in touch with Torre with a win over GM Yang Wen of China. He faces top seed GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan in the other crucial eighth-round encounter.

Newly crowned Asean Grand Prix champion IM Julio Catalino Sadorra bounced back from a defeat to Mchedlishvili by scoring an upset win over compatriot GM Jayson Gonzales in the seventh round. He rose to 11th.

GMs Mark Paragua and Wesley So kept pace with Sadorra.

Paragua drew with IM John Paul Gomez in the sixth round and IM Barlo Nadera in the seventh while So, who is expected to break the ELO 2600 barrier in the FIDE quarterly rating next month, beat No. 30 IM Richard Bitoon in the sixth round but drew with Wang Li of China in the seventh.

Steve Silva, contributor

Source: http://sports.inquirer.net