Aiming for the Asian chess title

MANILA, Philippines – GM Wesley So bounced back from back-to-back draws to whip upset-conscious Rui Gao of China in the sixth round and boost his chances in the 2009 Asian Continental Individual chess championship on Monday in Subic.

Ever so eager to redeem himself following consecutive draws against lower-rated foreign opponents, the 15-year-old So made short work of his Chinese rival in only 32 moves of the Sicilian Najdorf.

When the end came, So was threatening to mate his Chinese opponent in two moves with his rook and two powerful bishops.

“I had a good opportunity, so I went for the win,” said So, who is hoping to clinch one of 10 berths to the World Cup scheduled Nov. 20-Dec. 15 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

The win – the third against two draws and one loss – enabled So to improve his total to four points with still five rounds left in this 11-round qualifier to the World Cup.

Antonio’s continued rise

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. also continued his remarkable rise, beating GM Abhijit Gupta of India in 42 moves of the Queen’s Indian.

A day after his scintillating triumph over FM Jasem Alhuwar of the United Arab Emirates in the fifth round, the 28th-seeded Antonio kept Filipino pride alive with his third win against three draws.

The Philippine Army mainstay, who returned to the country after a successful campaign in the United States last year, has won three of his last four matches. His only draw during the stretch was against compatriot GM Jayson Gonzales in the fourth round.

Two other Filipino campaigners – GM Mark Paragua and Eugene Torre – also hurlded their sixth-round assignments to stay in contention.

Paragua outclassed Alhuwar in 42 moves of the English, while Torre demolished FM Awam Wahono of Indonesia in 40 moves of the Reti.

GM Chanda Sandipan of India toppled compatriot and top seed Krishnan Sasikiran in 33 moves of the Slav for his fifth point, gaining a share of the provisional lead with GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam, who humbled GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh in 37 moves of the Queen’s Gambit.

Erstwhile co-leaders GMs Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India and Elshan Moradiabadi of Iran battled to a draw in 30 moves of the King’s Indian to join Antonio with 4.5 points. –GMANews.TV

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar