IM Bitoon keeps GM bid alive
Cebu Daily News First
Posted 11:30:00 09/29/2009
Standings round 5:
4.5 pts— GM Wong Meng Kong (Singapore)
4.0 pts— IM Richard Bitoon (Philippines), GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Vietnam), GM Tigran Kotanjian (Armenia)
3.5 pts— GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. (RP), GM John Paul Gomez (RP), GM Darwin Laylo (RP), IM Ronald Dableo (RP), GM Anton Filippov (Uzbekistan), GM Mikhael Michedlishvili (Georgia), GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (RP), GM Merab Gagunashvili (Georgia), GM Getha Gopal Nayanan (India), GM Dao Thien Hai (Vietnam)
FILIPINO International Master Richard Bitoon (2490) drew with Singaporean GM Wong Meng Kong (2403) in the fifth round Sunday night, to fortify his GM title bid in the 4th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup International Chess Championship in Parañaque City.
The Medellin, Cebu-native Bitoon compiled 4.0 points on 3 wins and 2 draws to share 2nd-4th spots along with Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Armenian GM Tigran Kotanjian, winners over Kazakhstan GMs Annuar Ismagambetov and Pyotr Kostenko, respectively.
Here is the full article.
There was some scandal also – Wong Meng Kong, remained on top with 4.5 points, including his default win against GM-elect Ronald Dableo in the fourth round.
It can be recalled that six players lost their fourth-round matches via defaults. The players—Dableo, IM Barlo Nadera, NMs Deniel Causo and Ali Branzuela, Albert Rivera, and Conrado Diaz—lodged an appeal with the organizers but their appeal was turned down.
There was another recent scandal – Defending champion GM Eugenio Torre, after settling for 5 straight draws and two consecutive defeats, decided to withdraw from the tournament.
It’s ok. Torre is good friend with federation and will not get punished. Maybe he was ill very much and the tournament doctoress allowed him to with-draw.
‘lodged an appeal with the organizers’
What were the details of this appeal?
Were the defaults due to the floods?