GM Antonio enters World Chess Championship
By Marlon Bernardino
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 12:01:00 05/25/2009
Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. made the top 10 while compatriots GMs Wesley So and Eugene Torre missed the cut in the last round of the 2009 Asian Continental Individual Chess Championship at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center.
Antonio, the top player of Philippine Army Chess Team, needed to split a point against Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi on board 2 in the 11th and final round to finish sixth and qualify again for the prestigious FIDE World Chess Championship.
” Nagbunga din y’ung pagkampanya natin sa Amerika,” Antonio said. The former University of Manila (UM) standout won 11 tournaments in the US chess circuit prior to the Subic chess.
So, on the other hand, bowed to Viet GM Le Quang Liem on board 6 while Torre yielded to Indian GM Krishnan Sasikiran on board 7.
Meanwhile, all the top five board pairings also ended into a draw between eventual champion Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly versus Chinese GM GM Zhou Jianchao on board one, GM Parimarjan Negi (India) versus GM Hou Yifan (China) on board three, GM Chanda Sandipan (India), versus GM Yu Shaoteng (China) on board four and GM Abhijit Kunte (India) versus Yu Yangyi (China) on board five.
Ganguly, who beat Antonio in the 10th and penultimate round, took the championship trophy by virtue of a higher tie break points over Weiqi.
The top ten finishers will play in the World Chess Championship, according to the organizing committee headed by Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).
Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net
Good luck! Hope you can make it far.
Looks like Wesley So needs more coaching. He played an awful game against Liem.
He also needs to play more in the super GM circuit in Europe to reach the 2700, or maintain his 2600 rating.
Antonio more than deserves the top 10 placing. He could have at least tied for 1st if not for his poor play against the tough Ganguly.
For 1000th time – WORLD CUP – they enter the World Cup, not the World Championship.
Huge, huge difference.
Amen to the last poster. The World Cup is a qualifier for the World Championship.