Gomez makes GM debut in UAE
By Marlon Bernardino
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 17:36:00 12/10/2008
Dresden Olympiad sensation John Paul Gomez makes his first appearance as a full-fledged Grandmaster (GM) when he leads the star-studded Tagaytay team in the first-ever Asian Chess Club Championship on December 24-31 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Gomez, who made history by becoming the country’s 10th GM during the 38th World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany last month, will spearhead a young but talented team supported by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and the Tagaytay City government.
“Magandang pagkakataon po uli ito para sa akin na madala ang bandila ng ating bansa sa isa pang malaking tournament gaya ng Asian Chess Club,” said Gomez, the 22-year-old mechanical engineering student of De la Salle, who nailed the elusive GM title by scoring 7.5 points on five wins, five draws and a loss in the Dresden Olympiad.
Joining Gomez in the four-man team supported by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino are GMs Wesley So, Darwin Laylo and Mark Paragua.
Except for Paragua, all three other UAE-bound RP team members represented the country in Dresden.
So, the country’s highest-rated player with an ELO of 2610, will play the top board.
The eight-day tournament is being organized by the Al Ain Chess Club in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the UAE Chess Federation.
A whopping cash prize of $50,000 is up for grabs in the prestigious team tournament, with the winner pocketing $20,000.
The runner-up and the third placer will receive $12,000 and $8,000, respectively while the rest of the Top 5 will also get cash.
Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net
Is he better than So?
Ratings wise, no. But I think JP beat him once in their last tournament.