Wesley So at solo lead after six rounds in ‘Battle of GMs’

Popular Filipino chess Grandmaster Wesley So maintained hold on his solo lead by beating Moscow Olympiad veteran FIDE Master Fernie Donguines at the sixth round of the 2008 “Battle of GMs” chess championship City State Hotel, Padre Faura, Manila.

According to Sportsnews.ph, So’s win over Donguines followed his draws against Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre and International Master Hamed Nouri.

So subdued Donguines in 48 moves of the Sicilian.

The 14-year old GM now has a record of five points on four wins and two draws in the 11-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

So, however, remains only half a point ahead of Torre and IM John Paul Gomez.

So earlier split the point with Nouri after only 30 moves of the Reti opening.

Prior to his match with the IM, So met Torre head on in a tensely-fought fourth round encounter.

In other matches, Torre defeated GM Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor in 40 moves of the Pirc. This was following his draw with NM Rolando Nolte.

Gomez, meanwhile, bounced back from a fifth-round setback to Donguines by defeating Singapore-based GM-candidate Julio Catalino Sadorra in 65 moves of the Trompovsky.

At stake in the tournament are cash prizes with the men’s champion pocketing P200,000.

Aside from the champion’s purses, the NCFP will also give away P100,000 to the men’s runner-up and P70,000 to the men’s third placer.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

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