Success abroad

Paragua continues to enjoy success in international arena 
By Marlon Bernardino
Posted on Mar. 31, 2013 at 12:01am

Mark Paragua is not the highest rated Filipino Chess Grandmaster. But he added to his string of succes abroad by placing third in the 3rd HD Bank Cup International Open Chess Tournament 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Top seed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam split the point with second seed GM Ferenc Berkes of Hungrary to capture the title even as Mark Paragua and fellow Filipino John Paul Gomez finished tied for third in the  3rd HD Bank Cup International Open Chess Tournament 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Paragua’s string of international success started at the 1998 Disney World Rapid Chess Championship for Kids held at the EuroDisney theme park in Paris. Paragua and China’s Bu Xiangzhi finished first with 7½ points in the boys’ 14 and under section with Paragua taking the gold medal on tiebreak points.

Since then Paragua almost always performed his best when he was abroad. Many have compared Paragua with the late GM Rosendo Balinas Jr. who seemed to perform his best while away from local shores. In fact Balinas earned his GM title when he won the 1976 Moscow Central Chess Club International Tournament in Odessa, USSR. This marked the first time that a foreign master won an international tournament in the USSR since former world champion Jose Raoul Capablanca did it in 1936.

Paragua was the youngest Filipino master ever, at nine years of age. He also became the youngest Filipino GM ever at 20 when he beat Eugene Torre’s record by two years. But that record was since erased by Wesley So surpassed it when he earned his GM title at 14.
Le, the highest-rated player in the field with an ELO of 2709, halved the point with Berkes with an ELO of 2702 after 31 moves of Queen’s Pawn Game in the final round to clinch the title with 7.5 points on six wins and three draws.

GM Lu Shanglei of China toppled GM Oliver Barbosa of the Philippines after 37 moves of Caro-kann defense settled for runner-up honors with seven points.

Paragua, meantime drew with GM Zhou Weiqi of China after 31 moves of another Queen’s Pawn skirmish while Gomez crushed IM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam after 44 moves of Queen’s Indian defense to finish in a eight-way tie for third place with Weiqi, Berkes, GMs Zhou Jianchao,  Li Shilong,  Yu Ruiyuan and IM Zeng Chongsheng of China with 6.5 points each.

Barbosa setback left him with 6 points, the same output of IM Oliver Dimakiling, who upset GM Tu Hoang Thong of Vietnam after 28 moves of Trompovsky Opening.

Other Filipino bets in the US$30,000 Nine Round Swiss-system tournament are no.25 GM Darwin Laylo (5.5 points), no.28 GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. (5.5 points), no.35 FM Paulo Bersamina (5.0 points), no. 37 FM Haridas Pascua (5.0 points), no.38 GM Richard Bitoon (5.0 points), no.68 NM Stewart Manaog (4.0 points), no.89 NM Nelson Villanueva (3.0 points) and no.91 Jimson Bitoon (3.0 points).

The Filipino woodpushers in the Vietnam campaign are supported by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., Secretary-General Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino Jr., Executive Director GM Jayson Gonzales, Grass Roots Development Program Head and Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Ricardo Garcia and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr.

Source: http://manilastandardtoday.com