Set back at Asian games

So draws but PH chessers lose to China
by Ed Andaya
Friday, 19 November 2010 21:40

Standings after two rounds:

4 points — India, Vietnam, China, Kazakhstan
2 — Qatar, Bangladesh, Iran, Philippines, Yemen, Korea, Uzbekistan
1 — Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Lebanon
0 — Iraq, Jordan

GUANGZHOU, China — Even the return of GM Wesley So could not prevent another stinging setback by the Philippines to host China.

So, at 17 the country’s most successful player in recent years, battled super GM Wang Yue of China to a draw in the Filipinos’ 1-3 setback to the Chinese in the second round of the 16th Asian Games chess team competitions at the Guangzhou Chess Institute here Friday.

GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. also came away with a draw with GM Bu Xiangzhi in their board two encounter.

But GMs John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo had no such luck.

Gomez, manning the third board, succumbed to GM Zhou Jianchao, while Laylo, playing board four, yielded to GM Ni Hua in a pair of ego-deflating setbacks that took the glitter out of the Filipinos’ smashing 3-1 win over Iraq in the opening round Thursday.

The loss relegated the Filipinos to a share of fifth to 11th places in the 17-nation, nine-round competition with two points based on a scoring system that gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

China played just hard enough to beat ninth round Bangladesh, 2.5-1.5, in the first round.

Joining China in the early lead are second seed India, which trounced Kyrgyzstan, 3.5.5, in the first round and Uzbekistan, 4-0, in the second round; third seed Kazakhstan, which humbled Yemen, 3-1, and Qatar, 2.5-1.5; and fourth seed Vietnam, which whipped Jordan, 3.5-.5, and Iran, 3.5.5.

GM Pentala Harikrishna, playing the top board in the absence of world champion Viswanathan Anand, crushed Algis Shukuraliev of Kyrgyzstan in the first round and Asian Games rapid gold medalist GM Rustan Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan in the next round to lead the Indians’ smashing showing.

Here is the full article.