So back in contention at Continental chess tilt
05/16/2009 05:24 PM
MANILA, Philippines – Grandmaster Wesley So immediately went back into contention after a second round loss, downing 58th ranked Xu Deshun of China in the 8th Asian Continental individual chess championship at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center late Friday.
So, the second rated player in the tournament, absorbed a stinging defeat against China’s GM Yu Shaoteng in the second round but his recent win tied him with 20 others for 12th to 32nd spots, just a full point at the back of GM Chanda Sandipan of India who wrested the solo leadership via a 35-move win against GM Elhsan Moradiabadi of Iran.
Another group of 10 players are ahead of So, who is highly optimistic that he could post a podium finish in the tournament.
“Medyo nakabawi. There are still eight more rounds left, so I still have enough time to catch up,” said So, last year’s choice for Chess Player of the Year by the Philippine Sports Association.
Just half a point ahead of So’s group are GMs Krishnan Sasikiran, Surya Ganguly and Abhijeet Gupta of India; Vietnam’s Dao Thien Hai, Tu Hoang Thong of Vietnam and Le Quang Liem; China’s Li Shilong; Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh; GM John Paul Gomez of the Philippines and Filipino International Master Richard Bitoon.
Gomez drew his match against Gupta while Bitoon defeated compatriot GM Mark Paragua in an all-Filipino showdown.
But the day likewise belonged to 2008 Subic Open champion GM Jayson Gonzales and IM Oliver Dimakiling.
Gonzalez upset third seed GM Zhou Jianchao of China while Dimakiling subdued No. 18 GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia after splitting the points with GM Mohammad Al-Modiahki of Qatar and Zhoeu Weiqi of China in his first two assignments.
Those results tied Gonzalez and Dimakiling with So, Filipino GMs Eugene Torre and Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Filipino IM Rolando Nolte, Dronavalli Hairka, Parimarjan Negi and Chakkravarthy Deepan of India; GMs Yu Shaoteng, Zhou Weiqi and Hou Yifan and Yu Yangyi and Gao Rui of China, GM Morteza Mahjoob of Iran, IM Sadikin Irwanto of Indonesia, FM Jaesem Alhuwar of United Arab Emirates, Mohammaed Al Sayeb of Qatar, Moradiabadi and Luldachev. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/
Go Wesley!