Battle of GMs: So captures title for 4th straight year

By Ed Andaya

Final standings:
9 points – W. So
8 – O. Barbosa, E. Torre
7.5 - -D. Laylo, J. Sanchez, R. ,Antonio,  R. ,Bitoon, R. Nolte
6 – M. Paragua
5.5 – J. Gomez
5 – R. Barcenilla, J, Garcia
4 – R. Salvador
3 – Y. Ranola

UNSTOPPABLE.
That  was how players – and even officials – described the  smashing performance of GM Wesley So shorltly after winning  an unprecedeneted  fourth straight title  in the  ‘Battle of GMs’ chess championships at the National Press Club Bldg. in Intramuros, Manila.
So  capped his  impressive one-man show with a pair of back-to-back draws against  GM-candidate Richard Bitoon in the 12 th  and  penultimate round and  GM Darwin Laylo in the  13th and  final round to finish with a  runaway total of nine points on  five wins and  eight draws in the prestigious, 14-player competition organized  by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP)  and sponsored by Pilipinas Shell.
The 17-year-odl Filipino  champion, who is scheduled to  face GM Liren Ding  of China in the first round of the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Rusia next month, swept his first four assignments  before slowing down a bit in  the next nine rounds.
“This is easily  the most difficult of  the  four (Battle of GMs) championships, especially because there are more rounds played. But I’m happy to win the title again,” said So,. whose last setback in a local  tournament  came at the hands of  GM Julio  Catalino Sadorra in the eighth round of the  2008 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Cup  at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Paranaque.
The win was  also worth P150,000 for So..
Newly-crowned  Campomanes Memorial Cup champion  GM-candidate Oliver Barbosa and Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre shared second to third  places with eight points.
Barbosa, however, clinched  runner-up honors by virtue of  the  winner-over-the other rule.
Barbosa, who earned his second GM norm as early as th eninth round,  drew with  GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. in  30 moves of  the London System, while  Torre halved the point with  GM Joseph Sanchez after 30 moves of Queen’s Pawn opening.
Five players --  Laylo, Antonio, Sanchez, Bitoon and IM Rolando Nolte – shared fourht to eighth places with   at fourth to eighth places. With 7.5 poiints
Bitoon, who also achieve dhi second GM norm in th eninth round,  drew with World Cup-bound  GM Mark Paragua in 31 moves of a Nimzo-Indian,w hile  Nolte defeated IM Yves Ranola after 33 moves of the  Sicilian defense.
Paragua finished  inninth place with six points, followed  by GM John Paul Gomez in 10 th place with 5.5 points.
Comebacking GM Rogelio Barcenilla  and  IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia  battle dto a draw  in 30 moves of the  English opening to share  11 th  to 12 th places with five points.
Defending champion  WFM Rulp Ylem Jose  outclassed Rowelyn Joy Acedo in 38 moves of the Queen’s pawn  to retain the title with  nine points in the 12-player, 11-round event..
Jose, a mainstay of  the star-studded  Far Eastern University  chess team under head coach GM Jayson Gonzales  pocketed P40,000.

The moves:
Round 13
W. So vs. D. Laylo
1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 g6 5. b3 Bg7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. O-O a5 8. Nc3 Bg4 9. Ne5 Be6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nd3 Bf5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Ne5 Nb6 14. e3 Ne4 15. Qe2 a4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qb5 Qd6 19. Nc4 Nxc4 20. bxc4 Rfc8 21. Rab1 Rc7 22. Rfc1 e6 23. Rc3 Bf8 24. Ba3 Qa6 25. Bxf8 Qxb5 26. Rxb5 Kxf8 27. d5 exd5 28. Rxd5 Rac8 29. c5 f5 30. Ra3 Rxc5 31. Rxc5 Rxc5 32. Rxa4   1/2-1/2


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