BITOON UPSETS BANGLADESH GM; GAINS A SHARE OF LEAD IN SUBIC CHESS

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Cebuano International Master Richard Bitoon turned back

GM Niaz Murshed of Bangladesh yesterday, to share the lead with three others after the third rounds of the 2nd Subic International Open Chess Championship in Subic.

The Medellin, Cebu-native Bitoon, prodigy of sportsman NM Matias “Bombi” Aznar, raised his total to 3.0 points in the company of GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam, GM Deepan Chakravarthy of India and Xiu Deshun of China.

Bitoon, who is aiming to follow the foot step of fellow Cebuano and newly-installed GM Joseph Sanchez, earlier brought downed youthful campaigner Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Chinese Yu Lie, in the first two rounds.

Troung Son, the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games most bemedalled chess athlete, meanwhile nipped GM Jayson Gonzales, Chakravarthy defeated FM Priyadharshan K while Deshun upset GM Abhijeet Gupta.

In other matches saw, GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly, who is fresh from winning the just concluded Asian Continental Individual Chess Championship halved the point with Yu Yangyi, GM Chanda Sandipan split the point with IM Yang Kaiqi, IM Rolando Nolte settled for a draw with GM Ghaem Ehsan Maghami to create a nine-way tie in fifth place that includes GM Dao Thien Hai, GM Ziaur Rahman and Gao Rui with 2.5 points each.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO