GMs ANTONIO, LAYLO, SO TO WORLD CHESS CUP

FOR the first time, three Filipinos will represent the country in the World Chess Cup which is set to kick off this coming November 20 to December 15 in Khanty- Mansiysk, Russia– a historic feat in Philippine chess.

GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr.,GM Darwin Laylo and GM Wesley So will banner the Philippine flag in this highly tough event that will feature world’s top players.

The 12-time National Open champion Antonio was first to earn a slot by being among the Top 10 finishers in Asian Continental Chess Championships in Subic in May.

“We hope we can perform well in WCC (World Chess Cup). Please pray for us,” said The Quezon City based Antonio, the top player of Philippine Army Chess Team who hails from Calapan, Oriental, Mindoro.

Laylo and So won their slots after an emphatic 1-2 finish in the recently concluded Zone 3.3 FIDE World Chess Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam last Wednesday.

Laylo bested GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore to scored 8.0 points on account of seven wins and two draws in nine outings and captured the Zone 3.3 Chess Title.

So, meanwhile halved the point with GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam to settled second place with 6.5 points and earned the last World Chess Cup berth.

It shall be recalled that Antonio seeing in action in the World Chess Championships in 1999 at Las Vegas, Nevada where he lost to eventual runner-up Armenian Super GM Vladimir Akopian in the second round. Russian Super GM Alexander Khalifman emerged over-all champion.

The best ever performance of a Filipino woodpusher is courtesy of Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre who made it to the candidate matches in 1983 but succumbed to Hungraian Super GM Zoltan Ribli in their quarterfinal matches. Torre make it to the main draw of World Chess Championships after topping the 1982 Inter Zonal in Toluca, Mexico.

It will be recalled, GM Mark Paragua also saw action in the 2004 FIDE men’s World Chess Championships in Tripoli, Libya. He lost to Super GM Victor Bologan of Moldova, 3-1, in the first round of the said chessfest. His compatriot IM Ronald Dableo, who also qualified for the event, also bowed to Super GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, 0.5-1.5.

In 2005, the birth of World Chess Cup, formerly known as FIDE World Chess Championships, GM Mark Paragua crushed Slovak Super GM Sergei Movsesian in the first round but lost to Russian Super GM Alexey Dreev in the two blitz tie-breaks (5 minutes for the game plus 10 second increment after every move), as Dreev won the first and easily drew the second to advance.

In the last edition, Laylo yielded to French Champion and Super GM Etienne Bacrot of France in the second round.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.