RP’s GM SO WITH FIFTH DRAW IN US S.P.I.C.E. CUP CHESS

Standings after 7 rounds (B group):

1. IM Finegold 5.5 (needs .5 / 2 for GM title)
2-3. GMs Perelshteyn, Bhat 4.5
4. IM Robson 4.0 (needs 2/2 for GM title)
5. IM Antal 3.5
6-8. IMs Papp, Kuljasevic, FM Rensch 3.0 (needs 1 / 2 for IM title)
9. GM Diamant 2.5
10. IM Ippolito 1.5

Standings after 6 rounds (A group):

1-3. GMs Hammer, Kuzubov, Andreikin 3.5
4. GM Mamedov 3.0
5. GM So 2.5
6. GM Akobian 2.0

FILIPINO teen Grandmaster Wesley So drew his first game yesterday in the second round of the six-man double-round robin grandmaster invitational edition of the prestigious 2009 Susan Polgar Institute Chess for Excellence (SPICE) Cup Chess Championship being held at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Sixteen-year-old So (Elo 2644) split the point with Kuzubov (2636) in just 17 moves of Slav Defense using the black pieces to raise his total 2.5 points on five draw and a loss in six games of play in the double round-robin format of the Group A division.

Other matches saw Azerbaijan GM Rauf Mamedov (2626) halved the point with last year’s SPICE Cup co-champ American GM Varuzhan Akobian (2636) after 17 moves of French Defense while GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (2585) also split the point with top seed Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin (2659) after 14 moves of Sicilian Defense.

In the Group B division, American IM Ben Finegold (2515) agreed a quick draw over Brazilian GM Andre Diamant (2526) in just 8 moves of Spanish Opening to inch closer his third and final GM norm. With two rounds to go, the Michigan based IM, who alreadt scored 5.5 points in seven games needed to score half point for GM title norm.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO