INQUIRER Sports

SUBIC - Grandmaster Rogelio "Joey" Antonio carried the fight for the Philippines anew Wednesday night, downing Vietnamese GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son to gain a share of lead in the 8th Asian Continental individual chess championship at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center.

Flashing the form that enabled him to top 10 of 11 tournaments in a three-month campaign in the United States late last year, Antonio forced Nguyen to resign after 39 moves of a Caro Kann and raised his total to 6.0 points after eight rounds of play.

Also posting the same total posted were teen sensation GM Hou Yifan of China and Indian GMs Chanda Sandipan and Surya Shekhar Ganguly, who opted for a draw in their top board encounter.

The 15-year-old Hou, the lone female entry in the Open division but seeded ninth with an Elo rating of 2590, prevailed over Vietnamese GM Dao Thien Hai.

Antonio, a 12-time national champion playing out of the Army-HHSG, notched his fourth triumph against four draws and remained the only unbeaten Filipino in the 85-player field.

?The US tour did me some good,? said Antonio, who avenged his loss to Nguyen in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games. ?I?m feeling fine and I hope to sustain this form in the next three rounds.?

Top Filipino hope Wesley So was again stalled in his bid for one of the 10 World Cup slots at stake, settling for a draw against untitled Chinese Yu Yangi and landing at 5.0 points.

?We both fell into time trouble and I couldn?t find a winning line,? said So, the country?s highest rated player with an Elo of 2641 and the second seed in the biennial tournament.