INQUIRER Sports

FILIPINO GRANDMASTER MARK PARAGUA downed Indian GM Neelotpal Das of India in the sixth round Monday night to vault into contention in the fifth Prospero Pichay Cup international chess championship at the LWUA Building on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

Paragua, once the country?s No. 1 player, climbed to 4.5 points to be in the company of countrymen GMs Eugene Torre and Darwin Laylo, who drew their matches, and stay within sight of the $5,000 champion?s purse.

Top seed GM Mikhail Mchedlishvili of Georgia bested GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. to wrest the lead with 5.0 points with three rounds left.

Torre split the point with John Paul Gomez.

Laylo, who topped this year?s Asian Zonal, halved the point with Iranian GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami.

Also with 4.5 points were GMs Zhang Zhong of Singapore, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia.

Antonio was mired at 4.0 points in the $30,000 event being supported by the Local Water Utilities Administration.

Other selected results: GM Zhang Z. d. GM A. Filippiov; GM N.T.S. Nguyen-M. Gunashvili, 0.5-0.5; GM J. Gonzales-IM Tirto, 0.5-0.5; GM B. Villamayor-M. Roque, 0.5-0.5; GM A. Gupta d. IM R. Dableo; GM Li S. d. IM O. Dimakiling; GM A. d. IM E. Senador; GM P. Kostenko d. IM C. Garma.