GM Paragua shares Asian chess top spot with Li

Standings after Round 6:
Open division
5.0 points—GM Mark Paragua (PH), GM Li Chao (Chn); 4.5—GM Julio Catalino Sadorra (PH), GM John Paul Gomez (PH), GM Le Quang Liem (Vie), GM Baskaran Adhiban (Ind), GM Subramanian Arun Prasad (Ind), GM Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb); 4.0—GM Richard Bitoon (PH), IM Wan Yunguo (Chn), GM Krishnan Sasikiran (Ind), GM G.N. Gopal (Ind), GM Santosh Gujrathi (Ind), IM Firman Syah Farid (Ina), GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Vie), GM Oliver Barbosa (PH), GM Dao Thien Hai (Vie)

GRANDMASTER Mark Paragua settled for a draw with top seed GM Le Quang Liem on Thursday night and dropped into a tie for the lead with Chinese GM Li Chao after six rounds of the Manny Pacquiao Cup Asian Continental Chess Championship at Midas Hotel in Pasay.

Paragua, the overnight pacesetter, failed to gain headway with white against Le and they agreed to split the point after 29 moves of the Sicilian Defense.

The second-ranked Li downed GM Richard Bitoon in 46 moves of the Catalan Opening and climbed to 5.0 points like Paragua, heading to the last three rounds of the Open division, which stakes five slots to this year’s World Cup.

Filipino GMs Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez agreed to a draw after 29 moves of the Gruenfeld and stayed in title contention with Le and three others at 4.5 points.

Also with the same total are Indian GMs Subramanian Arun Prasad and Baskaran Adhiban, and Uzbek GM Marat Dhzumaev.

Prasad beat countryman GM M.R. Lalith Babu, Adhiban downed Qatari GM Mohammed Al-Sayed and Dzhumaev thwarted Mongolian GM Tsegmed Batchhuluun.

Featured seventh-round matches on Friday night pit Sadorra against Li, Paragua against Adhiban, Le against Arun Prasad and Gomez against Dzhumaev.

The $100,000 tournament is organized by the Eugene Torre Chess Foundation and is sponsored by eight-division world boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Cafe Puro, Alaxan, Oriental and Motolite Corp.