Paragua still leads

GRANDMASTER Mark Paragua forged a  draw with Indian GM Baskaran Adhiban Friday night and kept a share of  the lead in the Manny Pacquiao Cup Asian Continental Chess Championships at Midas Hotel in Pasay City.

Paragua raised his total to 5.5 points after seven rounds, the same output of Chinese GM Li Chao and Uzbek GM Marat Dzhumaev with two rounds to go in the $100,000 event staking five slots to this year’s World Cup set in Tromso, Norway.

Handling black, Paragua split the point with Adhiban after 39 moves of Double Fianchetto Opening to keep pace with Li, who was held to a draw by United States-based Filipino GM Julian Catalino Sadorra after 42 moves of the Gruenfeld Defense, and Dzhumaev, who downed GM John Paul Gomez after 53 moves of the Dutch Defense.

Another Filipino, GM Oliver Barbosa, vaulted into contention for the juicy prizes in the Open division following a 40-move victory over Chinese IM Wan Yunguo in another Gruenfeld.

Barbosa, who has already secured a World Cup berth from another tournament last year, climbed to 5.0 points in the company of Sadorra, Adhiban, Vietnamese GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Indian GMs Krishnan Sasikiran and Subramanian Arun Prasad.

The top-seeded Le  drew with Prasad after 67 moves of the Queen’s Indian Defense; Sasikiran downed countryman GM G.N. Gopal after 44 moves of the Modern Defense and Nguyen trounced Indonesian IM Firman Syah Farid  after 33 moves of the Ruy Lopez.

Pivotal eight-round matches pit Dzhumaev against Li, Sasikiran against Paragua, Le against Sadorra and Barbosa against Prasad.

Still nurturing hopes of qualifying were 4.5 pointers Gomez, GM Darwin Laylo, who beat Jerad Docena, and eight others in the  event organized by the GM Eugene Torre Chess Foundation and sponsored by eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Cafe Puro, Alaxan, Oriental and Motolite Corp.  Roy Luarca