So, Torre deliver as PH posts upset
GUANGZHOU—Wesley So, the young star, and Eugene Torre, the veteran holdover, delivered key wins as the Philippines stunned powerhouse India, 2.5-1.5, Monday and vaulted to second in the 16th Asian Games chess competitions at the Guangzhou Chess Institute.
The 17-year-old So (Elo 2669) trounced fellow Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna (Elo 2657) in their top board encounter while the 59-year-old Torre, Asia’s first GM, followed suit by besting GM B. Adhiban in board four.
GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. (Elo 2573) helped secure the Filipinos’ second straight victory in as many days by drawing with GM Krishnan Sasikiran (Elo 2688) in board two.
GM John Paul Gomez, hero of the Philippines’ 2.5-1.5 conquest of Kazakhstan last Sunday, faltered this time as he bowed to GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly in board three. World power China continued to flaunt its might with a 3-1 crushing of Iran, improving its total to a perfect 10 points after five rounds. The sixth-ranked Filipinos, who bowed to the Chinese, 1-3, in the third round, climbed to eight points with four rounds to go. So and Torre will again lead the Philippines against former Russian republic Uzbekistan, which drew with Kazakhstan, 2-2, Monday. The Uzbeks, with six points, are powered by GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, the gold medalist in the rapid event, and Anton Filippov.
Kyrgyzstan provided the round’s biggest reversal when it dumped fourth seed Vietnam, 3.5-0.5, to wrest third place with seven points.
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