All-GM Tagaytay completes Asian chess title romp

Final Standings:

17 points—Tagaytay; 15—Shanghai (China), Wuxi (China); 12—Manila-PSC; 11—Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia); 10—Baghdad (Iraq), Pasay-PAF; 9—Shah Alam (Malaysia), Seoul (Korea); 8—Bs Begawan (Brunei), Colombo (Sri Lanka); 7—Sharjah (UAE), Singapore; 6—Erdenet (Mongolia); 5—Abu Dhabi (UAE), Chinese Taipei, Dubai (UAE); 3—Kuwait

TAGAYTAY CITY—Powerhouse Tagaytay completed its title romp in the Asian Cities Chess Team Championship-Dubai Cup with a 2.5-1.5 victory over Shah Alam (Malaysia) in the ninth and final round at Pagcor Tagaytay yesterday.

Grandmasters Oliver Barbosa and Darwin Laylo handily dispatched Fide Master Nicholas Chan and Hisham Mohd Nabil Azman, respectively, while GM John Paul Gomez sealed top seed Tagaytay’s triumph in the 18-team field by agreeing to a draw with Yit San Foong after 60 moves of a Queen’s Gambit Declined.

Chasing a win, GM Mark Paragua yielded to teener Li Tian Yeoh instead and fell out of the individual medal chase.

Coupled with its 3-1 conquest of Pasay-PAF (Philippine Air Force) in the eighth round Friday night, the all-Olympian Tagaytay team amassed 17 match points, two ahead of the Chinese bets Shanghai and Wuxi.

Tagaytay, backed by Mayor Agnes Tolentino, bagged the champion’s purse of $3,000 in the Swiss System event hosted by Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in his capacity as Fide Asian Zone 3.3 president.

Though No. 2 seed Shanghai, which blanked Baghdad (Iraq), 4-0,  edged Wuxi in the tiebreak for second place, they got $1,500 each after splitting the second and third place prizes.  No. 3 Wuxi routed Singapore, 4-0.

Gomez, a two-time Olympian and reigning National Open titlist  amassed 7.5 points and garnered the gold medal on board 3.

Manning board 4, Laylo notched 6.5 points and bagged bronze.  Barbosa, who beat Chan in 39 moves of a Slav defense, garnered 6.5 points and also took the bronze on board 1 ruled by GM A.R. Saleh Salem of Sharjah (UAE) with 8 points.

Manila-PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) hurdled Erdenet (Mongolia), 3-1, and landed fourth with 12 points.  IMs Rolando Nolte and Jan Emmanuel Garcia and WFM Janelle Mae Frayna trounced their rivals on boards 2, 3, 4.

Pasay-PAF’s Allan Cantonjos likewise bagged a silver medal on  board 5.