Pascua stuns Russian GM, shares second-round lead

International Master Haridas Pascua is no stranger to beating Grandmasters. He had beaten several of them, including compatriots Eugene Torre and Mark Paragua and Vietnamese Cao Sang.

Still, Pascua was doubly elated when he toppled Russian GM Anton Demchenko in the second round of the PSC-Puregold International Chess Challenge yesterday at Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City.

The win gave the 21-year-old Pascua a share of the lead with seven others and boosted his confidence as he achieved it with the black pieces.

Pascua, an information technology graduate at University of Baguio, forced the second-seeded Demchenko (Elo 2611) to give up a bishop for a pawn and the Russian eventually resigned after 74 moves of a Bird’s Opening.

Pascua, pride of Mangatarem, Pangasinan, who downed Roger Sarip in the first round, climbed to 2.0 points, the same total of GMs Ivan Popov of Russia, Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia, Avetik Grigoryan of Armenia, John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and Julio Catalino Sadorra of the Philippines, and IM Barlo Nadera, who stunned countryman GM Oliver Barbosa.

The top-seeded Popov (Elo 2622) downed GM Richard Bitoon; Pantsulaia, winner of the recent Philippine International Chess Championship, subdued IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia; and Grigoryan bested GM Jayson Gonzales, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines executive director.

Gomez, the highest-placed Filipino in the PH International Open division at fifth, beat Noel dela Cruz; Laylo whipped Merben Roque, conqueror of Russian GM Mikhail Mozharov in the first round; while the United States-based Sadorra repulsed IM Oliver Dimakiling.

Bunched at 1.5 points were Georgian GM Merab Gagushnavili, 16-year-old Filipino IM Paulo Bersamina, Indian IM Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna and Filipino GM Rogelio Antonio.

The 16-year-old Bersamina forced Gagunashvili to a draw, while Sunilduth Lyna and Antonio prevailed over Michael Gotel and Woman Fide Master Shania Mae Mendoza, respectively, in the tournament sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and Puregold.

The third round of the $30,000 tournament being supported by Asia United Bank, Burlington, Celebrity Sports Plaza, Microtel and Harold’s Hotel was being played last night.