Barcenilla trips Laylo in GM duel

Grandmaster Rogelio Barcenilla Jr. bested compatriot GM Darwin Laylo on Thursday to bolster his bid in the Asian Zone 3.3 Chess Championships at Tagaytay Convention Center.

The USA-based Barcenilla climbed to 4.0 points, good for a share of fourth to sixth places in the Open division being dominated by Malaysian sensation Fide Master Yeo Li Tian.

Yeo downed IM Oliver Dimakiling to pull away from the field with 5.5 points after six rounds, virtually assuring the 17-year-old of one of two World Cup berths at stake in the nine-round Swiss System event.
Trailing Yeo were Vietnamese top seed GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Singaporean FM Liu Xiangyi. —ROY LUARCA