SUBIC—Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Marie Antoinette San Diego continued to carry the fight for the Philippines at the halfway mark of the 2011 Asian Youth chess championships at the Subic Bay Travelers Hotel late Tuesday.
Garcia beat countryman Dave Patrick Dulay in the fifth round to share the lead with Antonio Viani D’ Cunha of India in the boys 16 under class with 4.5 points out of a perfect five in the nine-round tournament.
Garcia, an Ateneo chess team stalwart under GM-candidate Idelfonso Datu, swept his first three assignments before drawing with D’ Cunha in the fourth round early Tuesday.
San Diego, gold medalist in the Asean Primary Schools Sports Olympiad (Apsso) in Jakarta, Indonesia, last November, drew with two-time world under-8 champion Ivana Maria Furtado of India to stay in control in the girls 12-under category with 4.5 points.
San Diego is half a point ahead of Furtado, Bakhora Abdussattorova of Uzbekistan and Sagar Tejaswini of India.
Prince Mark Aquino drew with Rajpara Ankit of India, while Haridas Pascua split the point with compatriot Alcon John Datu to keep their hopes alive in the centerpiece boys 18 under class.