Vietnam tops chess tilt; RP in 2nd with 3 others

Vietnamese GM Le Quang Liem topped the final round of the Asian Zone 3.3 Chess Championships in Vietnam, leaving Filipino GM Nelson Mariano II sharing the second spot with three other Vietnamese players. Mariano lost to GM Nguyen Ngoc Troungson of the Vietnam in a tight, four-man playoff for the second world championship berth at the close of the Asian Zone 3.3 chess championships at the Phu Quoc, Kien Giang Province in V ietnam. A former Asian junior champion, Mariano drew his two other playoff matches against GMs Dao Thien Hai and Nguyen Anh Dung, both of Vietnam. Truongson, on the other hand, defeated Dung in his second match and drew with Dao in the third to finish with 2.5 points in the four-man playoff. The 33-year old Filipino actually had a chance to advance to the FIDE-organized world championship outright but was held to a draw by No. 18 seed FM Cegmed Batchuluun of Mongolia in the ninth and final round. Truongson, Dao, and Dung earlier won their final-round matches against Filipino rivals to set the stage for the four-man playoff matches pitting Mariano and the three higher-rated Vietnamese players. Mariano and the three Vietnamese players finished the nine-round tournament with similar scores of six points, one and a half points behind runaway champion Le Quang Liem. Le, at 15 one of Vietnam's brightest new stars, topped the tournament with 7.5 points on six wins and three draws. The tight battle for the second world championship berth also went Vietnam's way. In virtual Vietnam-RP showdowns in the final round, Truongson outplayed NM Oliver Barbosa, Dao subdued IM Darwin Laylo, and Dung crushed IM Oliver Dimakiling in what turned out to be the turning point in the competition. All six players – three Vietnamese and three Filipinos – started the day tied with five points. Three other Filipinos – IM Wesley So, untitled Hamed Nouri and GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. – settled for draws against their Vietnamese opponents in the final round and missed the playoffs by only half a point. So, who is hoping to become the country's youngest GM at age 13, agreed to a draw against No. 12 GM Tu Hoang Thong despite paying the white pieces. Nouri, the pride of Escalante, Negros, also settled for a draw by repetition of moves with Le. And Antonio, a former world championship qualifier, was held to another draw by No. 9 IM Bui Vinh of Vietnam. So Nouri and Antonio finished in a seven-way tie for sixth to 12 th places with 5.5 points. Top seed GM Mark Paragua and Asian Games bet IM Ronald Dableo also drew their matches against FM Nguyen Minh Huy and FM Duong The Anh of Vietnam, respectively, and joined Dimakiling, Laylo and Barbosa in 13th to 20 th places with five points. Another half point behind at 4.5 points is GM Eugene Torre, who halved the point with FM Pang Chuong of Vietnam. In the women's division, Catherine Perena drew with WFM Tran Thi Loan of Vietnam to finish in a tie for 15th to 18th places with compatriots WFM Sheerie Joy Lomibao and WIM Beverly Mendoza with four points. Lomibao bowed to WGM Hoang Tram of Vietnam. The only Filipina winner in the final round was Kimberly Jane Cunanan, who dumped Le Thi Ha of Vietnam to finish in 19 th place with 3.5 points. The fifth Filipina entry — Cristy Lamiel Bernales — had 2.5 points. WFM Le Than Thu of Vietnam topped the tournament with 7.5 points. WGM Bathuyag Mongontuul of Mongolia finished a second with 6.5 points.