GM Antonio on Top

Let's see now...

The last time I heard about GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr making waves in a big time tournament was around 1999 when he played for the World Championship Qualification in Nevada, USA. I hope I remember it right, thanks to Philippine Chess Volume 1 of Mr. Bobby Ang.

Ten years after, we are now seeing one of RP's Attackero, if not D' Attackero so they say, leading in the Asia Continental Chess Championship with a full point after nine rounds. A rather forgettable tourneys here and there for Joey in the last three or four years but I guess he had so much to listen to from Mr. Ang's advise to go "hit the books" once again and be the chess champion that he is.

Also in the hunt for a top finish after a first round lose is of course our own wonderboy, GM Wesley So. A series of draws and critical won games puts him in a good spot to finish at least within the top 5 of the tournament.

Chessdom gives us something worthy to read: Asia Continental Chess Championship.

Crucial round ten pairings for Filipino's in the Open section within the top 10 boards:

Board 1: GM Ganguly Surya Shekar (6.5) vs GM Antonio, Rogelio Jr (7)
Board 3: GM Hou Yifan (6) vs GM So, Wesley (6)
Board 10: GM Torre, Eugenio (5.5) vs GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad

In the Women's section, top 15 players after 9 rounds all bear foreign sounding names with our brightest hope, WFM Chardine Cheradee Camacho placed on the 18th out of 45 players. One thread in the Philippine Chess Forum tells us about Camacho's earning the WIM title. I sure hope she gets it.

Round ten pairings for the Women's section.

And while our Pinoy bets surges forward in our homeland, we got news from NM Marlon Bernardino about Filipino's in France:

MANILA, PHILIPPINES---TWO Filipino chessers made the country's proud by winning first and second in just concluded the 11th Open International de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines International Open Chess Championship in France, recently.

The newly RP's 11th Grandmaster Joseph Sanchez also the former coach of child prodigy GM Mark Paragua who now lived in the south of France was actually leading until the last round salvage a draw against GM Namig Guliyev from Azerbaijan in 9th and final round gathered a total score of 7.5out of 9 rounds the same score achieved with his compatriot IM Roland Salvador who is based in Milan by beating their local hero Legrand Stephane in the final round, But The Cebuano Sanchez, a protegee of sportsman/ NM Matias "Bombi" Aznar was declared first due to his big performance of 2573 and Salvador's 2544.

Maria Angela Ponce, Second Secretary and Consul of the Philippine Embassy in Paris, France said "On behalf of Ambassador Rora Navarro-Tolentino and the Philippine Embassy in Paris, I congratulate you for winning the 11th Open International de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.You make our country proud," said Baguio City native Ponce, also the daughter of former Councilor Napoleon Ponce and Angelita Abrera-Ponce.MARLON BERNARDINO

Great, great day to read chess news from the Philippines!