Torre bags PGMA chess title
MANILA, Philippines â Asiaâs first Grandmaster Eugene Torre turned back the hands of time to bag the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Cup international chess championship title held at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Paranaque City. Torre was forced to a draw by GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami of Iran in Fridayâs final round to finish the nine-round tournament with seven points. He ended up tied with 2007 champion GM Li Chao of China and Singapore GM Zhang Zhong but ended up with the title because of a better tiebreak point. âMasayang-masaya ako. Itâs a big honor for me to win this title. I felt like I was young again," said Torre. Li, who also figured in a three-way tie for the top spot in last yearâs edition, was able to tie Torre by defeating compatriot and No. 8 seed GM Zhou Weiqi while Zhang drew with GM Mikheil Mchedlishvili of Georgia, who defeated Torre in the eight round. Torre finished with a 2572 tiebreak score against Liâs 2533 and Zhangâs 2532. The three players bagged US$5,000 (P234,300) each from the combined first to third place cash prizes of US$15,000 (P702,900). This is Torreâs first major title for in five years. â GMANews.TV