RP Chess Open: China’s Yue beats Indonesian Adianto

Top-seed GM Wang Yue of China fashioned out a decisive and mind-boggling victory on an otherwise uneventful day, checkmating veteran GM Utut Adianto of Indonesia in the fourth round of the 2007 Philippine Open chess championship at the El Centro of Legenda Hotel in Subic. Yue, who according to a statement Saturday is the highest-rated player with an ELO of 2656, sealed the win with the white pieces after Adianto uncharacteristically blundered with a king move in a furious endgame battle under time pressure. After Adianto committed a blunder, Wang promptly went for the kill by giving up his queen to enable an erstwhile harmless b-pawn to checkmate the Indonesian before a stunned crowd in the nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). Realizing the blunder that caused him his first setback in four rounds, Adianto laughed loudly for several seconds before shaking the hands of his obviously-relieved rival. Wang's triumph provided the lone excitement on a day marred by quick draws in five of the top six matches at center stage. GMs Wang Hao (ELO 2638) and Zhang Zhong ( ELO 2621) agreed to a draw after only 11 moves of the Ruy Lopez, while GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran halved the point with second seed GM Ni Hua of China in only 15 moves of the French Defense to forge a four-way tie for the lead with Wang with 3.5 points out of a possible four. Also drawing their matches as quickly as possible were GM Varuzhan Akobian of the United States and Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia, who halved the point in only eight moves of another French; GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Hamed Nouri, who split the point in 12 moves of the Trompovsky; and No. 8 GM Zhao Jun of China and NM Rolando Nolte, who reached a true after 33 moves of the Sicilian. NM Mirabeau Maga made his presence felt by pulling the rug from under GM-candidate IM Wesley So in 43 moves of the Sicilian to vault into a share of fifth to 13th places with three points. It was the second straight setback for the 13-year-old So, who is hoping to nail the elusive GM title this year.. Also in the same group were Akobian, Megaranto, Ni Hua, Li Shilong and Li Chao, all of China, and Filipinos GM Eugene Torre, FM Julio Catalino Sadorra, Maga and Nouri. Torre, Asia's first GM and the country's most-experienced player, bounced back from a third-round loss to Wang Hao to demolish FM Fernie Donguines in 38 moves of the Guioco-Piano. And Sadorra, the Singapore-based FM, crushed Roderick Nava to stay in contention for the US$6,000 top purse out of a total pot of US$40,000. GM Rogelio Antonio Jr, now the country's highest-rated player based on the latest FIDE list released early this month, and GM Mark Paragua, the former topnotcher, led a big group of players with 2.5 points. Paragua, whose title bid was stymied by an upset loss in the opening round Wednesday, whipped 2006 Palawan Open champion NM Anthony Makinano. - GMANews.TV