Filipino International Master Paulo Bersamina trounced countryman John Merill Jacutina to join Grandmaster John Paul Gomez and IM Ricky de Guzman inside the Top 20 after the eighth and penultimate round of the 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships (Second Manny Pacquiao Cup) Monday night.
The win sent the 20-year-old Bersamina, who has played in the World Chess Olympiad twice despite his age, into a 14-chesser logjam at 17th place with 4.5 points apiece, while breathing some life to his hope of finishing inside the Top 10.
Bersamina was tackling Iran’s Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami, who drew with the Philippines’ GM John Paul Gomez, in the final round at press time and another victory would give the former a chance to accomplish the feat in this tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, headed by Cong. Butch Pichay and funded by the Philippine Sports Commission and Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
The 58-year-old de Guzman was part of that group with Pascua and Gomez after splitting the point with China’s IM Xu Yi.
Gomez was battling former women’s world champion GM Tan Zhongyi of China, while De Guzman GM Abhimanyu Puranik of India.
In the women’s division, WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda shocked 2018 Vietnam Individual Championship titlist WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram to move on the verge of a Top 10 finish.
Fronda, 24, has caught up with WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s highest ranked woman chesser, in that 10-player pack with 4.5 points at No. 11 and could land a place inside the top 10 with a triumph in the last round.
Fronda was clashing with China’s IM Guo Qi while Frayna, who was forced to a standoff by WFM Dita Karenza of Indonesia, was playing WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An of Vietnam.
India’s IM Ruot Padmini drew with Vietnam’s IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen to cling to the lead with 6.5 points, or half a point atop closest pursuer WGM Gong Qianyun of Singapore, who defeated China’s WGM Wang Jue.