Wesley yields to Viet GM, slips to 36th

MOSCOW, Russia – GM Wesley So of the Philippines put up a brave stand before losing to GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in an all-Asian showdown in the third round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship at the Hotel Gamma-Delta of the Ismailovo Tourist Complex here late Thursday.

So, seeded 17th with an ELO of 2656, resigned after Nguyen’s 40th move with the 20-year-old Vietnamese champion set to launch a strong rook-bishop attack on So’s exposed king on the g-file.

A former child prodigy who won the world under-10 championship in 2000, Nguyen earlier gave up a knight for two pawns on his 24th move to gain attacking chances against So.

The loss, which followed a draw with GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran in the first round and a win over Dmitry Bocharov of Russia in the second round, relegated So in a tie for 36th in the 80-player field with 1.5 points in three rounds.

It was a bad day for the Filipinos.


Reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo lost for the third time, bowing to GM Markus Ragger of Austria.

Laylo was two pawns down but decided to battle Ragger in a hopeless position in the endgame.

The Austrian had a rook, bishop and two pawns against the Filipino’s rook and knight.

Laylo accepted the inevitable after Ragger’s 82nd move with the Filipino on the verge of losing another piece to prevent white’s pawn from promotion.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com