RP team rebounds at 2nd round of Chess Olympiad
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/16/2008 8:22 PM
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The RP Chess Team got a much needed boost from Filipino grandmaster (GM) Darwin Laylo to bounce back after a heart-breaking loss to China in the 2008 World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany.
A report posted on SportsNews.ph said Laylo provided the all-important victory as the RP Team brought down opening-day winner Algeria, 2.5-1.5, in the second round of the Olympiad at the International Congress Center.
Laylo crushed international master (IM) Mohamed Haddouche in their board four encounter.
“Magandang buwena mano ito. Sana magtuloy-tuloy na,” said Laylo, who skipped the first round Friday.
GMs Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor and Wesley So and IM John Paul Gomez drew against their respective opponents to ensure the Filipinos' two points in the match point-style scoring system being used in the Olympiad.
Villamayor, playing the top board despite having the lowest rating among the five Filipino chessers, drew with GM Aimen Rizouk (ELO 2507).
So, who provided the Filipinos' lone victory over China with an upset over Super GM Ni Hua, split the point with IM Kamil Sebih.
Gomez followed up a hard-fought draw with GM Li Chao of China with the same result against Tarek Goutali.
The win made up for the Filipinos' 1.5-2.5 loss to the Chinese in the first round early Friday in a match which clearly could have gone either way.
