Barbosa, Paragua off to good start in Malaysia chess tourney
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 18 Sep 2012
Barbosa.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- GRANDMASTERS Oliver Barbosa and Mark Paragua got off to a blazing start by posting victories in the opening round of the DYTM Raja Nazrin Shah International Open Chess Championship dubbed as KL Open Chess on Tuesday at the Olympic Sports Hotel here.
The Taytay, Rizal native Barbosa defeated Steven O' Reilly of Australia after 42 moves of Dutch defense while the Bulacan ace Paragua subdued K. Chakravarthi of India after 43 moves of Sicilian defense.
?The first round is one of the toughest rounds in any tournament. It usually sets the tone of how you?re going to perform,? said the defending champion and second seed Barbosa, fresh from helping the Philippine men?s team to a respectable 21st place finish in the recent World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.
"We hope to perform well in this event and gain some Elo rating points," added the 4th seed Paragua.
The usual suspects made their presence felt early.
Top seed GM Sergei Tiviakov of the Netherlands, No.3 GM Deepan Chakkravarthy of India, No.5 IM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam , No.6 IM Nguyen Doc Hoa of Vietnam, No.7 GM Cao Sang of Vietnam, No.8 GM Darwin Laylo of the Philippines, No.9 IM Kiril Kuderinov of Kazakhstan and No.10 IM Vishnu Prassana V. of India.
Tiviakov toppled Ngo Thi Kim Tuyen of Vietnam.; Chakkravarthy subdued Fong Yit San of Malaysia; Van Huy dealt Aigerim Alpysbayeva of Kazakhstan; Doc Hoa routed Fong Choong Ee of Malaysia; Cao smashed Handjojo Limono of Indonesia; Laylo dumped Azarya Jodi Setyaki of Indonesia; Kuderinov walloped FM Ram Aravind L N of India; and Prassana nipped WFM Azman Hisham Nur Najihaof Malyasia.
GM-elect Ronald Dableo and GM hopefuls International Masters Oliver Dimakiling and Rolando Nolte also opened their accounts with full point each.
Dableo scalped Siavosh Vojdani of Iran after 35 moves of English Opening; Dimakiling outplayed reigning Malaysian senior champion Lim Kian Hwa in their Sicilian Defense encounter; and Nolte outmaneuvered Mikgail Kok of Malaysia after just 21 moves of Sicilian.
Dimakiling and Nolte are both seeking their third and final norm to complete GM status.
In other results involving Filipinos, National Master Edmundo Legaspi won over Chan Yi Meng Ryan of Malaysia after 43 moves of French; NM Stewart Manaog crushed Zirath Hakan of Sweden after 26 moves of Stonewall Opening; Jimson Bitoon downed Edward Lee of Malaysia after 49 moves of Petroff Opening; and NM Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr. halved the point with Malaysian Abdul Jalil Syahril after 44 moves of Sicilian.
The tournament organized by Polgar Chess Asia for Kuala Lumpur Chess Association (KLCA) is supported by the Malaysian Chess Federation and sponsored by Masterskill Education Group.Tournament director is Fide Master Peter Long.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Marlon Bernardino.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimán: A Great First Half of the Year for the WBC
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Sat, 25 Jul 2026CK Ingles to Host Open 2x2 Team and Open Individual Rapid Chess Tournaments with ₱100,000 Prize Pool
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 25 Jul 2026Magnificent 7 boxers gird for Asiad
By Joaquin Henson, Sat, 25 Jul 2026Arca wins silver in Asian Youth in Shenzhen, China
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 25 Jul 2026Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga exchange final words at Press Conference ahead of 'The Comeback'
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Fri, 24 Jul 2026SYDNEY SHOWDOWN: Spence and Tszyu Exchange Final Verbal Barbs; Undercard Weight Drama Unfolds at Press Conference
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Fri, 24 Jul 2026Spence vs Tszyu Fight Analysis and Prediction
By Ralph Rimpell, Fri, 24 Jul 2026“BUTTERFLY BRAWL” MARKS RETURN TO ICONIC SANTA MONICA PIER
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Fri, 24 Jul 2026AIM Jerick Faeldonia vying for Bangkok chess tilt
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 24 Jul 2026PHILBOXING.COM THURSDAY ROUNDUP: Scale Shock in Pattaya, Red Sea Staredowns, and Final Countdown to Sydney
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Thu, 23 Jul 2026USA Boxing Sends Eight Boxers to Italy for International Duel
Thu, 23 Jul 2026P248k prize on the line in Moon Cake Festival Pro Amateur 10-ball tournament at Pacman's Cue Club
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 23 Jul 2026Super Lightweight Contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin Inks Promotional Pact with Top Rank
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Thu, 23 Jul 2026DUELING TUNE-UPS: Joshua and Fury Play High-Stakes Chicken Across Asia with November Mega-Fight Hanging in the Balance
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Wed, 22 Jul 2026Chavon Stillwell and Izaiah Dent Put Their Perfect Records on the Line in a Can't-Miss Main Event at BiYu Promotions' "Fights Under the Lights"
By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , Wed, 22 Jul 2026