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:
WEIGHTS, RUNNING ORDER AND FINAL WORDS FOR NAVARRETE VS. NUNEZ
Sat, 28 Feb 2026WEIGH-IN RESULTS FOR MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS: PIERCE VS. PARRA
Sat, 28 Feb 2026Former US President Obama will donate Ali gloves to his presidential library
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sat, 28 Feb 2026Almacen Brothers Make Weight, Ready for Battle in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 27 Feb 2026Four United States Women's Boxers Shine Bright on Day Four of Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament
Fri, 27 Feb 2026Matthew James Sugatan wins Flash-ADV 160 9-Ball Tournament at Pacman's Cue Club; pockets P30,000
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 27 Feb 2026Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Vazquez vs. Machuca’ at College Park Center in the University of Texas
Fri, 27 Feb 2026Ethan Matthew Gabriel tops Boscolympics 2026 Grade School chess meet
Fri, 27 Feb 2026Boxing Legend & Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
Fri, 27 Feb 2026IM Christian Gian Karlo Tade - Arca outwits GM Pa Iniyan in Round 6 of the Manny Pacquiao International Open chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 26 Feb 2026San Francisco Boxing Leaders Bring It Back: FIGHT NIGHT AT ROCCAPULCO
Thu, 26 Feb 2026Alyssa Mendoza, Salim Ellis-Bey and Kelvin Watts Secure Wins on Day Three of 2026 Strandja Boxing Tournament
Thu, 26 Feb 2026Herlan Gomez faces Dekang Wang for WBA Asia Superbamtam Title Today in Kunming, China
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 26 Feb 2026Queensberry Promotions to sue SELA and TKO?
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Thu, 26 Feb 2026IBA President Umar Kremlev promises prize money for boxers at LA 2028 if the IOC doesn’t change their policy towards athletes’ rewards
Thu, 26 Feb 2026