Rounds 8 and 9 of the ongoing 2021 Philippine National Open Chess Championship Grand Finals in Mactan City produced just one decisive game and enabled IM Daniel Quizon to keep his 1½-point lead over his closest pursuer with two crucial rounds to go.
Quizon’s pursuer, IM Ronald Dableo, must hope the 17-year old lose his last two games while he himself must win 2 straight to be Philippine champion. The two will collide, fittingly, in the final round. Quizon plays fellow IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the penultimate round.
The only decisive game from Round 8 is GM Darwin Laylo’s demolition of Allan Pason in 36 move of a Queen’s Gambit Declined. Laylo’s win gave him a share of 3rd to 4th places with IM Ricky de Guzman.
The standings after Round 9: 1.Quizon, 7½; 2. Dableo, 6; 3-4. De Guzman, Laylo, 5½; 5. Garcia, 5; 6-8. Bersamina, Pimentel, Miciano, 4½; 9. Antonio, 4; 10. Frayna, 3; 11. Concio, 2½; 12. Pason, 1½.
Dableo,R (2407)-Pimentel,J (2273) [D13]
Mactan City (9.1) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3 e6 7.Bf4 Bd6 8.Bg3 0-0 9.e3 Bxg3 10.hxg3 Bd7 11.Bd3 h6 12.b4 Rc8 13.Qb3 Qe7 14.0-0 Rfd8 15.Rfc1 Ne8 16.Na4 Nd6 17.Nc5 b6 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.Ba6 Rc7 20.a4 Qe7 21.Rc2 Nb8 22.Bd3 Rxc2 23.Qxc2 Rc8 24.Qb1 Qb7 25.b5 Nd7 26.a5 Qc7 27.axb6 axb6 28.Qb4 f5 29.Ne5 Nxe5 30.dxe5 Nb7 ½-½
Miciano,JM (2316)-Garcia,JE (2411) [C54]
Mactan City (9.2) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6 6.Bb3 d6 7.Nbd2 h6 8.Nf1 Be6 9.Be3 Bxe3 10.Nxe3 Qd7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Re1 Rfe8 13.Qc2 Rad8 14.Rad1 Bxb3 15.Qxb3 Na5 16.Qc2 Nc6 17.Qb3 Na5 18.Qc2 Nc6 19.Qb3 Na5 20.Qc2 ½-½
Quizon,D (2324)-Bersamina,P (2461) [B26]
Mactan City (9.3) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 g6 5.Nge2 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.d3 Rb8 8.Be3 d6 9.h3 b5 10.Qd2 b4 11.Nd1 a5 12.Bh6 Bxh6 13.Qxh6 Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.c3 dxc3 16.bxc3 Ba6 17.Qd2 Qb6 18.Ne3 bxc3 19.Qxc3 Rfc8 20.Qa3 Qb4 21.Qxb4 Rxb4 22.Rfd1 Rd4 23.Bf1 e5 24.Rd2 Rc3 25.Rad1 Ra4 26.Rb1 Rb4 27.Rxb4 axb4 28.Nc2 b3 29.axb3 Rxb3 30.Ne3 Nd7 31.d4 Bxf1 32.Nxf1 Nf6 33.dxe5 dxe5 34.Re2 Kg7 35.Kg2 h5 36.h4 Rb4 37.Nd2 Rb2 38.Kf1 Nd7 39.Nf3 Rxe2 40.Kxe2 ½-½
Laylo,D (2434)-De Guzman,R (2344) [E32]
Mactan City (9.4) 2021
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Qxd2 Bb7 7.g3 0-0 8.Bg2 Be4 9.0-0 a5 10.b3 d6 11.Bb2 Nbd7 12.Qc3 Qc8 13.Rfd1 Qb7 14.Bh3 b5 15.Nd2 bxc4 16.bxc4 Rfb8 17.Ra2 d5 18.f3 Bg6 19.c5 Qb5 20.Bf1 Qa4 21.Rc1 Qc6 22.e3 a4 23.Ba1 h5 24.Rb2 Rxb2 25.Bxb2 Rb8 26.Ba1 Ra8 27.Qb4 Rb8 28.Qa5 Ra8 29.Qb5 Qxb5 30.Bxb5 Ra5 31.Be2 c6 32.Nb1 Ne8 33.Nc3 Nc7 34.Kf2 e5 35.Na2 exd4 36.exd4 f6 37.Bc3 Ra8 38.Nb4 Nb8 39.Bd2 Ne6 40.Be3 Kf8 41.h3 Ke7 42.f4 Nc7 43.g4 hxg4 44.hxg4 Be4 45.f5 Kd7 46.Bf4 Nba6 47.Na2 Rb8 48.Nc3 Rb3 49.Nxa4 Rxa3 50.Nc3 Nb4 51.Bxc7 Kxc7 52.Nxe4 dxe4 53.Rh1 Nd5 54.Rh7 Ra2 55.Rxg7+ Kd8 56.Ke1 Ra1+ 57.Kf2 Ra2 58.Ke1 Nf4 59.Rg8+ Ke7 60.Rg7+ Kf8 61.Rg8+ Ke7 62.Rg7+ ½-½
Frayna,JM (2190)-Pason,A (1974) [E01]
Mactan City (9.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Nbd2 c5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bg2 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Ne4 b6 10.Bg5 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Bb7 12.Rfd1 h6 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Nc3 N7f6 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Ne5 Rfd8 17.Qa4 Qc7 18.Bxd5 Rxd5 19.Rxd5 Nxd5 20.Nd3 Qb7 21.Rc1 Rd8 22.a3 Ne7 23.Qf4 Rc8 24.h4 Rxc1+ 25.Qxc1 Nf5 26.Qc4 Nd6 27.Qc1 Nf5 28.Qc4 Nd6 29.Qd4 Qc7 30.g4 h5 31.f3 hxg4 32.fxg4 Nc4 33.Kg2 Qc6+ 34.Kh2 Qc7+ 35.Kg2 Qc6+ 36.Kh2 Qc7+ 37.Kh3 a5 38.h5 Qc6 39.Kh2 Qc7+ 40.Kh3 Qc6 41.Kh2 Qc7+ 42.Kh3 ½-½
Antonio,R (2421)-Concio,M (2287) [B19]
Mactan City (9.6) 2021
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bd2 e6 12.0-0-0 Bd6 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nf6 15.Qe2 Qc7 16.Kb1 0-0-0 17.c4 Qe7 18.Bc3 Bb4 19.Bxb4 Qxb4 20.Ne5 Qe7 21.g4 Nd7 22.a3 Nxe5 23.dxe5 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.Kc2 Kc7 27.Qd3 Qxd3+ 28.Kxd3 g6 29.f3 gxh5 30.gxh5 Kd7 31.Ke4 ½-½
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ne7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…cxd4 2.f3#; 1…Kxd4 2.Qf4#; 1…Bxd4 2.Qf5#; 1…Nxd4 2.Qe3#.
