Olympian Paolo Bersamina trounced compatriot John Merill Jacutina to join a six-man logjam for the lead in the Asian Universities Chess Championship yesterday at the Tagaytay International Convention Center in Tagaytay.
Bersamina, an international master ranked sixth in the tournament, has a perfect score of 2 points in the company of Chinese top seeds IM Xu Yi and IM Wang Chen and a trio of Indonesians in FIDE Master Yoseph Theolifus Taher, IM Syah Farid Firman and FM Arif Abdul Hafiz.
Four Filipinos – IM John Marvin Miciano, Rhenzie Kyle Sevillano, Justine Diego Mordido and Mari Joseph Turqueza – were among those with 1.5 points.
In the girls’ division, three Filipinas were tied on top with two Chinese and an Indonesian with perfect scores after two rounds.
WFM Shania Mae Mendoza whipped WFM Nur Najiha Azman Hisham, WIM Bernadette Galas dumped Liao Rui and WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego defeated WCM Kylen Joy Mordido to pick up their second points.
Also with perfect scores were WGM Wang Jue and WIM Qiu Mengie of China and Indonesian Sahajasri Cholleti.
Jerlyn Mae San Diego was alone with 1.5 points.
The top finishers after the nine-round Swiss System event will be declared champions.
