By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Grandmaster John Paul Gomez racked up five straight victories, including a marathon 71-move victory over teenage sensation Phil Martin Casiguran of a Sicilian duel to seize the solo lead after seven rounds of the Philippine National Open Chess Championship Grand Finals in Alicia, Isabela Sunday night, Oct. 27.
Those wins catapulted the 38-year-old Gomez to the top with 6.5 points, 1.5 points ahead of closest pursuers and Budapest FIDE Olympiad teammates International Masters Paulo Bersamina and Jem Garcia.
Bersamina split the point with IM Ricky de Guzman in 35 moves of a Torre Attack while Garcia halved the point with Samson Chiu Chin Lim in 71 moves of a King’s Indian encounter.
After a quiet start, Gomez went on a winning rampage by downing FIDE Master Mark Jay Bacojo, Alexis Emil Maribao, Vince Angelo Medina, Lim and then Casiguran to zoom to the top of this 11-round meet that stakes a spot to next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Casiguran, one of the “bright boys” of the late Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, made heads turn by crushing Bersamina in the sixth round via a 60 moves of a Sicilian.
It also pushed the Biñan native in claiming his first national title since 2013 and third overall. He first won the crown in 2008.
This year’s tournament offers a top purse of P120,000 courtesy of host Alicia Mayor Joel Amos Alejandro.
“Hopefully, ma-sustain ko,” said Gomez, whose last opponents are Bersamina, Garcia, Daniel Quizon and local bet IM Joel Banawa.
