By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Filipino International Master Paulo Bersamina defeated Ukrainian Grandmaster Vitaliy Bernadskiy in the final round to finish second in the 22nd Bangkok Chess Club Open at Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel in Thailand on Monday.
Bersamina triumphed in 67 moves of the Sicilian Defense to garner 7.5 points.
“I’m so happy for my runner-up finish here,” Bersamina said in a statement.
He also topped the Makruk or Thai chess category.
GM Evgeny Romanov of North Macedonia ruled the tournament, beating Malaysian FIDE Master Ern Jie Anderson Ang in 38 moves of the Catalan Opening to register 8.0 points.
Filipino IM Michael Concio Jr. settled for a draw with Indian GM Babu MR Lalit in 43 moves of the Queen’s Pawn Game to finish with 6.5 points, tied for third place with Lalit, Ang, Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly and British GM Nigel Short.
Filipino Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca, who earned his third IM norm on Sunday, lost to Short.
“I want to win the last game against Grandmaster Nigel Short to get my first GM norm. But I’m also happy that I got the third and final IM norm. I need my ELO rating to be 2400 to secure an IM title,” Arca, whose current ELO (rating system for skills) is 2250, said.
The 16-year-old from Panabo City, Davao del Norte got his first IM norm two years ago at the 18th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He won the Quang Ninh GM2 chess tournament in Ha Long City, Vietnam on May 19, 2024 to earn the second norm. (PNA)
