GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Top seed super GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen led the march of the favorites in Round One of the rich Manny Pacquiao International Open chess championships on Monday here.
Christiansen, 28, who flew all the way from his native Norway, beat 65-year-old veteran local master Carlo Lorena in this nine-round Swiss system tournament offering a top prize of $20,000.
The Board Two player of Norway who plays alongside teammate world champion Magnus Carlsen, showed mastery of the black side of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted game to earn the win and set up an early clash with Filipino GM John Paul Gomez in Round Two.
Gomez is one of three Filipino GMs and a bunch of battle-tested international masters hoping to hold the crown for the locals. Against Christiansen, who will handle the white pieces, Gomez’s 2365 Elo rating will be 294 points behind.
Unheralded Alexis Emil Maribao of Caloocan City scored a huge upset win with black over Indonesian GM Susanto Megaranto to join newly-minted Pinoy GM Daniel Quizon in the win column.
Quizon is the highest-rated Filipino warrior with a 2432 Elo Rating, even as GM Darwin Laylo and teen sensation IM Christian Gian Arca hurdled their respective assignments to lead the Pinoy hopes.
Arca, 17, defeated Jaroslav Shanel of Czechia, to set up a clash with giant-killer Maribao, 34, in the next round.
A record total of 23 foreign players representing 12 other countries are competing. India’s GM Pa Inayan, the second seed, beat IM Ricardo de Guzman and will face another Filipino IM, Ronald Dableo, in Round Two. Other India players who won include GM N.M. Visakh and WIM Hagawane Aakanksha.
Round One victors include GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Bulgaria, GM Timur Gareyev, GMs Vitaly Sivuk and Galperin Platon of Sweden, GM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam and GM Novendra Priasmoro of Indonesia, among others.
Veteran IM Chito Garma and Rodolfo Panopio Jr. scored draws against separate opponents. Garma, 370 Elo points behind, drew with third seed GM Tin Jingyao (Elo 2584) of Singapore while Panopio, giving up 314 points, held V.S. Raahul of India to a truce.
The tournament offers a juicy $10,000 cash prize for the 2nd placer, $5,000 for third, $4,000 for fourth and $3,000 for fifth, among many other prizes. The tournament coincides with the 87th Kalilangan Festivities of General Santos City.