Concio, Bersamina make presence felt

International Masters Michael Concio Jr. and Pau Bersamina pulled off victories in the sixth round Saturday to bolster their respective title and Grandmaster (GM) bids in the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Chess Championships at the AMORAP in Misamis Occidental.

Concio, 21, essayed the fastest victory of the round, needing just an hour and half to down Vietnamese IM Nguyen Quoc Hy in 33 moves of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted while Bersamina, 28, wielded the King’s Indian Defense like a magic wand and hacked out a 43-move triumph.

The pair of wins put national team standouts in a chase group at fifth with four points apiece, or half a point behind the four-player lead pack of GM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam, IM Erdene Baansuren of Mongolia IM Shrivatri Anuj and Ameya Audi of India of this event bankrolled by host Gov. Henry Oaminal, Sr. and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and WR Chess.

Nguyen and Baansuren split the point in 41 moves of a London System, Anuj bested Filipino FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri in 45 moves of a King’s Indian duel and Audi outlasted Indian IM Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipalla in 44 moves of a French Defense to share No. 1 with 4.5 points each.