General santos city: Filipino International Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca settled for a draw against Bulgarian Grandmaster (GM) Arkadij Naiditsch in the penultimate round of the Manny Pacquiao International Open held at Family Country Hotel.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Zamboanga City-based Arca now holds 6.0 points, consisting of five wins, two draws, and one loss. He shares the second place spot with Naiditsch and three other Grandmasters: Swiss Peng Li Men, Indian Visakh N R, and Swedish Vitaly Sivuk.
Swedish GM Platon Galperin secured a victory against Indonesian GM Novendra Priasmoro, taking the lead with 6.5 points. Priasmoro is now in third place with 5.5 points, tied with Indian GM Pa Iniyan, Singaporean GM Jingyao Tin, and Indonesian GM Susanto Megaranto.
Filipino GMs Daniel Quizon and Darwin Laylo, along with IM Kim Steven Yap, find themselves in fourth place with 5.0 points. They are in a tie with GM Timur Garayev and Vietnamese GM Duc Hoa Nguyen.
The tournament, organized by the Pacman Chess Association, is a five-day event with a Standard (90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment time control format) and offers a prize of USD20,000, approximately PHP1.1 million, to the champion.
