Ra¤ola keeps Armenian GM within reach

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Jul 19, 2004

Standings after round 4:

4.0 pts.-GM Karen Movsziszian (Armenia); 3.5-NM Yves Ra¤ola (Philippines), GM
Aleksander Delchev (Bulgaria), GM Vladim Burmakin (Russia), GM Mikhail Suba
(Romania), IM Yuri Gonzales (Italy), IM Fernando Braga (Italy), IM Ioan Cosma
(Romania), IM Petr Velicha (Czech Republic), IM Herman Van Riemsdijk (Brazil),
IM Bernd Kohlweyer (Germany); 3.0-GM Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba), IM Ronald Bancod
(RP), IM Jayson Gonzales (RP).

FILIPINO National Master Yves Ra¤ola outplayed Spain’s Jose Luis Ramon Perez
in the third round and then halved the point with Cuban International Master
Yuri Gonzales in the fourth to share second place with 10 others yesterday in
the Balaguer International Open chess tournament in Spain.

Ra¤ola, the former national junior champion who is eyeing his third and final
IM norm in the event, pushed his output to 3.5 points, half a point behind
undefeated pacesetter Grandmaster Karen Movsziszian of Armenia.

Ra¤ola shared second place with super GM Aleksander Delchev of Bulgaria, GM
Vladim Burmakin of Russia, GM Mihkail Suba of Romania, IM Fernando Braga of
Italy, Ioan Cosma of Romania, IM Petr Velicha of Czech Republic, IM Herman Van
Riemsdijk of Brazil and IM Bernd Kohlweyer of Germany.

The bunch stood another half point in front of a big group that includes
Filipino IMs Jayson Gonzales, who drew his third- and fourth-round matches,and
Ronald Bancod, who lost his fourth-round match to Delchev.

Filipina Winona Tan shared 56th place with 37 others at 2.0 points.Marlon
Bernardino