Philippine Daily Inquirer
July 19, 2004

RAOLA KEEPS ARMENIAN GM WITHIN REACH

Standings after round 4:

4.0 pts.-GM Karen Movsziszian (Armenia); 3.5-NM Yves Raola
(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 Raola 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.

Raola, 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.

Raola 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