Some chess from Asia...

Li Chao of China won the 4th Datu Artur Tan Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a score of seven wins and four draws. This young man of eighteen is untitled and so is the second placer, Wan Yunguo, also from China, half a point behind the winner. It just shows you that China is still an unexplored area of chess, relatively unknown GM-strength players lurking in the shadows. The field consisted of six GMs, thirteen IMs, seven FMs, two WGMs, one WIM, and one WFM. Eighty-seven players competed from fifteen countries ( Malaysia, Philippines, China, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, United States of America, India, Bangladesh, Russia, England, Scotland). Evidently, in 2005, an untitled player also won the tournament. This person is now a recognizable name around the world as GM Wang Hao.

Okay, I am going to play favorites here and ask how well the Filipino players fared in this tourney. IM Barlo A Nadera was 6th (7.5), IM Julio Catalino Sadorra 9th (7.5), IM Ronald Bancod, 13th (7.0), and IM Oliver Dimakilling, 15th (7.0). Not bad at all considering there were 87 players total.

Here's an instructive rook and pawn ending between IM Bancod (white) and GM Adianto from Indonesia (Diagram 1 above). The position seemed drawish but white's rook is more active and it is his move. Bancod played 43. Rb6+ Ke5 44. Rh6 Rd3+ 45. Kg2 Ra3 46. f4+ Kd4 (Diagram 2 below). Bancod managed to get behind one of black's pawns and seemed poised to capture it. It must indicative of a player's maturity and mastery of the game when in this position he elected to play 47. Rd6+, attempting to push the opposing king away from his pawns. Adianto moved 47...Kc4 and the black king stood a good two files away from the nearest pawn ( 47...Ke3 48. Re6+ Kd4 49. Kh3 Ra8 50. Re5 and white has an excellent position ). Play continued 48. Kh3 Ra1 49. Rf6 ( the point of 47. Rd6; Bancod wanted to capture the F pawn first ) Kd4 50. Rf5 Ke4 51. Rh5 Kf3 ( threatening mate ) 52. Kh4 and white won on the 69th move.