Top favorite Grandmaster Wesley So battled Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre to a tense and exciting draw in what many dubbed as the match between the country’s past and present chess champions in the fourth round of the 2008 “Battle of GMs” chess championship at the 11th floor, Bayside Hall, City State Hotel in Mabini, Manila.

The match between So, who made history by becoming the world’s youngest GM at age 14, and Torre, who held the baton for local chess for almost four decades, ended in a draw after 38 moves of the Ruy Lopez opening.

Both So, who played white, and Torre, have a queen and four pawns each when they agreed to split the point in this tough, 11-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) headed by president Prospero “Butch” Pichay and secretary-general and Tagaytay Ctiy Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“Mahirap pong pilitin, lalo na mabigat na GM din ang kalaban,” said So, a high school student at St. Francis College in Bacoor, Cavite.

Despite the draw, So remained in the lead with 3.5 points on three wins and one draw.

Three-time national junior champion John Paul Gomez made short work of NM Oliver Barbosa in 33 moves of the French defense to regain a share of the lead with So.

Gomez, a 21-year-old campaigner from Biñan, Laguna, also had three wins and one draw.

Torre moved up to a two-way tie for third to fourth places with IM Richard Bitoon with three points on two wins and two draws.

Bitoon, the pride of Medellin, Cebu, whipped GM-candidate Julio Catalino Sadorra in 41 moves of the French defense to join Torre. In solo fifth place is FM Fernie Donguines.

Donguines, a silver medalist in the 1994 Moscow Olympiad, outclassed NM Hamed Nouri in 37 moves of the Sicilian to raise his score to 2.5 points on two wins, one draw and one loss.

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. halved the point with comebacking GM Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor to stay in contention for the R200,000 top prize with two points on one win, two draws and one loss.

NM Rolando Nolte upset GM Jayson Gonzales in 39 moves of another French to join Sadorra and Nouri with 1.5 points.

In the women’s division, WNM Catherine Perena crushed WNM Jedara Docena in 41 moves of the Queen’s Gambit and WNM Ylen Jose outplayed WNM Cristy Lamiel Bernales in 39 moves of the Queen’s Indian to share the lead with WNM Shercila Cua with 3.5 points out of a possible four.

Cua, a member of the famed V. Luna Chess Club, drew with WNM Enerose Magno in 46 moves of the Slav. Cua’s younger sister, Sherily, also halved the point with WNM Aices Salvador to grab solo fourth place with three points.

At stake in the unique, 11-round tournament supported by PAGCOR and City State Hotel are cash prizes with the men’s champion getting P200,000 and the women’s titlist earning P50,000.