Unknown Alexis Maribao stuns IM Arca to join MP International Open leaders

UNHERALDED Alexis Emil Maribao continued to send shockwaves down the tournament area after catching another big fish in Filipino International Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca on Tuesday to hold on to a piece of the lead in the Manny Pacquiao (MP) International Open in General Santos City.

It was the second sensational triumph pulled off by the 33-year-old Caloocan native after he pulled the rug from under Indonesian Grandmaster (GM) Susanto Megaranto in the opening round on Monday.

The giant-sized result kept Mr. Maribao, whose last victory came in a tournament in Baguio exactly a year ago, alongside the giants in a 10-player lead group with a perfect score of two points each.

It included Filipino GM Daniel Quizon who turned back IM Rolando Nolte and whom Mr. Maribao was battling in the third round as of this writing.

Also slaying a GM was FIDE Master David Elorta, who decimated eighth seed Italian Vitaly Sivuk.

Another local bet, IM Kim Steven Yap from Cebu, stayed atop the heap and unblemished after downing countryman Mark Zephan Bordios.

But it wasn’t all roses as the country’s other bets like GMs John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and IM Ronald Dableo, all fell like dominoes with stinging setbacks to top seed GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen of Norway, fourth pick GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Bulgaria and No. 2 GM Pa Iniyan of India, respectively.

Also on top were Uzbekistan-born American GM Timur Gareyev, Indonesian GM Novendra Priasmoro and Vietnamese GM Nguyen Doc Hoa in this nine-round event staking a whopping P10-million cash pot including $20,000 or P1.155 million to the eventual champion courtesy of Mr. Pacquiao. — Joey Villar