ARCA TOPS QUANG NINH IM1 CHESS TILT IN VIETNAM

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino FIDE Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca drew with top seed International Master Farid Firman Syah in the ninth and final round to rule the 2nd Quang Ninh IM1 chess tournament in Halong, Vietnam Thursday.

The 16-year-old Panabo, Davao del Norte native had to overcome a stinging opening-round defeat to Vietnamese Tran Ngoc Minh Duy by scoring six points on four victories and the same number of draws to win the event.

By doing so, Arca also clinched the IM title as he expected to breach the 2400-rating plateau following the 13.2 rating points he earned in Halong and the 69.2 rating points he had amassed in a tournament in Davao del Norte a month back.

Arca, who is currently rated 2327, is now waiting for the FIDE approval to become a full-pledged IM.

Meanwhile, Daniel Quizon topped the blitz section by scoring an unbeaten 10 points in 11 rounds, finishing ahead of Indonesian GM Novendra Priasmoro with 9.5 points and Vietnamese Nguyen Vuong Tung Lam with 8.5 points.

Arca couldn’t sustain a hot start and finished at No. 6 with 7.5 points.

2025-06-13T05:36:15Z