Bacojo draws with Russian International Master for podium finish

Mark Jay Bacojo

BusinessWorld

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ Mark Jay Bacojo agreed to a quick, six-move draw in the 10th and final round with fellow International Master Ramil Faizrakhmanov of Russia to complete an impressive podium finish in the Russian Chess Crown Standard A in Moscow Thursday night.

The 19-year-old Far Eastern University stalwart had actually finished tied for second with Faizrakhmanov with 7.5 points but fell to third after the latter ended up with a higher tiebreak score.

Russian GM Boris Savchenko downed compatriot in GM Zhamsaram Tsydypov to snarte the title with eight points.

If Bacojo had gone for the win instead of playing it safe with a standoff and got it, he would have ended up tied for first with Savchenko, whom he would have beaten for the crown due to a better tiebreaker.

Nonetheless, Bacojo had gotten what he originally intended for in that super strong event that drew 19 GMS and a bevy of WGMs, IMs and FIDE Masters — a GM norm and rating points.

In total, Bacojo, who is rated 2305, earned 85.8 rating points on a fantastic performance rating of 2633, which is equivalent to a super GM-level effort.

That effort in the Russian capital was reminiscent of the late great GM Rosendo Balinas, Jr.'s feat in 1978 in Odessa in the Soviet Union where he won a super strong tournament on the same soil that produced world champions in the past.

Bacojo is expected to go for his second GM norm or possibly an outright GM title and an outright World Cup berth if he rules the Asian Individual Championships set May 20-30 in Mongolia.

As a prelude to that, he is also plunging into battle in next month's Battle of the GMs, which stakes automatic slots to this September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.