International Master Rolando Nolte scored back-to-back wins over two grandmasters and took solo leadership after four rounds of the tough Manny Pacquiao/1000 GM International Open chess tournament late Saturday in General Santos City.
The eighth seed Nolte brought down top seed GM Novendra Priasmoro of Indonesia in the third round and GM Darwin Laylo in the fourth to keep a half-point lead ahead of a five-man group with 3.5 points.
The former Olympian Nolte, 51, was handling the white pieces against dangerous Russian Alexey Polschikov, as of press time in the fifth round, hoping to keep his hot winning streak going.
Polschikov, the fifth seed, was held to a draw by young FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri of the Philippines in the third round and went on to beat local IM Ricardo de Guzman in the fourth to remain in the hunt along with fellow 3.5 pointers Nouri, IM Oleg Bagmatsyrenov, playing under the FIDE flag, FIDE Master Arif Abdul Hafiz of Indonesia and promising local 17-year-old FM Mark Jay Bacojo.
After his third-round loss to Nolte, Priasmoro got back on track with a win against Kidapawan’s Edgar Reggie Olay in the fourth.
He has three points along with GM Laylo, and IMs Josiah Stearman of the United States, Eric Labog, and Ronald Dableo, as well as FM Jeth Romy Morado, among others.
Overnight sensation 14-year-old Andrei Ainsley Dolorosa, who scored two upset wins in the opening rounds, managed to score only a half-point and dropped to a share of 17th to 26th places, which included locals IM Hamed Nouri, FM David Elorta, de Guzman and Dutch Ruud Van Meegen.
