By Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines–Unheralded Filipino FIDE Master Virgilio Vuelban stole the thunder from the grandmasters recently by topping the tough Rome International Chess Festival in the Italian capital.
Vuelban, 35, who has an ELO rating of 2332, beat two GMs in tallying 5.5 points on five wins and a draw in the six-round Swiss tourney.
Among Vuelban’s victims were top seed Russian GM Oleg Korneev and Bulgarian GM Milko Povchev.
Just last Saturday, International Master Rolly Martinez earned his first GM norm when he finished fourth in the 27th Chess Festival in Bratto, Italy. He pooled 6.5 points.
Martinez, the solo overnight leader, dropped his ninth and final match to eventual champion GM Vladimir Burmakin of Russia. Marlon Bernardino, Contributor
Final Standings
5.5 points — FM Virgilio Vuelban (RP); 5.0 — GM Igors Rausis (Czech Republic), IM Milan Mrdja (Croatia); 4.5 — GM Oleg Korneev (Russia), GM Igor Naumkin (Russia), IM Bogomil Andonov (Bulgaria), GM Milko Povchev (Bulgaria)
