The Thailand Open 2013 – 13th Bangkok Chess Club Open – is now two thirds way through with six rounds having been played.
It was an unfamiliar line-up at the top boards in this Asia leading international event being played at the Dusit Thani Pattaya with Rogelio Antonio against Levente Vajda, Ralf Akesson against Mark Paragua and Saptarshi Roy against Zhao Zong-Yuan.
Almost all the other favourites are however half a point behind with relatively easy encounters, third seed Jan Gustafsson playing IM Manual Bijaoui, Nouri Hamed facing fourth seed Koneru Humpy, a fomer BCC champion Sune Berg Hansen against M.S. Thejkumar, GM Darwin Laylo with WGM Irine Kharismar Sukandar, Jimsoon Bitoon taking on IM Wang Chen, GM Attila Czebe against Ma Zhongan and GM Gerhard Schelber playing Nelson Villanueva.
Antonio took the sole lead by being the only winner to reach 5.5/6 while Zhao, Paragua, Akesson and Saptarshi who drew each other was joined on 5/6 by Guftasson, Hansen, Laylo, Schebler and Wang.
On 4.5/6 and still in with a chance are Nigel Short, Vajda, Humpy, Oliver Barbosa, Susanto Megaranto, Adam Horvath, Czebe, Sriram Jha, Wan Yungo, Ma Zhonghan, Max Illingworth, Farid Firman Shah, Martin Voight, and Nouri.
News and photo gallery by Peter Long (click on thumbnail for full size)
