IM Enrico Sevillano joint winner of Las Vegas International Chess Festival Open tournament

Another Filipino does it again! Barely a week after IM Rogelio Barcenilla achieved his third and final GM norm, making him the 12th GMs the country ever produced, California based Pinoy International Master Enrico Sevillano shows once again how Filipinos fare strongly in their campaign abroad by winning the tough 2009 Las Vegas International Open together with Armenian born GM Varuzhan Akobian. The tournament is the biggest for Sevillano, after last years US Open where he also tied for first place with three others. The chess festival saw the participation of 17 GMs and 14 IMs. A total of 89 players saw action. Sevillano posted 4 wins, 2 draws with no defeat ahead of other notable battle hardened veteran GMs like Loek Van Wely of the Netherlands, Tigran Petrosian and Gabriel Sagrissian of Armenia, Jaan Elhvest of USA, Evgeny Bareev of Russia among others. Both Akobian and Sevillano will receive $4,641.00. For full report and final standings please go to the tournament official website.

We will be seeing the Philippines 13th GMs anytime soon.