Arca draws with Ganguly, aims for win vs Short in final round

Filipino FIDE Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca secured a draw against Indian Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly in Round 8 of the Bangkok Chess Club Open, gaining 6.0 points and securing his third International Master norm.

Arca now has 6.0 points and is tied for sixth place with eight others, including his final round opponent, British GM Nigel Short, from whom he aims to secure a win for a possible Grandmaster norm.

In other results, Filipino IM Michael Concio Jr. won against Australian IM James Morris, while compatriot IM Paulo Bersamina defeated Latvian Arsens Batashevs, both gaining 6.5 points and sharing second place with Indian Babu M R Lalit.

Romanov leads the standings with Malaysian FIDE Master Ern Jie Anderson Ang after prevailing over British GM Stephen Gordon in Round 8.

Meanwhile, Bersamina dominated the Makruk (Thai chess) category by winning against several players including Singaporean Mooi Kok Onn and Vietnamese Dang Hoang Som.