Filipino International Master Mark Jay Bacojo has tied for the lead in the Russian Chess Crown Standard A tournament in Moscow after defeating a local opponent in the penultimate round. The 19-year-old from Far Eastern University also secured his first Grandmaster norm with an impressive performance rating. He faces another Russian player in the final round for a chance to make history.
In the ultra-tough Russian Chess Crown Standard A tournament held in Moscow, 19-year-old Filipino International Master Mark Jay Bacojo delivered a standout performance by defeating Russian FIDE Master Stanislav Bukreev in a 70-move Queen's Pawn game during the 10th and penultimate round. This victory propelled Bacojo into a four-way tie for the lead with seven points each, alongside Russian Grandmasters Boris Savchenko and Zhamsaran Tsydypov, and one other player.
Bacojo, a standout from Far Eastern University, achieved his first Grandmaster norm in the process. He gained 83.8 FIDE rating points and posted a 2667 performance rating, which is on par with super Grandmaster level. All nine of his opponents in the tournament had higher FIDE ratings, including four Grandmasters against whom he recorded one win, two draws, and one loss.
The game against Bukreev featured a ferocious sacrificial attack by Bacojo, who gave up a knight, forcing the Russian's king to flee from kingside to queenside. Bacojo then won the opposing queen in exchange for a rook and bishop, defending solidly to secure the full point.
In the final round, Bacojo will face Russian International Master Ramil Faizrakhmanov. A win could make him the first Filipino to triumph on Russian soil in such an event. As FEU coach Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales noted, "Technically, Mr. Bacojo has the best performance by a Filipino in a Russian tournament." He added, "If he wins, he’ll be the first Filipino to win there because that one by Mr. Balinas in Odessa was not in Russia, but in Ukraine."
Historically, the late Grandmaster Rosendo Balinas won a stronger Grandmaster tournament in Odessa in 1978, but that was in Ukraine.
