Nakamura, pal upset

MANILA, Philippines — Home bets Jem Garcia and Pau Bersamina rocked the opening day of the WR Bughouse Championship at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in BGC, Taguig in bringing down heavy favorites Hikaru Nakamura and Wadim Rosenstein in the sixth round.

And halfway through the event, the Garcia-Bersamina pair, billed as Uncrowned Kings, has barged into the magic eight with five victories and a single defeat.

But it’s still a long road ahead for the Olympiad veteran International Masters, needing to keep their place in the top eight to snare one of the slots in the knockout quarterfinals slated today.

“We just tried to keep pace with them because we know they’re fast,” said Garcia, who was paired with Nakamura, the American Grandmaster rated No. 2 in the world.

Fifty teams compose the field in the rich event with a total cash pot of $100,000 (P6.1 million).