Phl chessers lose to Kazakhs

MANILA, Philippines - Phl-Tagaytay took a 1.5-2.5 loss to Astana (Kazakhstan) and tumbled down the standing in the fourth round of the Asian Cities Chess Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday.

GM Wesley So beat GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev and GM John Paul Gomez drew with GM Pavel Kotsur but GMs Joey Antonio and Darwin Laylo bowed to GMs Rinat Jumabayev and Anuar Ismagambetov, respectively, as the Filipinos dropped to joint eighth with four points.

They hope to bounce back against Abu Dhabi (UAE) in the fifth round today.