by Marlon Bernardino

FIDE Master (FM) Deniel Causo defeated Vietnamese Tran Dang Minh Quang in the ninth and final round to settle for a fifth place finish in the Laos International Open Chess Championship 2018 was held at the Don Chan Palace Hotel & Convention, Unit 6, Piavat Village in Vientiane, Laos on Sunday, January 7, 2018.

The Thailand-based chess instructor Causo, a former  top player of National University (NU), Bustillos, Manila was actually tied with International Master (IM) Duong The Anh and Grandmaster (GM) Bui Vinh of Vietnam and Fide Master (FM) Lee Jun Hyeok of Korea with 6.5 points apiece but fell to No.5 after ending with the tiebreaker with 46.0.

Duong The Anh won third place with 46.5 followed by fourth place Bui Vinh who also tote 46.5. Lee Jun Hyeok was ended at sixth place 43.5 lower tie break points.

It shall be recalled that FM Causo settle overall fifth place finish in the Jolimark Hongkong International Open Chess Championship 2017 last December 27 held at the Kung Lee College on Tai Hang Drive, Hong Kong.

"FM (Deniel) Causo gained international accolades and made the country proud." said Sales Director Samivin V. Delos Santos of SM Development Corporation.

"My husband (FM Deniel Causo) cannot explained how lucky he get in the last 3 International tournaments that he played in. Despite of playing without preparation while coaching his student playing in the same tournament somehow he still manage to get good results and win prizes. " It's definitely God's favor","Julie Ann Mendez Causo, wife of FM Deniel posted in her facebook account.

Grandmaster (GM) Karen Grigoryan of Armenia, who halved the point with Duong The Anh in the final canto, took first place with 7.5 points, while International Master Le Tuan Minh of Vietnam, who downed Fide Master Wiwatanadate Poompong of Thailand, wound up at No.2 with 7.0 points.

GM Sriram Jha of India, meantime drew with International Master (IM) Chan Peng Kong of Singapore to finish overall seventh place and led the huge group of 6.0 pointers that includes No.8 Gerald Ferriol of Paranaque, No.9 Jasper Rom of Cebu, No.10 FM Wiwatanadate Poompong of Thailand, No.11 FM Jony Habla and No.12 IM Chan Peng Kong of Singapore.

National Master (NM) Ric Portagalera of General Santos City, who was yielded to FM Habla in the last round, remains at five points, and was dropped into an overall 21st place in this 68 player's field.-Marlon Bernardino-