Cuban Women's Chess Championship

News from ACN, Cuban News Agency (January 17, 2008): Cuban Females for the Crown of National Chess Tournament Holguin, Jan 17 (acn) Three rounds away from the finals of Cuba's national chess championship (women) underway in the eastern province of Holguin, the fight for the crown is becoming tighter since the scoring shows more than one possible winner. Grand Master (GM) Maritza Arribas (2234) from Santiago de Cuba leads the scoring with 8 points at the end of round 10, only half a point ahead of International Master (IM) Lisandra Ordaz (2284) from Pinar del Rio and FIDE Master (FM) Oleinis Linares (Santiago). Arribas, defending champ, drew with MI Zirka Frometa (2152) from Santiago, while Ordaz beat Yaniet Marrero (2299) from Las Tunas and Linares took the victory over FM Jeniffer Perez (2160) from Villa Clara. Fourth in the scoring with 6.5 points follows GM Sulennis Pina (2299) from Granma, who lost to MI Yerisbel Miranda (2126) from Pinar del Rio on Tuesday after five consecutive wins. The fifth position with 6 points is held by FM Zenia Corrales (2128) from Pinar, who beat her counterpart Lisandra Llaudy (2234)(Holguin) in 45 moves of a Sicilian Defense on Tuesday. Round ten ended after the win of GM Vivian Ramon (2293) (Havana) over Daniela Forgas (Santiago de Cuba), and draws between FM Ivette Catala (2136) (Havana) and IM Yuleiki Fleites (2217) from Villa Clara. The scoring is completed with Miranda in the sixth place (5,5), followed by Fleites (5), Catala (4,5), Vivian and Llaudy (4), Marrero (3,5), Perez (3), and Forgas and Frometa (2). The eleventh day of the tournament, being played in the Sports Museum Celso Enriquez, features a game between Arribas and Linares, besides the Corrales-Ordaz match. In other matches this Thursday, Sulennis should face Vivian, Fleites-Miranda, Marrero-Catala, Forgas-Frometa and Perez-Llaudy.