There were seven qualifying groups of 14 players each and Mas tied for first in Group B with a 12.5/13 score, his only draw coming in a no holds barred encounter against the Georgian GM Coach of the young Kazakhstan team taking part.
15 players will play a 14 round robin final tonight.
Back to the 13th BCC Open, Ahmad Fadzli Nayan, Wong Jianwen, Muhd Syazwan Zulkifli and Fong Yit San are on 2.5/5, 50 percent, while Ismail Ahmad is joined by Fong Yit Ho on 2/5 while youngsters Tan Jun Ying and Ryan Chan are on 1.5/5 and 1/5 respectively.
While Mas salvaged a draw, Li Tian was outplayed in a complex attacking game against an IM.
Of our other leading prospects, Ahmad Fadzli in a marathon game suffered heartbreak when he let a draw slip away but Jianwen, Muhd Syazwan and Yit San had very easy wins.