SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan — The Philippine women’s team routed Syria 3.5-0.5 on Thursday night to secure its second straight victory in Round 2 of the 46th World Chess Olympiad.
Mhage Sebastian, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, and Shania Mae Mendoza delivered victories on boards one, three, and four at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre. Ruelle Canino held Syria’s Manar Khalil to a draw on board two to complete the dominant showing.
The win followed an opening-round 4-0 sweep over Malawi, keeping the Filipinas undefeated heading into a stiffer third-round test against Hungary.
“The field is getting harder and harder each round,” said Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, the national team coach and secretary-general of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.
Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s first and only Woman Grandmaster, is set to make her tournament debut in Round 3 after resting during the first two rounds. Frayna, who captured national titles in Bulacan and Isabela, is slated to face International Master Szidonia Lazarne-Vajda on board two.
Sebastian will remain on board one after an unbeaten start, while Fronda meets International Master Nomin-Erdene Davaademberel on board three and Mendoza faces Woman International Master Kata Karaksonyi on board four.
In the open division, the Philippine men fell 3-1 to seventh-seeded Azerbaijan.
International Masters Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia salvaged draws against Grandmasters Aydin Suleymanli and Eltaj Safarli on boards two and four. International Master Michael Concio Jr. and Grandmaster Daniel Quizon were defeated on boards one and three by Grandmasters Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Mahammad Muradli.
Two years ago at the Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, the Philippine women took 24th place overall and earned the Category B gold medal, while the men finished 59th.
The squad also has financial incentive on the line: Henry Oaminal Sr., governor of Misamis Occidental and federation deputy president for Mindanao, pledged 1 million Philippine pesos ($17,800) for a top-10 team finish, or 500,000 pesos ($8,900) for cracking the top 20.
