The Philippine men’s national chess team overpowered Tunisia, 4-0, while the women’s squad fell short of an upset bid against 18th seed Hungary, 1.5-2.5, in the third round of the 46th World Chess Olympiad at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday night.
Grandmaster Darwin Laylo saw action for the first time after sitting out the opening two rounds and immediately delivered, dispatching FIDE Master Hamed Ben Ghanem in 51 moves in a Queen’s Pawn game on board four to help the Filipinos secure the lopsided victory.
International Masters Michael Concio Jr., Pau Bersamina, and Jem Garcia likewise defeated their respective opponents on boards one to three, propelling the Philippines into a 66-way tie for 30th place with four match points.
For the Filipinas, their points came from draws by Mhage Sebastian, WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, and WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda on the first three boards. However, their upset bid was spoiled by WFM Shania Mae Mendoza’s loss to WIM Kata Karacsonyi on board four.
The Filipinas had their chances, with Frayna and Fronda appearing to gain early positional advantages, while Mendoza recovered from an opening disadvantage to reach what seemed to be an equal position.
However, Frayna and Fronda were unable to capitalize on their advantages and settled for draws, while Mendoza eventually lost her way and suffered the decisive defeat.
The setback dropped the Filipinas into a 62-nation tie for 27th place, also with four match points.
Both teams, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, were seeking victories against the United Arab Emirates in the men’s section and Sri Lanka in the women’s section in the fourth round at press time.
