Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda-Grafil and Mhage Sebastian continued their strong showing as they powered the Philippines to a 3.5-0.5 demolition of Kyrgyzstan, moving closer to a potential top-10 finish after seven rounds of the 46th World Chess Olympiad at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Wednesday night.
Fronda-Grafil delivered the Philippines’ first win after defeating Woman FIDE Master Aizhan Sezdbekova on board three. After WFM Shania Mae Mendoza halved the point with WFM Aimonchok Zhunusbekova on board four, Sebastian clinched the match with a victory over WFM Nurai Sovetbekova on the top board.
Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna then completed the sweep with a win over WFM Aleksandra Samaganova on board two, giving the Filipinas a 3.5-0.5 victory and lifting them into a 26-nation tie for 12th place with 10 match points heading into the final four rounds of the biennial event, widely regarded as the Olympics of chess.
To break into the top 10, however, the Nationals needed to get past 23rd-seeded Romania in the eighth round, which was being played as of this writing.
Interestingly, Romania defeated the Philippines, 2.5-1.5, when the two countries last met in the ninth round of the Budapest Olympiad two years ago.
The Filipinas were therefore looking to avenge that setback.
Fronda-Grafil has been the Philippines’ most productive player so far, tallying 5.5 points in six outings, while Sebastian has provided stability on the top board, where she has scored a phenomenal 4.5 points against higher-rated opponents.
Both would need to maintain that form if the Filipinas were to pull off an upset against Romania.
The Philippine men’s team, meanwhile, suffered a heartbreaking 1.5-2.5 loss to Argentina, which was led by 12-year-old Grandmaster Faustino Oro.
Oro, widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in chess, outlasted International Master Pau Bersamina on the top board to help secure the victory for Argentina. Earlier, GM Daniel Quizon, IM Jem Garcia, and GM Darwin Laylo all drew their respective matches.
The loss dropped the Filipinos into a large group of teams with eight match points at No. 55 in the standings.
The GM Eugene Torre-mentored squad was facing El Salvador in the eighth round as of this writing.
The Philippine teams’ campaigns are being supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
