Torre keys Philippine victory vs Nigerians; Pinays fall

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Eugene Torre pulled off a 45-move win over FIDE Master Daniel Anwuli, powering the Philippines to a 3-1 romp over Nigeria in the third round of the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan Sunday night.

Torre gained a pawn and a positional edge in the opening but made a premature pawn capture in the middlegame, enabling Anwuli to create counter-play and a gain chance to force a draw with his rooks threatening the Filipino’s king.

But the 64-year-old Torre found a way to get out of the bind, forcing an exchange of the minor pieces and emerging a pawn up and a queenside passed pawn.

Anwuli resigned on the 45th.

GMs John Paul Gomez and Banjo Barcenilla provided the other wins over FM Bomo Kigigha and International Master Oladapo Adu on boards one and three, respectively, that more than made up for IM Paulo Bersamina’s stinging defeat to Candidate Master Adeyinka Adesina.

The Filipinos, who lost to Paraguay in the previous round, barged into the top 30 even as they hope to improve further when they face the Costa Ricans in the fourth round.

The men’s win also cushioned the impact of the Phl women’s team’s 0.5-3.5 defeat to seventh seed India following losses by WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Christy Lamiel Bernales and WIM Catherine Secopito to IM Rout Padmini, IM Sachdev Tania and WGM Swaminathan Soumya on the last thrree boards.

Janelle Mae Frayna averted a shutout as she escaped with a draw against GM Dronavalli Harika despite falling a pawn down.

The loss came a day after the Phl shocked four-time champion Georgia, 2.5-1.5, in one what could turn out as one of the biggest upsets of in the biennial tournament.

The ladies squad hopes to rebound against Canada in the fourth round.