GMs Rogelio Antonio, Jr. and Buenaventura Villamayor outclassed their respective rivals to set the tone for the rout as the Filipinos hiked their output to 29.5 points to gain a share 23rd place with six others, including tormentors Spain and the United States.
Antonio beat Alfredo Giaccio in 47 moves of a French defense where the Filipino used his endgame brilliance to outwit his rival, while Villamayor sacrificed a knight in the middlegame to gain a positional advantage then pressed his attack on Alejandro Hoffman’s fort to win in 43 moves of a Reti game.
GM Eugene Torre settled for a draw with GM Daniel Campora in a rook-and-pawn endgame of a Sicilian while NM Idelfonso Datu likewise halved the point with Guillermo Soppe on board 4.
The RP women’s team gained some measure of pride by blanking Colombia, 3-0, as Arianne Caoili, Beverly Mendoza and Christine Espallardo outplayed M. Mateus, M. Palao and N. Ortiz, respectively.
The 14-round Swiss system event takes a rest Saturday with the final round slated Sunday morning.