Lady chesser outwits rapist

A would-be rapist must have realized a woman chess player was smarter and more quick-witted than she appeared to be.

This he must have found out when he divested woman international chess master Beverly Mendoza of her cash and valuables worth at least P5,000 and, not satisfied with the caper, also wanted to rape her.

A person to whom Mendoza revealed her ordeal said the RP Olympian was in the taxi cab when the driver declared a holdup. When Mendoza tried to call up a friend on her cellphone to ask for help, the driver got mad and decided to kidnap her.

Blindfolded, she was held captive at some place where the driver tried to rape her but Mendoza, known for her poise and wit under pressure, looked for a way out of a losing situation.

At first she told her abductor that she had Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndome (AIDS) and sexually-transmittred disease, but that didn’t appear convincing.

Then she told the driver that she was giving in to his desires but asked that she first took a shower.

Mustering enough courage and strength, she kicked and punched the cabbie when the latter forcibly entered the bathroom, giving her enough time to run for her life.

She went to the Philippine Chess Society office in Timog, Quezon City where she called her friends who then informed police authorities.

Mendoza, still recovering from the ordeal, is currently under the custody of Social Security System executive vice-president Horacio Templo.

She reportedly lost P5,000 and some valuables, but — thanks to her poise and wit under pressure — not her life and dignity. — Joey Villar