Final round loss drops RP chessers to 50th place

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines took a stinging 1.5-2.5 loss to lower-rated Estonia and wound up 50th in the Chess Olympiad ruled by Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Sunday.

IM Richard Bitoon lost to IM Aleksandr Volodin on the last board as the Filipino chessers failed to improve on the country’s 46th place finish two years ago in Dresden.

Bitoon, who took over from GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., who was booted out of the team at the last minute, resigned on the 53rd move of their Sicilian Taimanov variation with a mate-in-one threat.

Bitoon, aiming to become the country’s newest GM, squirmed in time trouble and made a weak rook move on the 36th, enabling the 20-year-old Volodin to launch a vicious queen-rook attack.

When he resigned, Bitoon’s King on e5 was under threat of mate-in-one by Volodin’s rook.

Before the final-round setback, Bitoon was the second-best Filipino performer with six points on four wins, four draws and one loss.

GM Wesley So settled for a draw with GM Kaido Kulaots in 27 moves of the Gruenfeld Exchange variation.

GM John Paul Gomez also split the point with GM Meelis Kanep in 27 moves of the Sicilian while GM Darwin Laylo halved the point with IM Olav Sepp.

The Filipinos thus wound up with 12 points on five wins, two draws and four losses based on the match point-style scoring system.

The Filipinos finished tied for 49th with 15 others in the 149-team competition and placed 50th overall after the Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak.

The Filipinos’ best finish in the Olympiad was eighth during the 1988 Olympiad in Thessaloniki, Greece.

So emerged as the Filipinos’ leading scorer with 6.5 points on three wins and seven draws, followed by Bitoon with six points on four wins, four draws and two losses.

Gomez wound up with five points on three wins, four draws and two losses.

GM Eugene Torre, who made a record 20th Olympiad appearance in 40 years from 1970 to 2010, had 4.5 points on three wins, three draws and only one loss despite playing the least number of games among the Filipinos.

Laylo had 3-2-3 win-draw-loss record.

The RP ladies edged Brazil, 2.5-1.5, on victory by WFM Shercila Cua over Amanda Pereira to finish in joint 37th with 12 points on five wins, two draws and four losses.

The Fili[pinas finished 44th after tiebreak.

Cheradee Chardine Camacho drew with WFM Juliana Terao, Rulp Ylem Jose halved the point with Vanessa Gazola and JEdara Docena halved the point with Ana Paula de Oliveira.