Philippines blasts Spain, shares joint 13th in olympiad

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s team leaned on victories by Woman FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza and Woman International Master Bernadette Galas as it shocked 15th seed Spain, 3-1, to move a step closer to the top 10 after six rounds of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia Sunday night.

Mendoza made a temporary knight sacrifice and used it to carve out a masterful 85-move victory over FM Marta Garcia Martin of a Catalan on second board while Galas followed coach GM Jayson Gonzales’ advice to employ the seldom-used Trompovsky Opening in bringing down former top board player WGM Monica Calzetta Ruiz 56 moves on fourth board.

WGM Janelle Mae Frayna blew what could have been easily a won game but settled for a 42-move draw with IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez in a French Defense on top board while WIM Antoinette San Diego showed nerves of steel as she turned what looked like an unsalvageable losing position into a stunning 73-move draw with IM Ana Matnadze in a Queen’s Indian Defense on third board to complete the sensational upset.

The giant-sized win sent the Pinay chessers from a share of 23rd place to a seven-country logjam at 13th spot with nine match points apiece.

They will have a chance to barge into the top 10 for the first time in this biennial 11-round tournament as the Phl, which will parade the same Frayna-Mendoza-San Diego-Galas line up, was facing 14th seed Georgia 2, which fell to No. 4 Georgia 1, 1.5-2.5, in the seventh round at press time.

In the men’s division, the Filipinos arrested a three-game slide by bashing Jersey, 4-0, on wins by GMs Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez and IMs Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Haridas Pascua to improve from a tie at 101st place to a share of 77th with six points.

The Phl was battling Albania at press time.