Chess Olympiad: Filipinos notch confidence-boosting wins vs Aruba, Malawi

BUDAPEST, Hungary — There was really no surprise when the Philippines had trouble-free opening round victories over Aruba in the men’s division and Malawi in the women’s side of the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad at the BOK Sports Hall here Wednesday night.

For the Filipinos, that round served as the calm before the storm as they are all collectively aware that the real battle is just about to begin.

And it will be when the country faces an all-super Grandmaster German side on one hand for the men and a powerhouse United States on the other for the women in the second round Thursday night.

That is why it was important that the Filipinos — whose trip was financed by the Philippine Sports Commission through chair Richard Bachmann and commissioner Ed Hayco and backed by National Chess Federation of the Philippines chief Butch Pichay — got the needed boost and confidence from their 4-0 decimation of the Arubans and Malawians to jumpstart their ambitious campaign.

Olympiad debutants Daniel Quizon and Ruelle Canino provided the spark by delivering contrasting victories with the former surviving Juan Pablo de Mey in 35 moves of a Sicilian on board one and the latter swatting Anne Simwabe like a fly on board four in an English duel also in 35 moves.

Of the two, Quizon, 20, had struggled more since his style can be likened to a boa constrictor, slowly and silently squeezing his way to turn that slight positional disadvantage into a smashing victory.

In contrast, Canino, like a predator to a prey, wasn’t shy of going straight for the jugular as she won the exchange early, made it a full rook edge, and, when her foe, stubbornly refused to resign, went for a pawn mate that she nearly consummated had Simwabe not resigned a move before.

While Canino’s victory was swift, Jan Jodilyn Fronda was faster as she was the first to register the win—a 35-move triumph over Tupokiwe Msukwa on board three — for the country, or just less than a minute ahead of the former.

As if on cue, John Paul Gomez, Janelle Mae Frayna, Shania Mae Mendoza, Jan Emmanuel Garcia, and then Quizon all swooped down on their helpless foe one by one, leaving Paulo Bersamina as the lone Filipino sitting and battling for a win.

Despite being time-troubled, Bersamina eventually prevailed to complete the great start for the Philippine team coached by GMs Eugene Torre and Jayson Gonzales with Atty. Roel Canobas as delegation head.

“Simula na laban bukas (Thursday),” said Gonzales.

The seventh-seeded Germans, composed of GMs Dmitrij Kollars, Matthias Bluebaum, Alexander Donchenko and Frederik Svane, sank Madagascar, 3.5-.5, while Americans of IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, IM Carissa Yip, GM Irina Krush and IM Anna Zatonskih, also seeded No. 7, pounded Jordan, 4-0, to launch their respective medal bids.