PH keeps run; tough foes up next

TROMSO, Norway—Team Philippines sustained its run in the Women’s division while salvaging a draw in the Open section of the 41st Chess Olympiad at Mackhallen Hall here Sunday night.

The PH ladies trounced the International Chess Committee of the Deaf, 3.5-0.5, for their second straight win, while the Filipinos leaned on youthful International Master Paulo Bersamina to forge a 2-2 draw with higher-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina.

United States-based Chardine Cheradee Camacho, new sensation Janelle May Frayna and UAAP co-athlete of the year Jan Jodilyn Fronda posted contrasting victories in the first three boards while Catherine Perena, the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad board 1 player, settled for a draw in board 4 to give the Filipinas 4.0 match points and 7.5 game points.

After failing to secure the full point in his Olympiad debut against first round victim Afghanistan, the 16-year-old Bersamina showed his mettle with a 50-move triumph over Fide Master Dejan Marjanovic in the concluding board 4 tussle that enabled the Filipinos to climb to 3.0 match points and 5.5 game points.

The bespectacled Bersamina, the youngest national junior champion ever at 12 years old, had an unstoppable queening pawn when his opponent gave up in their Giuoco Piano match.

Bersamina, a high school senior at Letran,  compensated for the defeat GM John Paul Gomez in board 2 against GM Dalibor Stanovic after 37 moves of an Accelerated Dragon.

Another US-based player, Julio Catalino Sadorra, drew with fellow GM Borki Predojevik at the top board after 51 moves of an unorthodox Queen’s Gambit Declined and so did GM Eugene Torre against International Master Dennis Kadric in board three.

Camacho, a graduating computer science student at University of Texas at Dallas, pounced on back-to-back weak moves by fellow WIM Tatiana Baklanova to prevail after 54 moves.

Fronda, a graduating sports science major at De La Salle University, was poised for a mate in two when Natalya Myronenko surrendered in their Ruy Lopez (Steinitz Defense) encounter.

The 18-year-old Frayna, a psychology junior at Far Eastern University, triumphed over Woman Candidate Master Annegret Mucha after 61 moves of another Giuoco Piano.

Even as the second round results boosted the morale of the Filipinos, they braced for a rough sailing in the third round on Monday when they tangle with powerhouse squads.

Pitted against the Philippines, rated 52 among 177 teams, in the Open division is second seed Ukraine, which is composed of five Super GMs for a lofty average Elo of 2723.

Despite absorbing a shock second round loss, Vassily Ivanchuk (2744) will be returning to man board 1 against Sadorra, a business administration cum laude graduate of University of Texas.

Gomez will try to recover against Ruslan Ponomariov (2717), while Torre, who has a record 22 Olympiad stints, will test his mettle against Anton Korolov (2680).

His confidence back, Bersamina will handle white against GM Alexander Moiseenko (2707) in board 4.

Opposing the Philippines, ranked No. 43 among 137 women’s teams, is eighth-seeded Poland.

The 20-year-old Camacho faces GM Monika Socko, while Frayna, a dean’s lister, meets WGM Jolanta Zawadzka.

Fronda, also 20, will tangle with WGM Karina Szczepkowska-Horowska while Perena, who’s playing in her fifth straight Olympiad, tackles WGM Marta Bartel.