Mendoza, Frayna boost title drive in Jakarta tilt

WOMAN Fide Master Shania Mae Mendoza and Woman International Master Janelle Mae Frayna subdued their Indonesian opponents in the sixth round Saturday to boost their title drive in the Japfa Asean Chess Championship women’s division in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The 17-year-old Mendoza beat WIM Chelsie Monica Ignesia Sihite to keep her share of the lead with Vietnamese Woman Grandmaster Nguyen Thi Mai Hung at 5.0 points.

The 19-year-old Frayna, on the other hand, tamed WFM Dewi Ardhiani Anastasia Citra to stay within striking distance at 4.5 points.

WIM Bernadette Galas, the third Filipino on the 12-player field, settled for a draw with Malaysian Woman candidate Master Hishan Nur Nabila Azman and landed at 3.5 points in the company of Sihite and Azman.

The seventh round is being played at presstime with Mendoza battling Malaysian WFM Abida Shanti Nur, Frayna tackling Vietnamese WIM Hong Thi Nhu Y and Galas tangling with Citra.

It was an uneventful round in the Open division with all six games ending in draws, leaving the standings unchanged.

IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia agreed to a truce with Malaysian FM Li Tian Yeoh and so did IM Paulo Bersamina and GM Darwin Laylo against Vietnamese FM Anh Khoi Nguyen and GM Susanto Megaranto, respectively.

Garcia and Yeoh shared top spot with 4.0 points each. Bersamina was in the middle pack at 3.0 points while Laylo was near bottom at 2.5.

GM Jayson Gonzales, coach of Frayna and Mendoza at Far Eastern University, is the delegation head in his capacity as executive director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by Prospero Pichay Jr.