Garcia settles for 3rd place; Frayna 2nd

Filipino International Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia drew his last two matches and settled for third place in the JAPFA Asean Chess Championship 2015 Open division in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Garcia, solo leader after the ninth round, agreed to a truce with Malaysian IM Muhammad Lufti Ali in the 10th round Tuesday night and again with compatriot IM Paulo Bersamina in the 11th and final round Wednesday morning to finish in a three-way tie for first Vietnamese Fixde Master Nguyen Anh Khoi and Grandmaster Dao Thien Hai at 7.0 points.

After the tiebreak was applied, Nguyen emerged champion, the top-seeded Dao second, and Garcia, board 1 gold medalist for Ateneo in the UAAP, third.

Bersamina, spearhead of National University, placed fifth with 6.0 points while an off-form GM Darwin Laylo landed 11th with 4.5 points.

Woman Grandmaster Master Nguyen Thi Mai Hung affirmed the Vietnamese’s dominance when she topped the distaff side.

Though Nguyen drew her last two matches with Indonesian Woman Fide Master Abidah Shanti Nur and Malaysian Woman Candidate Master Hisham Nur Nabila, respectively, she wound up with 9.0 points, besting Filipinos WIM Janelle Mae Frayna (8.0 points) and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza (7.5 points).

If it’s any consolation, Mendoza earned her third and final WIM norm and needs only to raise her Elo 2091 to 2200 to secure the title.

Frayna and Mendoza, stalwarts of Far Eastern University in the UAAP, drew their 10th round match and couldn’t gain headway against Indonesian WIM Chelsie Monica Ignesia and Filipino WIM Bernadette Galas, respectively, in the 11th round.

Galas, standout of De La Salle University, placed sixth with 6.5 points. Roy Luarca