Big wins by Galas, Mendoza key PH’s shock draw vs England
Woman Fide Master Shania Mae Mendoza and Woman International Master Bernadette Galas pulled off shock wins as the Philippines carved out a 2-2 draw with higher-ranked England after five rounds of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, Friday night.
Mendoza punished WFM Louise Head for a greedy pawn capture and fashioned out a 35-move win of a Slav Defense on board three while Galas turned a quiet positional game into a 43-move triumph of an English encounter over WIM Sue Maroroa and board four.
Up 2-0 and a draw away from pulling off an even more stunning win, Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Catherine Secopito suffered painful defeats at the hands of IM Jovanka Houska and FM Akshaya Kalaiyalahan on the top two boards as the English team escaped with the standoff.
The Philippines dropped from a share of 12th to a 10-country tie at 23rd with seven match points to show in this tournament that gives two points for a win and a point for a draw.
United States leads the way with a perfect 10 points.
The draw, however, was a big result for the Filipino women, who are ranked 43rd in the world against England’s 25th.
They hope to inch closer to the tournament’s big guns as they were to face off with the 15th-seeded Spaniards in the sixth-round on Sunday.
This 11-round tournament took a one-day break Saturday.
While the women’s squad kept its impressive showing, the men’s side, which is seeded 54th, continued to disappoint following a 1.5-2-5 defeat to 102-ranked Lebanon.
IM Haridas Pascua provided the lone win for the Philippines’ men’s team after he buried Maroun Tomb on board three.
GM Julio Catalino Sadorra appeared headed to salvage a 2-2 deadlock but he blew his winning chances and drew with IM Fadi Eid on board one.
GM John Paul Gomez blundered a piece early and lost to FM Amro El Jawich on the second board while Turqueza’s penchant for coffee house tactics didn’t work against Mhadi Al Kaoury and he absorbed a thorough beating on the fourth board.
