The Philippines’ women’s team dealt regional rival Vietnam a 3-1 beating on Monday night in the 10th round of the World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, and moved closer to a best-ever finish in the event.
The Filipino women were clashing with the 14th seed Cubans in the final round at press time and a triumph would seal the best finish for the squad in the biennial meet since placing 22nd in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1988.
Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna and Woman International Masters (WIM) Marie Antoinette San Diego and Kylen Joy Mordido came through with masterful wins on boards one, three and four, respectively, to seal the upset win and share 22nd place with 10 other countries.
Only WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda suffered a loss against Vietnam—bowing to WGM Nguyen Thi Ma Hung on the second board.
The Filipinos had also surpassed a 67th-place effort in the last over-the-board edition of the biennial tournament in Batumi, Georgia, four years back regardless of the results of their last match.
Meanwhile, the Filipino men routed the Guatemalans, 4-0, to move up to an 18-nation tie at 41st spot with 12 points.
The men’s squad was playing fancied Norway, a team spearheaded by reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen, in the final round with a shot at improving on a 39th-place performance the last time out.