Janelle Mae Frayna in action at the 32nd SEA Games. –JANELLE FRAYNA FACEBOOK
Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and Woman Intenational Master Shania Mae Mendoza assured the Philippines of a silver medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games 2023 ouk chaktrang (Cambodian chess) women’ doubles 60-minute at Royal University of Phnom Penh.
A 4-1 win-loss record in the knockout ladder preliminaries netted a 3.5 tally for the Filipino duo, the same points held by Myanmar and Malaysia.
This, according to National women’s team coach and National Chess Federation of the Philippines executive director Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, has turned the tandem’s coming seventh-round battle against Pen Khemrareaksmey and Tep Sokratha of the host country a no-bearing one based on their computations.
“We’ve already computed it, they will end up with the same score. We’re assured of silver because even if there’s a three-way or two-way tie the first tiebreak is the winner-over-the-other rule,” said Gonzales of the novel chess event played for the first time in the 11-nation, biennial sportsfest.
The only setback of the team came Tuesday evening at the hands of Nu Hong An Ton and Than Phuong Thao Pham of Vietnam, 0.5-1-5, in the sixth and penultimate round.
Before this, Frayna and Mendoza, both 24, dumped Burmese Soe Moe Khaing and Su Su Hlaing on opening day; clipped Malaysia’s Chua Jia Ten and Nur Faicaq Aminuddin in the second, 1.5-0.5; before blanking Thais Sarocha Chuemsakul and Sirikan Charoen, 1.5-0.0, in the third.
The tandem drew a bye in the fourth, before whipping Laos’ Houanchanmone Phonesavanh and Inthavong Maly in the fifth stage, 1-0.
The men’s side, however, was not able to keep up with the women’s.
Asia’s first Grandmaster and playing-coach Eugene and GMs Joey Antonio at Darwin Lalylo fell in the men’s triples 60-minute to Veitnamese Nham Tam HoangQuoc Dung Tran at The Anh Duong, 2.5-0.5.
On the other hand, National Master Edmundo Gatos yielded to Naing Myo Lin of Myanmar in the men’s singles 5-minute and 60-minute events.
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Inquirer’s special coverage of the Cambodia SEA Games 2023.