Big Olympiad show: PH blanks Bolivia

TROMSO, Norway—The Filipinos flashed their sharpest form Tuesday as they dumped the Bolivians, 4-0, in the 10th and penultimate round of the 41st Chess Olympiad here.

Grandmasters Jayson Gonzales and Julio Catalino Sadorra, International Master Paulo Bersamina and GM John Paul Gomez won in succession, giving Team Philippines its first shutout win in the Open section and a chance to match its showing in the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad.

Their second straight victory, following a 3-1 mastery of the Pakistans Monday, shoved the Filipinos’ match point total to 12 points, putting them closer to equaling their 14-point output in the 2012 Istanbul Chess Olympiad.

Blocking the Filipinos’ path toward redemption are the higher-ranked Canadians in the last round starting at 2 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila) at Mackhallen Hall Thursday.

Gonzales, inactive the last three years but forced to play as reserve sans Super GM Wesley So and the withdrawal of GM Oliver Barbosa, sparked the Filipinos’ romp when he trounced Javier Monroy in a Neo Greuenfeld.

The US-based Sadorra used the Benoni 4 Pawns Attack to force GM Oswalso Zambrana to submission while the 16-year-old Bersamina subdued IM Jony Cueto in their Modern encounter.

Not to be left out, Gomez banked on his mobile knight to beat IM Jose Daniel Gemy, who has a bishop, in board 2 employing the London System.

In another swing of fortune, however, the PH girls yielded to the favored Latvians, 1-3, in the Women’s section.

Woman International Masters Janelle Mae Frayna and Jan Jodilyn Fronda struggled to squeeze out draws against WGMs Laura Roguele and Lize Berzina in boards 2 and 3, but WIM Chardene Cheradee Camacho and Catherine Perena bowed to WGM Dana Reizniece-Ozola and WIM Katrina Skinke, respectively.

Despite their third loss, however, the Filipinos, toting 11 match points, can still surpass their Istanbul performance if they beat the Belgians in their 11th and final assignment also on Thursday.

According to Gonzales, also the Team Philippines captain, he is likely to field reserve Christy Lamiel Bernales in lieu of Perena, who played top board for the Filipinas in the 2012 Olympiad.

Though Bersamina won, Gonzales will be tapping GM Eugene Torre for the vital match against the Canadians as National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Prospero “Butch” Pichay wants the Filipinos to go “full force.”

Torre has been rested for three days following a loss to GM Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh, which held the Philippines to a 2-2 tie in the eighth round.

Meanwhile, Asian powerhouse China thwarted France, 2.5-1.5, in the 10th round to inch closer to the Open championship.

The Chinese raised their total to 17 match points and a victory over the Poles (15 points) Thursday will give them their first Olympiad title ever.