WOMAN Grandmaster (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna vented her ire on fellow national stalwart Bernadette Galas to spring back to life after a shock opening round defeat to child prodigy Ruelle Canino in the 2021 Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship at the PACE in Quezon City.
Reeling from a 96-move loss to the 13-year-old Ms. Canino on Saturday night, the top-seeded Ms. Frayna bounced back strong by edging Ms. Galas in 57 moves of a French Defense in this event staking a Hanoi Southeast Asian Games berth next year and a champion’s purse worth P50,000.
And the country’s highest ranked woodpusher and first and only WGM needed to rely on her superb end game technique in transforming what appeared like an equal rook and bishop ending to a victory.
Ms. Frayna was half a point off pacesetting former national champions Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Shania Mae Mendoza, Olympiad veteran Antoinette San Diego and WGM candidate Kylen Joy Mordido.
Mses. Fronda and Mordido halved the point in 34 moves of an English encounter; Ms. Mendoza smashed Lexie Grace Hernandez in 66 moves of a Queen’s Pawn game; and Ms. San Diego sent Ms. Canino back to earth with a 52-move triumph of a King’s Indian Defense.
Ms. Canino, who placed second to Mhage Sebastian in the National Junior Girls Championships two weeks ago in a tournament where the former came a draw away from winning it, slipped to fifth spot alongside Ms. Frayna and Rinoa Mariel Sadey.
Ms. Sadey bested Allaney Jia Doroy in 44 moves of yet another English battle.
The event is backed by PSC chair Butch Ramirez, Chess Movement, Inc. chair Dr. Ariel Potot, PCSO general manager Royina Garma, Endgame Sports founder Atty. Cris Aspiras, POC President Bambol Tolentino, NCFP chief Butch Pichay and Atty. Roel Canobas. — Joey Villar