FAR EASTERN University freshman Ericka Ordizo came into the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Women’s Chess Championships as one of the lowest rated and youngest participants and given little to nothing chance of contending for anything.
On a sunny Wednesday, the 18-year-old Alaminos, Pangasinan native proved them all wrong and showed that age and rating are just numbers after delivering possibly the biggest victory of her young life — against Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Hoang Thi Bao of Vietnam.
She accomplished the feat by dismantling the Slav Defense of the 39-year-old Ms. Hoang, a former national Vietnamese champion and their former board one Olympiad player, in 37 moves after the latter resigned with three pawns down and a losing position.
The win kept Ms. Ordizo, who shocked Filipina Olympiad veteran Woman International Master (WIM) Bernadette Galas in the first round on Tuesday, at the helm with six others with perfect scores of two points each in this nine-round meet sponsored by host Governor Henry S. Oaminal, Sr. and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and WR Chess.
It included another Philippine bet WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, who pulled the rug from under Olympiad standouts WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Ruelle Canino one after the other.
It was redemption of sorts for the 27-year-old Ms. San Diego, who was out of form in the National Championship early in the year that cost her a spot on the national team that competed in last September’s Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Both Ms. Ordizo and Ms. San Diego are fighting for that direct WGM title that will go to the eventual champion of the tournament.
Also unscathed were Indians WIM Bordoloi Pratitee and Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Shree Reddy Keerti, Vietnamese WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, Singaporean WFM Fang Kun and another Vietnam bet in WIM Nguyen Hong Anh. — Joey Villar