The Philippine men’s team turned back Ecuador, 3-1, to close in on a top 10 finish after the 10th and penultimate round of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia Thursday night.
International Masters Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Haridas Pascua delivered the decisive wins over FIDE Master Kevin Naboa and IM Miguel Munoz Sanchez on the last two boards as Grandmasters Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez drew with GM Carlos Matamoros Franco and IM Christian Barros on the top boards.
The win sent the Filipinos into a seven-team tie at 13th place with 14 match points, or three points behind co-leaders United States, which edged Armenia, 2.5-1.5, and China, which pulled down erstwhile solo leader Poland with a 3-1 triumph, with 17 points each.
Left for dead after succumbing to less regarded Lebanon, 1.5-2.5, in the fifth round that sent it down to the tournament purgatory at 101st place, the PH turned things around as it vented its ire on Jersey, Albania, Uruguay, Zambia and then Ecuador and beat them all to resuscitate its bid.
And now the Filipinos will have a chance to finish in the top 10, or better, surpass their best finish at seventh place in the 1988 edition in Thessaloniki, Greece if they could pull the rug from under the favored Vietnamese, who drew with the Germans, 2-2, in the final round at press time.
And non-playing coach GM Eugene Torre, who played top board in that historic 1988 team, said they have a chance.
“The team prepared hard and didn’t give up. We have an opportunity to make history,” said Torre, whose team is backed by the Phl Sports Commission and NCFP president Prospero Pichay.
The PH women’s team lost to Moldova, 1.5-2.5, and slipped to a share of 46th spot with 11 points.
WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Bernadette Galas lost to WIM Diana Baciu and WFM Paula-Alexandra Gitu on first and fourth boards while WIM Catherine Secopito bested WFM Olga Hincu on second board and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza drew with IM Svetlana Petrenko on third board.