JANELLE Mae Frayna is now 20 years old. Six years ago, she, too, was part of the Shell Chess tournament.
However, she never qualified for the grand finals and lost, but her defeat became her stepping stone to be someone much better than a winner.
By 15, she was a Women International. Five years later, she became the first Filipina to become a Woman Grandmaster after she drew her ninth-round game in the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan.
But Frayna isn’t finished yet. As a matter of fact, she is just warming uo.
“Masaya akong manalo. Pero parang masyadong mababaw kung ‘yun lang ang aim ko,” Frayna said Saturday during the 24th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship at the SM Megamall.
Frayna thinks that her World Chess rating of 2320 is too mediocre compared to international chess players. So she hopes to increase her ranking by competing in more tournaments in the future.
She is already preparing for a tournament in December in Subic and hopes to qualify as well in the World’s Women Chess Championship in 2018.
“Ayokong maging stagnant ‘yung growth ko kahit na nakuha ko na ‘yung pagiging GM. There’s always a next lead,” she added.
In front of 48 chess finalists during the event, the WGM and Cum Laude shared with them the secret to pursue their goal in becoming the best.
“Para maging GM, may apat na bagay lang kayo na dapat tandaan. Kailangan niyo ng support, hard work, time management and faith. Especially sa faith, because without faith you are nothing,” she said.
Frayna expressed her happiness that more kids are showing their interest in the sport, hoping that more would be inspired to achieve their goals.