Top seed Janelle Mae Frayna unloaded a vicious kingside onslaught and hammered a 36-move win of a King’s Indian duel over Marian Calimbo to leapfrog to the top after the eighth round of the 2021 Philippine National Women’s Chess Championships at the PACE in Quezon City yesterday.
The 24-year-old Frayna, the country’s first and only Woman Grandmaster, went straight for Calimbo’s king and ended up capturing the defense piece by piece in forcing the latter’s resignation.
The result catapulted the Army recruit from Bicol to solo No. 1 with six points as erstwhile co-leader Jan Jodilyn Fronda, the third seed, split the point with second seed Shania Mae Mendoza via repetition in 16 moves of a Ruy Lopez to slip to second with 5.5 points.
Mendoza was stranded at No. 3 alongside WGM candidate Kylen Joy Mordido and Marie Antoinette San Diego with five points each.
Mordido bounced back from her seventh-round defeat at the hands of Lexie Grace Hernandez Tuesday by edging Bernadette Galas in 38 moves of a Sicilian encounter while San Diego dumped Francois Magpily in 30 moves of yet another Sicilian battle.
But it was Frayna. who shone the brightest as she has now scored six points in the last seven rounds after absorbing a heartbreaking loss to child prodigy Ruelle Canino in the opening round Saturday.
And Frayna was hoping to keep her streak going against Rinoa Mariel Sadey in the ninth round at press time.
Sadey turned back Canino in 50 moves of a Pirc Defense to stay in the middle of the pack at sixth with 4.5 points.The event, which 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, stakes P50,000 to the champion and a berth to the Hanoi Southeast Games in May next year.