IN-form Woman International Master Janelle Mae Frayna outplayed reigning champion and Grandmaster Eugene Torre in the third round late Sunday to lead a pair of shock upset victories in the 2015 Battle of Grandmasters-National Chess Championship at the Philippine Sports Commission, RMSC, Vito Cruz Manila.
Standings after three rounds (Match Point System)
Open Division—Bitoon, Frayna, Pascua, Docena 4 points, Antonio 3, Turqueza, Laylo, Torre, Abelgas 2, Gomez 1.
Women’s—Fronda 5, San Diego, Mendoza, Lozano 4, Perena-Secopito 3, Enriquez, Bernales, Suede 2, Pineda, Membrere 1.
The 19-year-old Frayna, a graduating student at Far Eastern University, forced Torre to commit a series of weak moves in the middle game, and outwitted Asia’s first GM in the knight-bishop endgame.
In the end, Torre raised the white flag after 67 moves of their Catalan game as Frayna was set to gobble up an unprotected middle pawn, while nursing another potential pawn for promotion in the a-file.
Frayna, who has two draws and a win so far, now needs only to score three points (or six points under the Match Point scoring system) to officially clinch a third WGM norm to achieve WGM-elect status with still 10 rounds to go in the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Frayna’s shock win gave her four points in a tie with GM Richard Bitoon, IM Haridas Pascua and Jerad Docena under the match-point system, where a win is assigned two points, a draw 1 points and a loss, 0 point.
Qualifier Haridas Pascua hacked out the other upset win, a 43-move dismantling of third seed GM Joey Antonio in their Sicilian match.
The loss dropped Antonio into solo fifth with 3 points, while Torre stayed with 2.0 points along with Turqueza, GM Darwin Laylo, IM Paolo Bersamina and NM Roel Abelgas.
Bersamina and Abelgas both lost their matches, against Bitoon and Docena, respectively.
GM John Paul Gomez is at the bottom with 1.0 ponts.
In the women’s side, defending champion WIM Catherine Perena-Secopito fell against fellow WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, while Asian junior champion Mikee Charlene Suede also dropped her match aganst WFM Marie Antoinette San Diego.
The loss dropped Perena-Secopito out of the lead and ceding it to Frona, who now has five points, followed by San Diego , Shanie Mae Mendoza and Arvie Lozana with four points apiece.
Perena-Secopito stayed with three points, while Karen Jean Enriquez, Suede and Christy Lamiel Bernales each have two points.
Judith Pineda and Brena Mae Membrera bring up the rear with a point each.
