International Master John Marvin Miciano remained at the helm following a win over Dutch Sven Stange, while Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna drew with GM Oleg Romanishin of Ukraine to stay half a point behind the lead after three rounds of the 22nd Hogeschool Zeeland Chess tournament 2018 in Vlissingen, The Netherlands Sunday night.
After beating Dutch Henk Burg and Singaporean Mei-En Emmanuelle Hng, the 17-year-old Miciano maintained his hold on the top spot with 15 others, headed by top two seeds GMs Sandro Mareco of Argentina and Eduard Iturrizaga Bonelli of Venezuela with three points apiece.
The Far Eastern University standout, who was trying to stay in the lead, was playing GM Xeng Chongsheng of China in the fourth round at press time.
The 22-year-old Frayna, who beat the Netherlands’ Romayn Brandsma and Bart Feltman in the first two rounds, was bunched in the second group with 2.5 points each. She was playing another Dutch IM Max Warmerdam.
It was a group that also included GM Jayson Gonzales, who defeated the Netherlands’ Loek Van de Hagen and Guido Wagenvoorde before splitting the point with another Dutch Erik Sparenberg.
The 49-year-old Gonzales, the coach of both Miciano and Frayna, was battling FIDE Master Warre De Waele of Belgium at press time.
This is the fourth tournament of Frayna, whose trip is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and The Philippines STAR president and chief executive officer Miguel Belmonte, Miciano and Gonzales as part of the six-tournament, 51-day trip that ends in the Malaysian Open in Malaysia two weeks from now.
