PH jr chessers fail to bag medals

FILIPINA Woman National Master Janelle Mae Frayna settled for a draw against Woman International Master Carla Heredia Serrano of Ecuador in Monday’s 13th and final round to finish in a tie for 22nd to 33th place in the 50th World Junior and 29th Junior Girls Chess Championships in Chennai, India.

Frayna closed her campaign with 7.0 points on six wins, two draws and five loses. After the tie break was applied, the Filipina finished in 22nd place overall.

The 14-year-old Frayna, who was seeded 58th among 69 players in the Under-20 girls class, finished four points behind champion Woman Grandmaster Cori T Deysi of Peru.

Deysi clinched the title with 11.0 points after beating WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili of Georgia.

Meanwhile, Filipino FIDE Master Mari Joseph Turqueza also drew his final-round match to finish in 48th spot with 7.0 points.

Grandmaster (GM) Dariusz Swiercz of Poland defeated FM Vladislav Kovalev of Belarus then edged GM Robert Hovhannishyan of Armenia in the tie break to snatch the boys title. Swiercz and Hovhannishyan both had 10.5 points.

The country’s best finish in the tough tournament was recorded by GM Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr. who won the bronze medal during the 1991 event in Mamaia, Romania. /Correspondent MARLON BERNARDINO