Phl woodpushers seek top 20 finish

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Surpassing their finish in the previous edition in India two years ago will be the ultimate objective when the Filipinos compete in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad on Wednesday at the BOK Sports Hall.

Grandmaster aspirant Daniel Quizon, whose trip is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, will man the top board for the men’s squad in the first two rounds, possibly three, as GM Julio Catalino Sadorra is scheduled to arrive in the Hungarian capital Friday.

Sadorra is arriving late due to work and family commitments.

“We’re ready,” said the 20-year-old Quizon, who, along with the rest of the team delegation, arrived on Tuesday in two batches.

International Master Paulo Bersamina will play second board while GM John Paul Gomez and Jan Emmanuel Garcia the third and fourth boards, respectively as they seek to surpass their 32nd-place finish two years ago in Chennai, India.

WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, for her part, will be the Filipinas’ spearhead for the team that also consisted of veteran Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Shania Mae Mendoza and Bernadette Galas and young and talented Olympiad debutant Ruelle Canino.

Frayna and her team are hoping to improve on their 39th-place performance the last time out.

The other members of the delegation are coaches GMs Eugene Torrre and Jayson Gonzales with Atty. Roel Canobas as delegation head.

The pairings in this 11-round, Swiss System tournament, which will employ a scoring system of two match points per win and one match point per draw, was being drawn on Monday night.

Gomez said they are ready for war.

“We’re looking at finishing in the top 20 because the field is so strong,” the 38-year-old Gomez, who will be seeing action in his seventh Olympiad, said.

Frayna, who forewent the chance of becoming the first Filipina to play for the national men’s team in the biennial meet to reunite with her women’s teammates, said she is focused on making the country proud.

“This one is for the country,” she said.