Pinoy chessers kiss title, GM hopes goodbye

The Philippines’ Marie Antoinette San Diego and Shania Mae Mendoza battled to a truce while Pau Bersamina suffered a heartbreaking defeat that shattered their title and Grandmaster dreams in the eighth and penultimate round of the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Chess Championships at the AMORAP in Misamis Occidental Sunday.

Left with no choice but to go for a victory, the three threw caution to the wind and went for the win but San Diego and Mendoza couldn’t come out with anything and drew in 30 moves of a Queen’s Gambit while Bersamina crumbled against a veteran GM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam and suffered a 50-move loss of a Sicilian.

That denied the three their hopes of winning the tournament and claiming the GM and WGM titles that will go with it in this event bankrolled by host Gov. Henry Oaminal Sr. and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and WR Chess.

San Diego and Mendoza, however, remained sharing second with top seed WIM Bordoloi Pratitee of India, who split the point with Filipina WGM Janelle Mae Frayna in 31 moves of a Sicilian, with 5.5 points apiece.

Indonesian WIM Shafira Devi Herfesa waylaid Indian WFM Shree Reddy Keerti in 44 moves of yet another Sicilian to virtually clinch the crown and the WGM title with a round to go as she already amassed seven points.

But Mendoza, 28, could still gun for a WIM title if she could finish in the top three.