Ordizo stuns Vietnamese champ

Filipina teenage sensation Ericka Ordizo delivered the biggest win of the tournament after scalping Vietnamese Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Hoang Thi Bao to remain unbeaten and on top after the second round in the women’s division of the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Chess Championships at the Amorap in Misamis Occidental yesterday.

The 18-year-old Alaminos, Pangasinan native and Far Eastern University standout outplayed the 39-year-old Hoang, a former Vietnamese champion and top board of their Olympiad squad, in the opening on her way to a 37-move victory of their Slav duel.

It was the second straight win for Ordizo, who brought down countrywoman and Olympiad veteran Woman International Master (WIM) Bernadette Galas in the opening round the day before in this nine-round event bankrolled by host Gov. Henry Oaminal, Sr. and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and WR Chess.

She now shares the lead with a few others with perfect scores of two points apiece including another Filipina, WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, who slew WGM Janelle Mae Frayna in the first round and WIM Ruelle Canino in the second.

Ordizo and San Diego also stayed in contention for an outright WGM title should one of them end up topping this strong tournament.

Part of that lead pack were Indian WIM Bordoloi Pratitee, Vietnamese WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, Singaporean Woman FIDE Master Fang Kun and another Vietnam bet in WIM Nguyen Hong Anh.