RP women save day as men’s team bows to China in Chess Olympiad

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine women’s team opened the 38th World Chess Olympiad with a stunning win over Lithuania while their male counterparts bowed to China at the International Congress Center in Dresden, Germany on Thursday (Friday in Manila). The RP ladies, ranked 54th in the world, managed a 2-2 draw against 32nd seed Lithuania to earn a point under the new scoring system. A win under the new scoring system is equal to two points, a draw a point and a defeat zero. Grandmaster Wesley So was the lone winner in the Filipinos’ 2.5-1.5 loss to third-ranked China. The men’s team, which has GM Eugene Torre and Ildefonso Datu as its non-playing team captain and coach, earned three points while China had five. So’s teammates, meanwhile, floundered against their Chinese opponents with national champion and International Master John Paul Gomez being forced to a draw while GMs Buenaventura Villamayor and Jayson Gonzales dropped their matches, resulting in the Philippines being scoreless under the new match point system being used for the first time in the tournament. So defeated GM Ni Hua on board two for the Philippines’ lone win while Gomez, playing in his first Olympiad, drew with GM Li Chao after 56 moves of the Sicilian Rossolimo on board four. Villamayor, manning the top board and playing in his fifth Olympiad, bowed to GM Wang Yue while Gonzalez resigned in his face off against Wang Hao. While the Philippine men’s team floundered in their opening match, the RP women’s team managed to draw their match against Lithuania and earned a point. Shercila Cua defeated Women’s Fide Master Simona Limontaite in 57 moves of the Catalan System while Cheradee Chardine Camacho won over Jovita Ziogaite in 53 moves of the Sicilian for the victories in the RP side. Catherine Perena and Daisy Rivera, sitting at boards one and three, suffered consecutive defeats against Women’s International Master Deimante Daulyte and WIM Zivile Sarakauskiene. – GMANews.TV