THE Philippine women’s team lost to higher-seeded Argentina, 1.5-2.5, to slip outside the top 40 after eight rounds of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, on Tuesday.
Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna and Woman International Master (WIM) Catherine Secopito fell to IM Carolina Lujan and WIM Maria Florencia Fernandez on boards one and two, respectively, that hastened the Filipinas’ downfall.
WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego provided the lone win for the Filipinas, whose trip is bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission and sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by Rep. Prospero Pichay, by beating WIM Ayelen Martinez on board three.
WIM Bernadette Galas drew with WIM Marisa Zuriel on board four.
Galas had a chance to salvage a draw after winning a queen for a rook and bishop but couldn’t convert it to a full point.
It was the Philippines’s second straight defeat after succumbing to Georgia 2, 1-3, the day before that sent it to a share of 45th place with nine match points.
Interestingly, the men’s squad has overtaken the women as it whipped Uruguay, 3-1, to climb to a share of 33rd spot with 10 points.
GM Julio Catalino Sadorra and IM Haridas Pascua delivered the decisive wins over GM Andres Rodriguez Vila and FIDE Master Rafael Muniz on the first and fourth boards, respectively, while GM John Paul Gomez and IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia drew with FM Nicolas Lopez Azambuja and IM Luis Ernesto Rodi on boards two and three, respectively.
The Filipinos racked up three straight wins after suffering an embarrassing 1.5-2.5 defeat to lowly Lebanon in the fifth round that sent them sweeping the floor outside the top 100.
The Philippines played Zambia, which smashed Jamaica, 4-0, in the ninth round on Wednesday.