PH advances to Division 1 of FIDE Online Olympiad for first time

The Philippines won its last three rounds, including a key match against Chinese team Shenzhen, to finish second on a tiebreak in the FIDE Online Olympiad Rapid Division 2 Pool A on Saturday, September 4.

Indonesia and the Philippines had 16 match points each but the former took first on tiebreak. Shenzhen finished third with 13 points. The final standings are subject to fair play checks.

“We qualified for Division 1 for the first time,” said national coach Jayson Gonzales in a phone interview with Rappler.

In the next stage, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Shenzen will go into a four-pool top division. The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals, where a best-of-two match will determine the semifinalist.

After blanking Kyrgyzstan, 6-0, in round seven, the Philippines overcame Shenzhen, 4-2, as Janelle Mae Frayna, two-time national champion Jan Jodilyn Fronda, and Asian Zonal champ Michael Concio Jr. won to make up for a loss by Jan Emmanuel Garcia.

In the 9th and final round, the Philippines whipped Bangladesh, 5-1, as youngster Jersey Marticio of Laguna – playing on the sixth and last board – won, bringing her tally to 3.5 points out of four games.

For the tournament, Garcia was the Philippine team’s top scorer with 6 points from nine rounds followed by Frayna’s 5.5 points. Top board player Paulo Bersamina had 5 points. – Rappler.com