By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna made short work of Mongolian Woman FIDE Master Enkh-Amgalan Enkhrii in the fifth round to stay in contention in the women’s division of the Asian Individual Chess Championships in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, May 11.
The 28-year-old Bicol native needed just 26 moves of a Two Knights duel to tie 9 others at 11th place with 3.5 points, just a point behind leaders Indian WGM Seshadri Srija, Russian International Master Anastasia Bodnaruk and Mongolian Bat-Erdene Mungunzul.
It also kept her FIDE World Cup return bid alive as she hoped to rake in more wins in the final four rounds of this nine-round meet where the top two finishers advance to the annual meet set July 5 to 29 in Batumi, Georgia.
It was Frayna’s second victory so far after drawing her first three games.
Frayna was the country’s last hope to have a player in the Batumi tilt as teammates Marie Antoinette San Diego (two points), Jan Jodilyn Fronda (two points) and Bernadette Galas (1.5 points) were in the bottom half of the standings.
Same with the country’s representatives in the men’s section as International Masters Jem Garcia and Pau Bersamina were currently in a big group of three-pointers at No. 32.
A full point below them was GM Daniel Quizon, who only has two points to show.
