BANGKOK. — Twelve players — six men and six women — will carry the Philippines’ hopes for a gold medal in chess in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Bazaar Hotel starting Saturday, December 13.
Leading the Filipinos’ campaign are GMs Rogelio Antonio, Jr., Darwin Laylo, John Paul Gomez and Daniel Quizon and IMs Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the men’s division and WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, WIM Bernadette Galas, Shania Mae Mendoza, Marie Antoinette San Diego and Ruelle Canino in the women’s category.
The GM Eugene Torre-mentored FIlipino team will compete in three events: International Chess, ASEAN Chess and Thai Chess.
Although long considered as one of Asia’s top chess-playing countries with Torre and the late IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso earning the distinction as Asia’s first grandmaster and international master, respectively, the Philippines failed to win a gold medal in the sport since GM Wesley So dominated the blitz tournament in the 26th edition held in Palembang, Indonesia in 2011.
This year, the Filipinos will again look to end a long gold-medal drought in an event called Makruk, or Thai Chess.
Last August, Bersamina struck gold in the men’s individual category in the Pre-SEA Games tournament held in Singapore.
Bersamina, the country’s highest-rated player with an ELO of 2434 based on the recent December 1 rating list of FIDE, defeated compatriot Garcia by virtue of higher tiebreak score after both finished with four points.
Gomez was fourth with 3.5 points.
The three players also combined to win the team event.
