Chessers draw Bangladesh

The Philippine men’s team settled for a 2-all draw with Bangladesh, while the women’s squad yielded to Mongolia, 3-1, in the eighth round Sunday night of the 41st World Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway.

Grandmaster Julio Catalino Sadorra nipped GM Ziaur Rahman in 22 moves of a Carsen Opening in Board 1 to produce the lone victory for the men’s team as GMs John Paul Gomez and GM Jayson Gonzales could drew their rivals.

Gomez halved the point with GM Al-Rakib Abdulla after 54 moves of a Ruy Lopez duel in Board 2, while team captain Gonzales replaced FIDE Master Paulo Bersamina on Board 4 and debuted with a 59-move draw of a Nimzo-Indian game with GM Niaz Murshed.

GM Eugene Torre, meanwhile, bowed to GM Enamul Hossain after 47 moves of a Ruy Lopez battle to absorb his first loss in the tournament. He had two wins and five draws prior to his loss.

With the draw, the PH team slightly improved to 8 points on three wins, two draws and three losses for a tie for 74th to 102nd places. They trail by four points with seventh seed China, which took the solo lead with 14 points after beating No. 8 Azerbaijan, 3-1.

Meanwhile, Jan Jodilyn Fronda provided the only triumph for the female woodpushers as they faltered following back-to-back wins.

– Kristel Satumbaga

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