FRAYNA STILL ON TOP IN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL WOMEN’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 7TH ROUND

MANILA, Philippines —Janelle Mae Frayna escaped with a draw to remain at the helm while Ruelle Canino carved out a hard-earned victory to climb to solo second in the seventh round Thursday night of the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship in Malolos City, Bulacan.

Frayna found herself in trouble at the face of a vicious kingside attack by Queen Pamplona but found a way to neutralize it in snatching a 39-move standoff of a razor-sharp Center-Counter showdown.

The enlisted Army personnel from Bicol thus kept the solo lead with 5.5 points but saw her once full-point lead cut into half after Canino closed the gap with a 59-move triumph over Allaney Jia Doroy of a Queen’s Gambit duel.

Canino, an 18-year-old from Cagayan de Oro, has been lighting up fireworks after a pair of duds in the first two rounds of this event backed by host city Mayor Christian Natividad and the PSC.

With eight rounds to go, the ASEAN Individual Championship silver winner has five points, 4.5 points of which came in the last five rounds that put her in prime position to punch one of the three tickets to the World Chess Olympiad this September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Also in contention were Heart Padilla, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Bernadette Galas, who were in No. 3 with 4.5 points each.

Padilla downed Maria Lavandero in 31 moves of a Sicilian; Fronda split the point with Shania Mae Mendoza in 36 moves of a Queen’s Pawn game; and Galas halved the point with Marie Antoinette San Diego in 31 moves of yet another Sicilian.

The NCFP-sanctioned, FIDE-rated tournament took a break yesterday and will resume today with Frayna and Canino battling it in a showdown between two national champions. TMT

2026-02-06T06:29:44Z