MANILA — The Philippine men’s chess team secured a commanding 3-1 victory against South Africa in the eighth round of the 45th Chess Olympiad, held at the BOK Sports Hall in Budapest, Hungary.
Grandmasters Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez led the charge with decisive wins. Sadorra outmaneuvered International Master Jan Karsten in 36 moves in a Queen’s Pawn game on board one, while Gomez triumphed over FIDE Master Banele Mhango in 34 moves using the Ruy Lopez Jaenisch variation on board three.
International Masters Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia both settled for draws on boards two and four, respectively, rounding out the Philippine team’s performance.
After earlier losses to Armenia (1.5-2.5) and Croatia (.5-3.5), the Philippines now stands at 10 points and is set to face the United Arab Emirates in Round 9.
“We need all the encouragement we can get to keep fighting hard for our team,” said Sadorra, who also serves as coach of the University of Texas in Dallas.
In the women’s division, however, the Philippines suffered a narrow 1.5-2.5 loss to Turkiye. Janelle Mae Frayna, Ruelle Canino, and Bernadette Galas each secured draws, while Shania Mae Mendoza was edged out by Ekaterina Atalik after an intense 100-move battle in the Slav Defense.
Next up for the Filipinas is a challenging match against Romania.
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