Frayna raps Dutch rival, shares lead

MANILA, Philippines - Janelle Mae Frayna stunned Dutch IM Koen Leenhouts in 44 moves of an English Opening to gain a share of the lead after five rounds of the 21st Hogeschool Zeeland Open 2017 in Vlissingenm, The Netherlands Tuesday night.

Frayna, 21, went on attack mode early then went for tactical piece exchange before emerging with a queen and a bishop against the latter’s pair of rooks and passed pawn at center.

But the first Filipina WGM pounced on Leenhouts’s exposed king and netted a rook for a bishop at endgame to gain the full point.

Frayna thus hiked her total to 4.5 points as she caught up with six others, including Russian GM Landa Konstantin, her sixth round opponent.

Other 4.5 points are Venezuelan GM Eduard Iturrizaga Bonelli, Dutch GMs Benjamin Bok, Jorden Van Foreest and Roeland Pruijjsers, and Indian IM R Praggnanandhaa.

GM Jayson Gonzales, Frayna’s coach and trainer, stood half-a-point behind with four points.

Frayna earlier defeated Bas Roelen, Gert Van Rij and Nico Swins and drew with IM Lucas Van Foreest.

Frayna is competing in her fourth tournament as part of her European campaign where the former Far Eastern U standout is chasing rating points in a bid to barge into the world’s Top 10.

Frayna, who campaign is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, the National Chess Federation of the Phl, FEU’s Aurelio Montinola, The Philippine STAR’s president/CEOP Miguel Belmonte and Edward Go, Senate President Koko Pimentel and Bobby Ang, placed 13th in last week’s Women’s International Open in Erfurt, Germany.

Meanwhile, GM Darwin Laylo finished second behind Indonesian FIDE Master Rudin Hamdani in the FIDE International Jaksa Agung Cup in Indonesia.