Fronda to the rescue for Filipina chessers vs Kazakhstan

MANILA, Philippines – Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda saved day for the Philippines as it shocked third seed Kazakhstan, 2.5-1.5, in the ninth and final round to advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Nations Online Chess Cup Monday night.

The 26-year-old Fronda turned a losing position into stunning win after IM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva lost in time on board two that helped the Filipinas secure the giant-sized victory and a spot in the knockout playoff round set Friday.

WIM Bernadette Galas outlasted Woman FIDE Master Meruert Kamalidonva in a marathon duel on board four while Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna split the point with FM Bibisara Assaubayeva on board one in sealing the deal.

WFM Shania Mae Mendoza fell on board four to WGM Gulmira Dauletova.

The Lady Agilas ended up tied for second with Iranians with 13 match points each but took the No. 2 seed with a higher tiebreak score, 25-23.5.

The Philippines will thus tackle No. 7 Sri Lanka while No. 3 Iran face off with No. 6 Indonesia.

Top seed India topped the elims with 15 points and will battle No. 8 Kyrgyzstan while No. 4 Vietnam will collide with No. 5 Mongolia.

But the fates of the Filipinas would have been different if fortune did not favor the bold Fronda, who trudged on despite falling one piece down after a faulty opening miscalculation.

Knowing a loss would have automatically dealt an outright defeat, Fronda plodded on, hoping and praying for a miracle that came when she created a dangerous kingside passed pawn that consumed a lot of time for Nakhbayeva leading to the miraculous result.

The Lady Agilas matched the Agilas second-placed in the men’s side where it will tangle with the second-seeded Kazakhs.