Pinoy chessers clobber Russians

MANILA, Philippines — Henry Lopez and Darry Bernardo sustained their strong showing even as reigning world titlist Sander Severino survived a struggle as Philippines 1 clobbered Russia 2, 3-1, to break into the Top 10 after the third round of the first FIDE Online Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities Monday night.

Lopez, a multiple Asian and ASEAN Para Games gold medalist, unleashed a menacing four-pawn battering ram in the kingside to smother FIDE Master Ruslan Draganov on board two while Bernardo, a Far Eastern University stalwart, sacrificed a pawn in the opening and nursed it in blasting International Master Alexey Pakhomov on board three.

Severino then sealed the win by turning back IM Yuri Meshkov on top board in a game where he gave up the exchange to build up a ferocious kingside attack.