Ordizo takes down Vietnamese WGM in breakthrough win at ASEAN+ chess tilt
MANILA, Philippines — Far Eastern University freshman Ericka Ordizo came into the seventh ASEAN+ Individual Women’s Chess Championships as one of the lowest rated and youngest participants and given little to nothing chance of contending for anything.
On a sunny Wednesday, the 18-year-old Alaminos, Pangasinan native all proved them wrong and showed that age and rating are just numbers after delivering possibly the biggest victory of her young life — against Woman Grandmaster Hoang Thi Bao of Vietnam.
She accomplished the feat by dismantling the Slav Defense of the 39-year-old Hoang, a former national Vietnamese champion and their former Board 1 Olympiad player, in 37 moves after the latter resigned with three pawns down and a losing position.
The win kept Ordizo, who shocked Filipina Olympiad veteran WIM Bernadette Galas in the first round the day before, at the helm with six others with perfect scores of two points each in this nine-round meet sponsored by host Gov. Henry Oaminal, Sr. and backed by the PSC and WR Chess.
It included another Philippine bet WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, who pulled the rug from under Olympiad standouts WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Ruelle Canino one after the other.
It was redemption of sorts for the 27-year-old San Diego, who was out of form in the National Championship early in the year that cost her a spot on the national team that competed in last September’s Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Both Ordizo and San Diego are fighting for that direct WGM title that will go to the eventual champion of the tournament.
Also unscathed were Indians WIM Bordoloi Pratitee and WFM Shree Reddy Keerti, Vietnamese WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung, Singaporean Woman FIDE Master Fang Kun and another Vietnam bet in WIM Nguyen Hong Anh.
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