RP blanks Malta in Olympiad

With little rest and top board Grandmaster Eugene Torre opting to sit it out, Team Philippines smashed Malta, 4-0, to jumpstart its bid for a Top 20 finish in the opening round of the 36th World Chess Olympiad in scenic Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Barely arriving on time after securing their Shengen visa Wednesday, GM Joey Antonio, GM-elect Mark Paragua, IM Jayson Gonzales and Darwin Laylo showed little mercy in posting the shutout win against the Maltese to push the Filipinos in a tie with 27 others on top with a perfect score of four points.

Antonio smashed Colin Pace, Paragua slammed David Vincenti Cilia, Gonzales trounced Andrew Borg and Olympiad rookie Laylo blasted Duncan Vella in a rout that made up for the women’s squad’s 0.5-2.5 loss to 23rd seed Cuba.

Torre, who gave up playing on Board 1 a week before they left for Spain but got it back upon the insistence of his teammates, is expected to see action in Round 2 against 59th ranked Colombia.

The Colombians, who blanked the Sri Lankans, are expected to give the Filipinos a tough fight despite playing without a single GM on its fold.

The women’s team, for its part, clashes with No. 47 Finland, which fared worse in the opening round following a 0-3 demolition at the hands of fifth pick Ukraine, currently at the helm along with 26 others that included Australia where former RP top board Arianne Caoili is now playing.

WIM Beverly Mendoza and Lorizel Cuizon bowed to WGM Sulennis Pina and WIM Yaniet Marrero on second and third boards, respectively, as the Filipinas fell in a logjam at 51st to 59th places.

The only consolation for the RP lady chessers was Woman FIDE Master Sherrie Joy Lomibao’s upset draw with Woman GM Maritza Arribas on Board 1.

It’s a big blow considering that the women’s team is playing Lomibao, Mendoza and Cuizon all through the 14 rounds of this 18-day biennial meet after promising reserve Aices Salvador was prevented by her parents from joining the squad.