Torre saves day for RP vs Scotland

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Eugene Torre celebrated his record 20th Chess Olympiad stint in grand fashion, beating IM Stephen Burns-Mannions to provide the face-saving victory in the Philippines’ 2-2 draw with lowly Scotland in the third round in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Friday.

Torre, who played in his 237th game in record 20 Olympiad appearances that spanned four decades, actually needed 74 moves to outlast Burns-Mannions in their Guiocco Piano game but it saved the 37th-seeded Filipinos from humiliation against the surprisingly tough Scottish side, ranked No. 63 in the biennial competition.

Torre, who made his Olympiad debut as a 19-year-old sensation in Siegen, Germany in 1970, played with renewed confidence and energy to survive the marathon match and his younger rival in a four-hour long encounter.

He wisely forced an exchange of major pieces in the opening stages of the game and outmaneuvered Mannions in a rook-and- pawn endgame.

Torre, who will turn 59 on Nov. 4, gained the initiative on the 50th when he captured Mannions’ pawn on e5 while giving up his knight for a bishop. The Filipino gobbled up another pawn four moves later to gain a winning advantage.

Torre then promoted his b-pawn to a queen on the 72nd, forcing Mannions to resign two moves later.

GM Darwin Laylo earlier lost to GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant in 37 moves of a Sicilian on board two.

GM Wesley So was held to a draw by GM Colin McNab in 35 moves of the Modern defense on the top board, while IM Richard Bitoon split the point with FM Graham Morrison.

The draw, however, pulled down the Filipinos to joint 63rd with three match points based on the scoring system that gives two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

Overall, it was Torre’s 87th win in the Olympiad against 111 draws and 39 losses for a total of 142.5 points -– the third-most score in a tie with GM Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

Only GM Lajos Portisch of Hungary, who had 176.5 points, and GM Miguel Najdorf of Argentina, who had 145 points, have better records.

In the fourth round, the Filipinos will take on No. 84 seed Paraguay, which also drew with Bolivia, 2-2.

So battles IM Jose Fernando Cubas, GM John Paul Gomez returns to action against FM Manuel Latorre, Torre faces FM Guillermo Vasquez and Bitoon takes on FM Eduardo Peralta.

In women’s play, the Filipinas posted their second 4-0 shutout victory over lowly Qatar.

Cheradee Camacho Catherine Perena, Rulp Ylen Jose and Jedara Docena swept their respective assignments to give the 52nd-seeded Filipinas four match points.

Camacho beat WFM Salama Al-Khelaifi to remain as the country’s leading scorer with 2.5 points in three rounds.

Perena humbled Aisha Al-Khelaifi, Jose downed Reem Shafar and Docena crushed Ghada Al-Khulaifi.

The Filipinas’ next opponent is No. 23 seed Israel.