Frayna making right moves

MANILA, Philippines —  Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s first and only chess Woman Grandmaster, is in hot pursuit of another big milestone.

The 26-year-old Army woman from Legazpi City is seeking to become the first woman to win a national men’s championship crown and claim a spot to the men’s national team seeing action in the World Chess Olympiad.

And she’s right there in the mix as she zoomed to joint second midway through the 13-round Philippine National Chess Championships at the Marikina Community Convention Center Wednesday night.

Frayna’s last victim was Olympiad veteran IM Barlo Nadera in a 68-move, seventh-round triumph of a Torre Attack that catapulted her to a share of No. 2 with IM Jem Garcia, who split the point with GM John Paul Gomez in 29 moves of an English Opening.

They have five points apiece, a full point behind IM Daniel Quizon, who used the King’s Indian Defense to send WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego to a 52-move submission to remain unflappable at the helm going into the last six rounds of this meet presented by Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro and Congresswoman Maan Teodoro.

Frayna was to battle Vince Angelo Medina and IM Paulo Bersamina in the eighth and ninth rounds, respectively.