MANILA, Philippines – Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna downed countrywoman Woman FIDE Master Allaney Jia Doroy to bolster her top 10 bid after seven rounds of the 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships (Second Manny Pacquiao Cup) Sunday night. Surprisingly silent in the first five rounds following two numbing defeats, the 22-year-old Frayna, the country’s highest ranked woman chesser, has regained bearing with wins over WFM Aay Aisyah Anisa of Indonesia in the sixth round and recently Doroy to jump into a five-player tie at 12th spot with four points. Frayna has been slowed down by an opening round draw to Malaysian Sivanesan Nithyalakshmi and losses to Indian WIM P V Nandhidhaa in the second and Chinese fourth seed WGM Wang Jue in the fourth. “I’m just hoping for the best in my last two rounds,” said Frayna, who is seeking to become the first Filipino woman to earn a GM title. De Guzman will clash with IM Xu Yi of China while Gomez GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran in the eighth round.

Source: Philippine Star December 17, 2018 06:33 UTC