Frayna to lead Philippine women at ASEAN+ chess championships
The nine-round competition opens on November 3 in Misamis Occidental, with 39 entries in the open division and 33 in the women’s field.
Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna will spearhead the Philippine women’s challenge at the 7th ASEAN+ Individual Chess Championships, which begin on November 3 at AMORAP in Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental.
Frayna, the Philippines’ first and only woman grandmaster, faces a field featuring Russia’s Evgenija Ovod, an international master returning to defend her title. Other opponents include Vietnamese woman grandmasters Nguyen Thi Mai Hung and Hoang Thi Bao Tram, alongside Mongolia’s Sharavdorj Oyungerel.
The open competition has drawn 39 players representing 24 countries for nine rounds. Its four grandmasters are Vietnam’s Nguyen Duc Hoa, Mongolia’s Dashzegve Sharavdorj and Filipinos Daniel Quizon and Darwin Laylo. Vietnam’s Nguyen Quoc Hy is the top seed among 24 international masters.
The women’s competition has 33 entrants, including seven woman international masters and 10 woman FIDE masters. Filipinas pursuing title norms include Ruelle Canino, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Shania Mae Mendoza and Mhage Sebastian.
AMORAP will also host the nine-round Misamis Occidental Philippine International Chess Championships from November 10 to 17. Seven grandmasters are set to compete, including Macedonia’s Evgeny Romanov and India’s Chakraborty Mayank, N R Vignesh and Nikhil Shyaam. The AQ Prime International Open Chess Championships follow in Quezon City from November 17 to 25.
