By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Team Philippines I rekindled their lost flame in the 1st FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities online chess tournament after upsetting one of the best teams in the tournament in Poland I.
The victory against the powerhouse Poland squad earned huge points for the PH chess players and jumped to a convincing third-place overall in the fifth round.
After a series of heartbreaks in the earlier rounds, the PH squad finally found their stride and used their experience to their advantage to topple the formidable chess players from Poland.
National Master Darry Bernardo outlasted Fide Master Marcin Molenda while Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza pulled-off an upset against Master Anna Stolarczyk to jumpstart PH’s campaign.
On board 1, FM Sander Severino of the PH and the reigning champion for the physically challenged had a showdown with Grandmaster Marcin Tazbir, who is the highest-rated chess player among the 300 competitors, which ended in a draw.
The momentum-clinching victory of the Filipinos increased their total points to 8 while top team Russia I stands alone with 10 while Poland 2 is at the second spot with 9.
