Teen prodigy Ruelle Canino captures PH women’s chess title

Wunderkind Ruelle Canino confirmed her new status as the next big thing in women’s chess after capturing the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship dubbed “Battle of Women Masters” in Malolos, Bulacan over the weekend.

The 16-year-old prodigy capped her giant-slaying ways by shocking Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda in 62 moves of an English opening to clinch the crown with 8.5 points.

The feat also came with the P85,000 top purse and a berth to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok, Thailand this November.

It also came with one of the three slots to the national team seeing action in the FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary this September, which the Cagayan de Oro native has already secured the day before.

Needing a victory to win it all, Canino displayed grace under pressure against Fronda, the 2019 national titlist, by snatching a pawn early and using it to create a two-pawn central passed pawn that forced her more experienced rival to give up a piece to prevent it.

It was all Canino from there.

Fronda though consoled herself with the fact that she made the Olympiad-bound squad while pocketing P52,000 for a runner up finish with eight points in this event organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Top seed Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, meanwhile, finished third with seven points after a 59-move triumph over Woman FIDE Master Cherry Ann Mejia in another English encounter.

She took home P40,000. — Kristel Satumbaga-Villar