Philippines misses out on repeating bronze medal finish for the first time since finishing fifth in 2ndRa The FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities (PWD) took place at the Paralympic Center in Astana, Kazakhstan over the weekend.
A draw by Sandor Severino and Jasper Rome on the top board and a win by Darry Bernardo and Chaser Mendoza on the bottom board in the sixth and final round helped the Filipinos defeat the Uzbeks 3–1 and move into a tie with Israel and the International Braille Chess Association for third place with nine match points.
It also raised hopes for the country, also composed by Henry Lopez and coach James Infiesto, who was trying to repeat its bronze medal at the inaugural stage of the event in Belgrade, Serbia, four years ago.
But that was not to be, as the plucky group lost to the Israelis in a tie-break after IBCA finished fourth and the former fifth at the week-long meeting of the 26 nations.
The nation defeated Croatia, Venezuela, Kazakhstan by 3 and Uzbekistan, drew with Israel and suffered its only defeat in the tournament – a heartbreaking 2.5–1.5 loss to Czech Republic in the third round which halted its medal bid. , joey villar
