TODAY’S younger generation in Philippine chess has never ceased to amaze.

Following the victory of International Master Daniel Quizon in the just held 2021 Philippine National Chess Championship as the youngest competitor at 17 came another surprise by the 13-year-old Woman National Master from Cagayan de Oro City.

On Saturday night’s opener of the Philippine Women’s Open Championship at PACE building in Quezon City, the white-wielding Ruelle ‘Tawing’ Canino sent a shockwave by pulling off an upset win over the country’s only Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna.

In a dominant endgame position where the gifted lass enjoyed a quality-up advantage that would leave her an unmolested two pawns-queening, the top-seeded 24-year-old Frayna resigned after a marathon 96 moves of the London System-Barry Attack variation.

“I think we have an upcoming Woman Grandmaster,” Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, Chief Operating Officer of the organizing National Chess Federation of the Philippines could only acknowledge Canino's potential.

Easily the winningest age-group campaigner with around 15 gold medals to show from international competition, Canino ― who enrolled this year as Grade 8 pupil of the Far Eastern University (FEU)-Fern in Quezon City ― faced Woman International Master Marie Antoinette San Diego and Lexie Grace Hernandez in the first doubleheader yesterday.

“Our training preparation was meant to deal with older rivals. At least, Tawing was able to prove that her middlegame understanding has now improved,” said Canino's coach and trainer Jaime Frias. “It seems Frayna’s aura before the games start suggests that she's still exhausted after her participation in the male-dominated Philippine championship in Mactan, Cebu,” added Frias.

WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, the reigning National Women’s champion, dodged the upset ax defeating the much younger Hernandez in 51 moves of the Caro-Kann defense.

WIM Kylene Joy Mordido crushed WNM Mariel Sadey Rinoa in a 37-mover Sicilian defense.

Other matches were drawn between WIM Bernadette Galas and WNM Francois Marie Magpily as well as San Diego with fellow WIM Shanie Mae Mendoza.

The game between Woman Fide Master Allaney Jia Doroy and Marian Calimbo had been rescheduled after the latter was stranded at the Mactan International Airport in Cebu due to typhoon Odette.

Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre graced the week-long tourney’s ceremonial rites in the company of GM Gonzales.

Total cash prizes of P135,000 and a slot to next year’s Hanoi Southeast Asian Games are at stake in the 12-player round-robin affair with the champion getting P50,000 and the second and third placers out to receive P30,000 and P15,000, respectively, plus trophies.