JANELLE Mae Frayna blundered away a winning game and lost to Hungarian Grandmaster Attila Czebe in 40 moves of a Modern Defense to skid out of the top 20 after seven rounds of the 21st Hogeschool Zeeland Open 2017 in Vlissigen, The Netherlands Thursday night.
Frayna battled her way out of a passive opening strategy by outsmarting Czebe in the middlegame as she emerged with two connected passed pawns in the center and a winning position had she found the proper continuation.
But the country’s first ever Woman Grandmaster missed it and blew several more chances.
Frayna could have salvaged a draw but two blunders on moves 37th and 39th quashed it while enabling Czebe to transform a completely lost game into a victory.
It was the second straight loss for the country’s first ever Woman Grandmaster after she fell to Russian GM Konstantin Landa the round before.
The pair of defeats kept Frayna’s total score stuck at 4.5 points while practically kissing her title chances goodbye.
Frayna, whose European trip is bankrolled by Phl Sports Commission, National Chess Federation of the Phl, FEU’s Aurelio Montinola, The Philippine STAR’s Miguel Belmonte and Edward Go and backed by Senate President Koko Pimentel and Bobby Ang, take on Dutch Erik Sparenberg in the eighth and penultimate round at press time.
Frayna’s coach, GM Jayson Gonzales, for his part, suffered his first defeat Indian International Master R Praggnanandhaa in 50 moves of a Caro-Kann Defense.
Gonzales fell from a share of third spot the previous rounds to outside the top 10 with five points to show.
The former NCFP executive director clashes with Dutch Andrie Mellema next.