Shukhman sweeps Canino in FIDE Women’s World Cup

And it came via a numbing 2-0 sweep capped by a 46-move defeat to Russian Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Anna Shukhman of a French Defense Monday in Batumi, Georgia.

It was a painful exit for the 17-year-old FIDE Master from Cagayan de Oro, who was hoping to do well in this ultra-competitive biennial tournament where she had hoped for a WGM norm.

Instead, the Olympiad veteran and reigning national women’s champion will bring home the experience of playing against the best and brightest on the planet and hopefully learn from it.

But she did try.

An opening blunder — a queenside pawn move — discombobulated Ms. Canino’s position that allowed Ms. Shukhman to snatch a pair of passed pawns that the latter used to extract the full point.

Chess Notes: GM Daniel Quizon snared the blitz and super rapid title in the 1^st Bangkok Summer International Chess Open. But it was countryman International Master Michael Concio who was stamping his class in the premier standard open section where he currently has a perfect six points going into the final three rounds. Over in Malaysia, GM Jayson Gonzales finished second in the Penang Makruk chess meet. Makruk is Thailand’s version of chess that will also be part of the Southeast Asian Games calendar this December in the Thai capital. — Joey Villar