THE PHILIPPINES crushed the United Arab Emirates in the ninth round of the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, scoring an impressive 4-0 victory on Friday to strengthen its chances of securing a better finish.

US-based Grandmaster (GM) Julio Catalino Sadorra outmaneuvered super GM AR Saleh Salem after 35 moves using the King’s Indian Defense on board one at the BOK Sports Hall.

“I chose to play like Smyslov and used the Smyslov Variation against my opponent’s favorite King’s Indian,” Sadorra said, referencing former Russian world champion Vassily Smyslov.

GM Daniel Quizon triumphed over Omran Al Hosani on board two, International Master (IM) Paulo Bersamina defeated Sedrani Ammar on board three, and IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia overcame Fareed Ahmed on board four.

With 12 match points, the Philippines has joined a large group in the Top 20 rankings with just two rounds remaining.

The country is aiming to replicate, if not surpass, its seventh-place finish in the 1988 Chess Olympiad held in Thessaloniki, Greece.

GM Eugene Torre, the top board player in that historic tournament, is currently coaching the men’s squad.

In the 10th round, the Filipino team will face the all-Grandmaster Georgian team.

Sadorra, who also coaches the University of Texas at Dallas chess team, has earned six points out of seven games. Notable victories include wins against super GMs Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Haik Martirosyan (Armenia), and Ante Brkic (Croatia).

Individually, Sadorra is currently ranked third on board one with an Elo rating of 2845, trailing only India’s Dommaraju Gukesh (3012) and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2949).

Interestingly, Gukesh is set to challenge reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the FIDE World Championship Match, scheduled for Nov. 20 to Dec. 15 in Singapore.

Meanwhile, in the women’s division, the Philippines fell to Romania, 1-3. Ruelle Canino secured the lone point for the team with an upset victory over Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky on board three.

WGM Janelle Frayna was defeated by Irina Bulmaga on board one, Woman International Master (WIM) Jan Jodilyn Fronda lost to Mihaela Sandu on board two, and WIM Bernadette Galas fell to Miruna-Daria Lehaci on board four.

The Filipina team will next face Iceland in the penultimate round.