RP finishes 46th in chess Olympiad; ladies 43rd

MANILA, Philippines - Jayson Gonzales defeated fellow Grandmaster Fernando Peralta to lead the Philippines to a 2.5-1.5 win over Argentina in the final round of the 38th World Chess Olympiad on Tuesday in Dresden, Germany. Gonzales' win was the only one authored by the Nationals on the last day of competitions, as teammates Wesley So, Darwin Laylo and John Paul Gomez settled for draws. The Philippines, which registered 13.0 points, ended up in 47th place, three places short of its finish in the 2006 Olympiad in Italy. Armenia repeated as champions, narrowly defeating Israel and the United States which finished second and third respectively. In the women's division, the Philippines came up with its most rousing victory in the tournament, shutting down Mexico 4.0-0.0. The RP ladies (12.0 points) ended up in 43rd place, a far cry from their 23rd-place finish in the 2006 Olympiad in Italy. Georgia won the championship, followed by Ukraine and the US. - GMANews.TV