Barcelona - Filipino chess players Janelle Mae Frayna and Ruelle Canino have achieved significant rating points at the Barcelona International Chess Open, bolstering their prospects ahead of the upcoming 44th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

According to Philippines News Agency, Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, the Philippines' first and only female to hold that title, concluded the tournament with an impressive unbeaten streak, scoring 6.5 points out of 10 rounds. She showed a notable improvement in her performance, elevating her rating from 2162 to 2268. Her achievements included three wins, one of which was against Hungarian Grandmaster Gabor Papp in the third round, and seven draws. Meanwhile, Woman FIDE Master Ruelle Canino, the reigning national champion, also excelled by finishing with six points and significantly boosted her rating by 160.8 points, moving from 1908 to 2164.8.

"The real star in this tournament is 16-year-old WFM Ruelle Canino. She almost achieved her first WIM (Woman International Master) norm," Frayna remarked in a Facebook post. She further predicted that Canino's current trajectory could see her rating reaching 2300 by the end of the year or possibly even after the Olympiad.

Both Frayna and Canino are set to return to the Philippines on Monday and will depart for Budapest on September 9 to compete in the Olympiad, scheduled from September 10 to 22. They will be joined by WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Woman FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza, Woman International Master Bernadette Galas, and several male Grandmasters including Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez. The Philippine team's coaches include Grandmaster Eugene Torre for the men's team and National Chess Federation of the Philippines CEO Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales for the women's team.