By Kristel Satumbaga
She’s not raising funds for frontliners, but Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna has her own way to help them.
Together with her coach – Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales – Frayna is giving free online chess tutorials to the children of these frontliners.
Actually, Frayna and Gonzales are hitting two birds with one stone as it will also benefit the sport’s grassroots program.
“Sports isn’t just about winning trophies, but also along the way, it’s about earning friends and gaining worthy experiences,” said Frayna, the country’s first WGM.
Frayna said the program is open to everyone, but they are prioritizing dependents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and medical workers.
Artillery Foundation of the Philippines and the Special Service Center are backing the initiative.
They have already conducted a five-day class a few weeks back with 40 participants and are scheduled to have a second batch starting Sunday until May 1, mostly for beginners and intermediate players.
Frayna hopes this program would keep the interest in the sport while the country, as with the rest of the world, deals with the quarantine brought by the global health crisis.
Apart from online tutorials, Frayna is joining online chess tournaments to make up for her cancelled on-the-board international events.
She was supposed to compete in the HD Bank in Ho Chih Minh, Vietnam last March and the World Chess Olympiad in August prior to the quarantine.
“Mabuti po at nakakapractice pa rin kaming mga national chess players through online tournaments. I think because of the implemented quarantine, mas marami ang nagkakainteres sa chess dahil kahit papaano ay may active pa rin kami,” she said.
