Janelle Mae Frayna

Janelle Mae Frayna (born May 19, 1996) is a Filipina chess player. She was awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster by FIDE in 2017, becoming the first from the Philippines to achieve this. She is a 3-time and the current Philippine Women's Chess Champion.[1]

Janelle Mae Frayna
Frayna in 2017
CountryPhilippines
Born (1997-05-19) May 19, 1997
Legazpi, Albay
TitleWoman Grandmaster (2016)
Peak rating2325 (February 2017)
Medal record
Women's chess
Representing the  Philippines
Southeast Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2021 Hanoi Team Blitz
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Hanoi Rapid chess
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Hanoi Individual Blitz
Women's ouk chaktrang
Representing the  Philippines
Southeast Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2023 Cambodia Doubles 60 minute

Early life and education

Frayna was born on May 19, 1996, in Legazpi, Albay[2] to George and Sonia Frayna. She is the only daughter of her parents, who work as engineers, and she has two brothers. She attended the Divine Word College of Legazpi, where she took her elementary and high school studies and was a consistent honor student.[3]

Frayna entered the Far Eastern University under a scholarship which she earned on her third year in high school.[3] In 2017, Frayna graduated with a degree of Psychology [4] with cum laude honors and as valedictorian.[3] [5] [6]

Career

Frayna started playing chess at age 11 joining the Magayon Chess Club. She started showing interest to the sport when she was still an elementary school student. During her first two years in high school, she joined chess tournaments during City Meets as well as the Palarong Bicol and the Palarong Pambansa.[3]

At the Philippine women's national championship, Frayna became the champion in two editions. She also finished first runner up twice in other editions of the same tournament. She also became champion for multiple times at the ASEAN Age-Group Chess Championships. After going through a six to eight months of extensive training, she enrolled at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence in 2010. In 2011, she won the Philippine National Juniors and became one of the youngest winners of that particular tournament.[3]

Frayna gained the title of Woman FIDE Master in 2013 and a year later she became a Woman International Master.

The Filipina is part of the FEU Diliman Juniors Chess team. She first won over a grandmaster and an international master, both men, at the Battle of the Grandmasters tournament in July 2014, becoming the first woman to do so. She also became the first woman to qualify for the men's division of the said tournament by becoming one of six top players of the 2014 competition.[7]

Frayna was named co-recipient of the UAAP Season 77 Athlete of the Year award after leading her university's team at the UAAP Championship,[7] along with table tennis player Ian Lariba.[8]

At the 42nd Chess Olympiad held in September 2016, Frayna achieved her final norm to become eligible for the title of Woman Grandmaster. After the feat, she was dubbed by the media as the Philippines' first woman grandmaster.[9][10] This title was later confirmed by the Presidential Board by written resolution in early 2017.[11]

Frayna was nominated by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines to play in the 2021 FIDE Women's World Cup in Sochi, Russia after the Philippines was given one of the 39 wild card slots for the tournament.[12]

She took part in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam where she won two bronze medals; one for the women's rapid chess event and the second for the women's individual blitz.[13] Since traditional chess was not part of the 2023 edition of the regional meet in Cambodia, Frayna took part in ouk chaktrang.[14][15]

References
  1. "Woman GM Frayna clinches 3rd national title". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. Liao, Henry (December 20, 2016). "Year of women". bandera.inquirer.net. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  3. "Legazpi City Welcomes Country's First Woman Chess Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna". Official Website of the City of Legazpi. City Government of Legazpi. Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  4. Dee, Ignacio (September 13, 2016). "Get to know Janelle Mae Frayna, the new PH chess grandmaster". Rappler. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  5. "FEU 89th Commencement Exercises Valedictory Address: Janelle Mae Frayna". YouTube.
  6. "FEU Sports Hall of Fame - Janelle Mae B. Frayna".
  7. "UAAP Season 77's top athlete dreams to be 1st Pinay chess grandmaster". Far Eastern University. April 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  8. Gloria, Gio (April 15, 2015). "Success breeds success: Lariba hailed UAAP Athlete of the Year". The Lasallian. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  9. Roy Luarca (September 12, 2016). "Frayna is first PH Woman Chess Grandmaster". Inquirer. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  10. "Frayna becomes PH's first Woman Chess Grandmaster". Rappler. September 12, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  11. "List of titles approved by the Presidential Board by written resolution". FIDE. March 3, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  12. Villar, Joey (May 20, 2021). "History beckons for Filipina Grand Master Janelle Frayna". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  13. "SEA Games: Janelle Mae Frayna scores another chess bronze". ABS-CBN News. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  14. Villar, Joey (April 24, 2023). "Torre laments exclusion of chess in Cambodia SEA Games". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  15. "WGM Frayna, Mendoza assured of silver despite loss to Vietnam". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
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