Ruelle Canino skips Asean tilt for tougher global chess campaign

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THE pressure is rising for Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Ruelle ‘Tawing’ Canino as the 17-year-old chess prodigy from this city intensifies her pursuit of an International Master (IM) title — and, eventually, the coveted Grandmaster (GM) status.

Canino will skip the 23rd Asean Age Group Championship next month in Penang, Malaysia, despite being one of the country’s designated representatives.

Instead, the reigning national women’s champion and a key member of the Philippine squad that secured a historic Group B gold at the 2024 Budapest Chess Olympiad will focus on a string of higher-stakes international tournaments aimed at boosting her Elo rating — crucial in qualifying for the IM and GM titles.

“Bag-ohay lang niya nakuha ang FM title. So, she’ll take it one step at a time. And more realistic is to improve first her ratings for the IM target. We’re so grateful to the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and her Far Eastern University coach GM Jayson Gonzales for giving Tawing the opportunity to campaign intensively abroad,” said her father, Ruel Canino.

If all goes as planned, Canino will resume her global chess run at the Women’s World Championship in Batumi, Georgia, from July 5 to 10, followed by the Eastern Asia Chess Championship in China from July 20 to 30.

“There’s also the so-called Europe Chess Tour ahead of the 2025 calendar that the NCFP considers Tawing for much exposure. Sunod-sunod ni iyang dula sa gawas,” added her mother, Gina.

Canino was instrumental in the national team’s victory in Budapest, where she defeated at least three Women Grandmasters.

With a FIDE rating of 2004, Canino ranks sixth among Filipino women players and recently made headlines by dominating the Men’s Division of the National Age Group Championship. She scored an impressive seven out of eight points, including six wins and two draws — one of them a major upset over top seed FM Christian Gian Karlo Arca, a former World Blitz champion from Davao City.

“I wish her all the luck and more focus this time around. She’s been given the break. She’s already there. All she needs to do now is to show her complete determination against the best in the world,” said Jaime Joshua Frias II, Canino’s longtime coach and trainer in Cagayan de Oro.