THE Philippines relied on the heroics of Grandmaster (GM) Mark Paragua as it shocked Sweden, 2.5-1.5, in the fifth round Tuesday night to barge into the top 10 of the 44th World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India.

With the match tied at 1.5 points apiece following draws by GMs John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo and International Master (IM) Paulo Bersamina on boards two to four, Paragua fought his way from an almost equal position and squeezed out a 69-move win over Erik Blomqvist on top board to snatch the upset win against the 31st ranked Swedes.

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