Janelle Mae Frayna

Janelle Mae Frayna (born May 19, 1996) is a Filipino 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.

Early life and education Frayna was born on May 19, 1996, in Legazpi, Albay 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.

Frayna entered the Far Eastern University under a scholarship which she earned on her third year in high school. with cum laude honors and as valedictorian.

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.

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,

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. This title was later confirmed by the Presidential Board by written resolution in early 2017.

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.

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. Since traditional chess was not part of the 2023 edition of the regional meet in Cambodia, Frayna took part in ouk chaktrang.