THE ATENEO Women’s Chess Team concluded the 14th and final round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Chess Tournament in defeat, 1.5-2.5, to the back-to-back champions De La Salle University on Sunday, October 27, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
For most of the season, the Lady Eagles and the UST Golden Tigresses were locked at joint-third place. However, mishaps in Ateneo’s previous match against the University of the Philippines bumped the Lady Eagles down to fourth seed, leaving them with an uphill battle to get back into the podium places. After this result, the Lady Eagles still landed a respectable fourth-place finish with a record of 7-3-4 and a total of 33.5 points.
Despite the outcome of the tournament, this was a breakout campaign for Ateneo. Three team members received individual awards; Manilyn Cabuncag and Laida Nadera each received gold medals for boards three and four, respectively, while Membrere took home the bronze medal for board one.
The final matchday saw Merlene Membrere steer the ship at first board. Teammates Alexis Oseña, Cabuncag, and Nadera followed at second, third, and fourth boards, respectively.
Hopes for the bronze was foiled as Membrere and Cabuncag could not close out their opponents, putting victory over La Salle out of reach. Oseña fought hard to notch one full point for the Blue and White, while Nadera‘s matchup concluded in a stalemate.
Despite falling short of their top-three aspirations, Coach Yves Rañola had nothing but praise for his team. “Napakalaki ng improvement ng team mula last season. Lahat sila nag-exceed sa expectations ko (The team improved significantly compared to last season. They all exceeded my expectations),” said Rañola.
Cabuncag, who won 11 out of her 14 matches, emerged as a gem in the Lady Eagles’ offense this season. She attributed her success to Coach Yves guidance throughout the rookie’s first season in the UAAP. “Sa pagtraining [ni Coach Yves] sa amin, mas naturuan kami ng mga openings at techniques (Coach Yves’ training focused on teaching us different openings and techniques),” shared Cabuncag.
Team Captain Membrere also praised Cabuncag, saying that her addition to the roster allowed the Lady Eagles to improve. “Last year mga 22 points lang kami, tapos nadagdagan ni Manilyn this season (We only had 22 points last season, then Manilyn contributed to our total this season),” said Membrere.Rañola added that the Lady Eagles’ quest for glory will continue next season. “Balik lang sa drawing board. Yung mga nakitang pagkukulang nila, aayusin namin (It’s back to the drawing board. Once we figure out what’s lacking, we’ll address it),” he asserted.
