THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles started off the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Chess tournament by losing to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the Far Eastern University (FEU), respectively, on Saturday, February 6 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in De La Salle University, Manila.

It was a day to forget for the Blue Eagles, who were swept, 0-4, by the Growling Tigers. “From the start, we were on the defensive,” said Team Captain Jem Garcia, summing up the individual results of his team.

In his own match however, Garcia acknowledged that he had an offensive game, as both players were quick to attack. Ultimately, Garcia’s king was first to fall, marking the end of his three-year undefeated record in the UAAP. “Kailangan bumawi (We need to recover),” he said, still stunned after his defeat. “We’ll try our best.”

On the other hand, Lady Eagle Team Captain Bren Membrere chose to look at their own 0-4 defeat against the Lady Tamaraws in a more positive light. “Nakita namin na may laban kami (We saw that we had a fight),” she said.

Though not as nervous as her first-time teammates, Membrere observed how their veteran opponents were not very strategic in their opening moves, pulling through only at the latter part of the match. “Siguro, ang kulang talaga sa amin is experience (What we possibly lack is experience),” she said of the end result.

In terms of the mindset they wish to possess, the Lady Eagles believe that their future games will be more promising, as they were able to better understand what they are up against from this first game. “We’re more hopeful coming into the next games,” said Lady Eagle Gabrielle Ablang. “But at the same time, we know that we have to prepare more.”

This loss puts the Blue and Lady Eagles at 0-1 in the elimination round standings of the UAAP Chess tournament. The second round will be at 1:00PM, Sunday, February 7 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in De La Salle University, Manila, where the Blue Eagles will face FEU, while the Lady Eagles take on UST.