THE ATENEO Blue Eagles and Lady Eagles ended the fourth round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) chess tournament with 3-1 and 0-4 records against the University of the East and the Adamson University, respectively, on Sunday, February 14 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in De La Salle University (DLSU), Manila.

Team Captain Jem Garcia was happy with his team’s performance. However, he was quick to acknowledge that luck played its part in their matches. “Natatalo na kami kanina (We were losing),” Garcia said. Nevertheless, they were able to tip the scales in the endgame, which led to victories for the Blue and White.

After this performance, the Blue Eagles have leaped from eight to fifth place in the standings of the UAAP Season 78 Chess tournament. Garcia noted that in his four-year UAAP career, this is the first time the Blue Eagles have passed sixth place. Looking forward, he hopes that the team will be able to maximize the momentum from the day’s win.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles had nothing to show for their efforts, as they were swept by the Adamson University. According to Women’s Team Captain Bren Membrere, the team was doing well in the opening and middle parts of their matches, but struggled in the long run. “Sa endgame, may kulang sa amin (We struggled in the closing portions of the match),” Membrere admitted.

This result has left the Lady Eagles at the bottom of the standings. Nevertheless, Membrere said that her team will head back to training to improve their defense and endgame strategies.

The fifth round of the tournament will be at 1:00 PM, Saturday, February 21 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall, in DLSU, Manila, where the Blue and Lady Eagles face the University of the Philippines.