THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles both triumphed on the third day of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Chess tournament to win their first matches of the season on Sunday, September 23, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Hall. The Blue Eagles dispatched their rivals, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Woodpushers, while the Lady Eagles edged out a strong Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws side on the third matchday.

Ong, Cervero manage wins to edge rivals DLSU

On the back of a team defeat on the previous matchday, the Blue Eagles fielded a familiar lineup of Josh Dy, Gavin Ong, Vince Edralin, and Tristan Cervero to go head-to-head with the Green Archers. Ong, the captain of the Blue Eagles, said that their coach wanted to emphasize the winning mindset of the team for Sunday’s competition.

“We changed our mindset coming into this round. Knowing that we are pressured to win because of our losses in the first two rounds, we [wanted to] deliver,” he said.

Despite a loss on the first board, the Katipunan-based squad followed through on their coach’s orders, taking two wins from the Green and White on boards 2 and 4, courtesy of Ong and Cervero. UAAP rookie Edralin also added to the Blue Eagles’ win column on board 3, fighting hard to gain a crucial half-point to give Ateneo the advantage on the day. It finished 2.5 to 1.5 in favor of the Blue Eagles.

Rookie victories for Oseña and Membrere power Ateneo over FEU

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles squad composed of Jill Feliciano, Alexis Oseña, Marlene Membrere, and rookie Laila Nadera suited up on the other side of the room as they faced the FEU Lady Tamaraws. Making up for Feliciano’s loss on board 1, Oseña and Membrere took an even two points for the Lady Eagles on boards 2 and 3 respectively. Laila Nadera chipped in with a draw to secure the team-tie victory over the Green and Gold, 2.5-1.5 for the Lady Eagles.
The Ateneo Blue and Lady Eagles will aim extend their winning streak against the University of the East (UE) and National University (NU) on Thursday, September 27 at the same venue.