THE ATENEO Women’s Chess Team fell short in their matches against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 1-3, during the third round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Chess Tournament on Sunday, September 22, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion, Manila City. 

Despite their compelling performance against the University of the Philippines to open the weekend’s matches, the Lady Eagles’ loss dropped the team to third place in the elimination round standings of the UAAP Season 82 Women’s Chess Tournament with 9.5 points, sharing the spot with UST. The loss puts Ateneo just behind De La Salle University (DLSU) with 12 points, while FEU ranks at the top spot with 12.5 points. 

Team Captain Merlene Membrere at first board and Alex Oseña on second suited up for today’s action. Manilyn Cabungcag and Laila Nadera took third and fourth board duties, respectively.

The Lady Eagles started off today’s competition with a trio of losses. Despite their efforts, Membrere, Oseña, and Nadera could not overcome blows from their Tamaraw counterparts. Cabungcag, on the other hand, salvaged a point to close out the weekend, with her win solidifying the team’s standing as the third seed. 

First-year player Manilyn Cabungcag, who managed to put up the only marker in today’s competition for the Lady Eagles, was grateful not only for her solo win, but also for the opportunity to be playing in the collegiate ranks. “I feel happy kasi first time ko maglaro ng UAAP and also to be a part of the Ateneo Chess Team (I feel happy because it’s my first time to play in the UAAP and to be part of the Ateneo Chess Team),” she mentioned. 

Merlene Membrere said that the struggle in the matches came from their lackluster opening performances, which made it more difficult for the team to establish a winning position and to close out the games. 

Although it was a tough loss for the team, Coach Yves Ranola wants his players to focus on the remaining three games of the first round-robin to allow them to catch up to tournament leaders FEU and DLSU. “Despite today’s loss, Coach [Ranola] is still optimistic for the upcoming games,” said Membrere.

The Lady Eagles hope to bounce back in their next match against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons on Saturday, September 28, 1:00 PM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, Manila City.