CONTINUING THEIR fruitless run of games, the Ateneo Men’s Chess Team was narrowly beaten, 1.5-2.5, by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the eleventh round of matches in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Chess tournament held on Saturday, October 19, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

This defeat is the third in succession for the Blue Eagles, dropping their record to 2-3-6.

Ateneo rotated their lineup as Vince Edralin took board one with Tristan Cervero and Team Captain Gavin Ong assigned to boards two and three, respectively. Alexander Santos returned to competition at board four.

Edralin’s efforts were unrewarded before Cervero tied up the overall score with a win. Ong slipped in the crucial third board matchup, effectively conceding the tie to UST. Santos picked up a draw at board four to round out the contest. 

Ong refused to dwell on his team’s failures after the round and opted to look positively at what is still to come. “There’s still a lot to be thankful for despite the tough losses we had this season. We still have three more rounds left, and we promise to make the most out of what we have,” said Ong.

He went on to highlight the importance of competing with the right mindset. “To have the right mindset is to look forward at the remaining games we have rather than what could have been from the last eleven games,” preached Ong.

Ateneo enters the final stretch of the season with a match against Adamson University at 1:00 PM on Sunday, October 19, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, Manila City.