THE ATENEO Women’s Chess Team finished the 13th round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Chess Tournament with a draw, 2-2, against the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons on Saturday, October 26, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

Ateneo’s stalemate against the Lady Maroons left them with a record of 7-3-3 and a total of 32 points, dropping them to fourth place. After weeks of being tied for the third spot, the Lady Eagles now face a two-point deficit against the third-seeded UST Golden Tigresses.

Suiting up for the Blue and White were Team Captain Merlene Membrere at first board, with Alexis Oseña, Manilyn Cabuncag, and Laila Nadera at boards two, three, and four, respectively.

Cabuncag led the Lady Eagles’ charge as she garnered a full point against UP’s Jallen Agra. Membrere’s defeat lifted UP back on level terms, while Oseña’s persistence and Nadera’s opening errors brought their matches and the final team-tie to a draw.

When asked about their chances at a top-three finish, team member Jill Feliciano said the team must score three points in their next match and hope that UST slips up against Far Eastern University. 

“Even if we do get the same number of points, UST can still come out at third since they won the last round and we drew. So the most we can do is score well and pray that UST doesn’t,” explained Feliciano. 

Snatching back third place on the final day will be no easy feat as the Lady Eagles are set to go up against back-to-back defending champions De la Salle University (DLSU) at 1:00 PM on Sunday, October 27, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.