CONTINUING A tough stretch of matches, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were defeated by defending champions the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 1-3, in the twelfth round of matches in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Chess Tournament on Sunday, October 20 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City. 

This loss puts Ateneo at the bottom of the standings with a 2-3-7 record and haul of 18.5 points, just 0.5 points behind De La Salle University.

Head Coach Jan Emmanuel Garcia shuffled his lineup, placing first-year player Kurt Ong on board one. Tristan Cervero, Team Captain Gavin Ong, and Alexander Santos handled boards two, three, and four, respectively.

K. Ong and G. Ong could not overcome their Tamaraw counterparts, conceding full points to FEU in their matchups. Despite their best efforts, Santos and Cervero could not come away with more than a draw each to rack up the Blue Eagles’ only points of the day.

G. Ong continued to remain positive despite his team’s shaky recent form. “We’re still fighting our way through the remaining games of the season with optimism. It is in the blood of an Atenean athlete to keep on fighting and never give up. We still have 2 more rounds to go, so we’re going to continue to bring the One Big Fight,” said Ong.

The Blue Eagles are slated for a showdown with the University of the Philippines on at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 26 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.