THE ATENEO Men’s Chess Team is on a quest to not only survive this coming season but to change the tides and build a viable winning culture for the years to come. In the limited return of chess in UAAP Season 84, the team experienced a disappointing last-place finish. However, the Blue Eagles took to heart that failure comes with learning, which inevitably leads to critical, indispensable improvement.

Once again led by Head Coach Luffe Magdalaga, the Men’s Chess Team is a tale of two halves. Seniors Hans Jeremy Reyes, Paolo Joaquin Villa, and Team Captain Joshua Mikyle Tan look to share their battle-tested experience with bright-eyed rookies. The neophytes consist of Christopher Khalil Kis-ing, Rico Rafael Calderon, and Paul Matthew Llanillo—the last being a blue-chip high school recruit from Lyceum of the Philippines.

Boasting a roster aptly composed of seasoned vets and hopeful newcomers, the new and improved Blue Eagles are determined now more than ever to head into Season 85 and take it by its reins.