THE ATENEO Men’s Chess Team recorded one win and one loss to kick off the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Chess Tournament. The matches were held yesterday and earlier today at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tech Gym in the City of Manila.

Elimination game vs UST

Fresh from their defeat to the FEU Tamaraws last Wednesday to close the first round, the Blue Eagles looked to bounce back as they faced the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Male Woodpushers yesterday, November 3. However, they were unable to topple their España-based opponents, suffering a 0.5-3.5 defeat in their first Round 2 matchup.

The first board saw Ateneo’s Christopher Kis-Ing in a back-and-forth battle with UST’s Julius Gonzales, which ended in a draw. Hans Reyes, Paul Llanillo, and Paolo Villa then played the next three boards, respectively. Despite their valiant efforts, the Blue Eagles gave up three straight points to UST.

Elimination game vs DLSU

It was a different story earlier today as the Men’s Chess Team rebounded with a 2.5-1.5 victory over the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Woodpushers. With this result, the Blue and White record their first win of the tournament and avenged their first-round loss to their Taft-based counterparts.

Ateneo’s Christopher Kis-Ing, Rico Calderon, and Paolo Villa competed in Boards 1, 3, and 4, respectively. In all three boards, the Blue Eagles found themselves in a heated battle, which ended in three stalemates. Board 2 proved to be the game-winner as Ateneo’s Paul Llanillo edged out DLSU’s Daniel John Lemi to give Ateneo its lone victory out of all four boards.

Following their results this weekend, the Men’s Chess Team now stands at a 1-1-5 (win-draw-loss) record, garnering a total of 8.5 points in the tournament.

“My game [was] very tough because my opponent defended so well, resulting in a neck match in [the] endgame.” Llanillo said of his Board 2 matchup with DLSU’s Lemi.

With their first win in the books and their sights set on their Katipunan neighbors, the University of the Philippines (UP), Llanillo stressed the importance of going for another win. He stated, “Our mindset is always the same. Regardless of [the] outcome, we strive for the win.”

The Men’s Chess Team will look to gain momentum as they face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Thursday, December 8, at 2 PM at the FEU Tech Gym.