COMING FROM rock bottom in Season 84, the Ateneo Men’s Chess team redeemed themselves by capturing fifth place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85. The final day of the Chess Tournament was held yesterday, December 17, at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tech Gym in the City of Manila.
Despite falling 1-3 to the FEU Tamaraws in their final match, the Blue Eagles capped off the season at fifth—one spot better than last year—with a total of 12 points in the standings.
Rookie sensation Christopher Kis-Ing delivered the lone gold for the Blue and White, dominating Board 2 in the tournament while also being crowned as the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year.
[Third Match]
— Juno Reyes (@Juno_TheGUIDON) December 15, 2022
An impressive half-moon kick brings Macasaet’s round-two score to 5-2! The Blue Eagle clinches Ateneo’s second team-tie point against FEU.
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 2 FEU 1#UAAPTaekwondo@TheGUIDONSports pic.twitter.com/mtengT9dhq
The newly-minted ROTY already showed promise in his first UAAP campaign. “Malakas talaga siya, pero this year, he exceeded expectations (The kid is really strong, but this year, he exceeded expectations),” said Chess Program Head Jan Emmanuel Garcia.
Also in his freshman year, Paul Matthew Llanillo nearly made the podium after placing fourth in Board 4. Graduating veteran Hans Jeremy Reyes snatched the fifth spot in Board 3, while Rico Calderon and Joshua Tan placed sixth in Boards 5 and 1, respectively.
“We could’ve performed better, but we did better today than last year. We expect to get better in the years to come,” said outgoing Team Captain Tan.
With three players graduating after the season, the Men’s Chess team will be left with three rookies in Kis-Ing, Llanillo, and Calderon. However, the team captain sees a bright future ahead. “I like our team. It’s an opportunity to really change the culture,” he added.
As for Season 85’s Rookie of the Year, there is one clear goal in mind. “I’m hoping na next year, tumaas yung place namin. We [are aiming] for a top 3 finish (I’m hoping that we rank higher next year. We [are aiming] for a top 3 finish),” Kis-Ing said.
Program Head Garcia does not see the goal as an impossible feat, especially with the Women’s Chess team already winning their first overall bronze medal in 10 years.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles clinch the overall bronze medal in the UAAP Season 85 Women's Chess Tournament after finishing the season with two individual gold medals.#UAAPChess pic.twitter.com/vZ2kLgiM6J
— The GUIDON Sports (@TheGUIDONSports) December 17, 2022
With the Ateneo Chess Team making a strong notice, Garcia also hopes to deliver a message to the Ateneo community.
“Ang tagal na rin talaga bago kami nagkatrophy. With determination, eventually magpi-payoff ang hard work namin (It took us so long before we could secure a trophy. With determination, our hard work will pay off).”
The University of Santo Tomas completed their back-to-back Men’s Chess titles with 31.5 points, followed by the University of the Philippines-Diliman with 24. Meanwhile, De La Salle University strung together 21 points to finish in third place.
