THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles ended the third round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Chess tournament with a 1-3 loss each against the National University (NU) Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, respectively, on Monday, February 8 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in DLSU, Manila.

After a 2-all tie against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws during the second day, the Blue Eagles fell short after two losses and two draws against the Bulldogs. According to Coach Roland Perez, a contributing factor to the loss was the absence of one of their key players due to his commitment to an academic seminar.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles improved their standing by taking a win against the Lady Archers, in contrast to the previous day’s three losses and one draw against the Lady Tigers.

Women’s Team Captain Bren Membrere stated that their main strength has been their opening moves, and she and the team wish to work on improving it. “Kailangan ma-memorize yung mga repertoire and ma-practice namin talaga [We really need to memorize and practice our repertoire],” she said.

Perez also pointed out that there are still eleven more games this season that will allow his team to earn more points and raise their standing. “Experience will tell if they can hold the court, so to speak,” said Perez. “Now that we were able to scout some of the opponents’ games, I believe that we can prepare better.” He adds that these three games have also allowed the team to better understand their own strengths and weaknesses.

The fourth round of the tournament will be at 1:00 PM, Saturday, February 13 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in DLSU, Manila, where the Blue Eagles will face the University of the East, while the Lady Eagles take on the Adamson University.