THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles entered a new campaign the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Chess tournament on Saturday, February 17 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). They went up against Far Eastern University (FEU).
Lady Eagles
The Lady Eagles struggled as they remained winless against Season 79 Champion FEU Lady Tamaraws. They ended the day adding zero points to their overall season score.
Ana de Duque was first up for the Blue and White. However, she was defeated by Woman FIDE Master Shania Mendoza on board one. On board two, Minella Sandoval took on FEU’s Venice Vicente, but fell short of a win.
Aryanne De Ocampo, in an attempt to pick up Ateneo’s first win, went head-to-head with FEU’s Michelle Yaon, but was was bested by her foe.
Captain Jasmine Principe was the Lady Eagles’ last hope for a win, but fell to Marife Dela Torre. This forced the Lady Eagles to call it a day without picking up a win.
“Kahit ‘di nag-reflect sa results today, overall nag-improve naman ‘yung games so we’re really hopeful for the games tomorrow (Even if it didn’t reflect in our results today, overall our games improved so we’re really hopeful for the games tomorrow),” said Principe.
Blue Eagles
For Captain Gavin Ong, the first day of the competition was a success for the Blue Eagles. There were four matches that featured Blue and White players in the Men’s Division, and Ateneo ended the day with two wins and two losses for two overall points so far.
Board one featured Keefe Tan, making his UAAP debut against FEU’s Rhenzi Sevillano. Unfortunately, Tan was bested by Sevillano, who handed the Blue Eagles their first loss of the day. The second loss of the day was suffered by Jolo Lat as he took on Romy Fagon on board four.
On a brighter note, Ong defeated National Master Paul Evangelista on board two and picked up the first Blue and White victory of the day. Renzo Marquez was able to pick up a win against Jose Castro on board three, ending the day with a 2-2 tie between Ateneo and Season 79 First Runner-up FEU Tamaraws.
“The team effort was really evident. I want to give special mention to Keefe because it was his UAAP debut. I’ve seen the most heart poured out to a game, and I was glad he pulled off a good fight,” said Ong.
The Blue and Lady Eagles’ second match is today, February 18. The Blue Eagles will face the University of the East (UE) while the Lady Eagles take on the University of the Philippines (UP).
