THE ATENEO Men’s and Women’s Chess teams competed in the eighth round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Chess tournament on Sunday, March 11. The Blue and Lady Eagles both suffered losses against the University of the East (UE) and National University (NU) respectively, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in the University of Santo Tomas (UST). By the end of the round, the Blue Eagles had managed to bump their season score up to 6 while the Lady Eagles brought their score up to 3.
Lady Eagles
The Lady Eagles were defeated by their NU foes in a nailbiter, 1.5-2.5. Despite the loss, the Ateneo side was able to add to their season score before the round ended.
On board one, Ana De Duque took on NU’s Lovely Reyes. De Duque, however, was bested by Reyes, awarding NU a 0-1 lead.
Boards two and three saw better results as Lady Eagles Aryanne De Ocampo and Captain Jasmine Principe took on Jemelee Oandasan and Joribene Bonifacio respectively. De Ocampo defeated Oandasan, tying the round at a 1-1 score. Principe then finished her bout with Bonifacio in a draw, awarding both teams half a point each.
In a do-or-die situation, Ateneo’s Jill Feliciano took her shot against Arlene Ruiz. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, Feliciano lost to Ruiz, resulting in Ateneo falling just shy of their first win of the season.
Blue Eagles
The Blue Eagles were taken down by UE through a final score of 0.5-3.5. Before the round ended, the Blue and White were able to add half a point to their season score, courtesy of Jolo Lat.
Board one was the first sign of misfortune as Blue Eagle Lance Ting was forced to forfeit his match against Kimuel Lorenzo. Ting was not in proper uniform and failed to make it back to the play venue in time for his match.
Boards two and three featured Ateneo’s Keefe Tan and Gavin Ong as they took on Keneth Flores and Eliseo Budoso respectively. Tan and Ong, however, failed to turn the tables as they fell to their UE opponents, awarding UE a 0-3 lead.
The only offense for the day came from Lat who ended his match against Sean Olan in a draw.
“Despite a long losing streak and poor performance this season, we will not back down. We will not lose any passion nor determination to win for the rest of the season. Win or lose, it’s the school we choose. There’s no greater honor than to represent the Blue and White,” said Ong.
The Blue and Lady Eagles’ next matchday is scheduled on Saturday, March 17,at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in UST. The Blue Eagles will face UST while the Lady Eagles will take on UE in round 9 of UAAP Chess.
