THE ATENEO Men’s and Women’s Chess teams competed in the thirteenth round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Chess tournament on Saturday, April 7. The Blue and Lady Eagles faced off against National University (NU) and De La Salle University (DLSU), respectively, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in University of Santo Tomas (UST).
The Blue Eagles currently have a season score of 7, while the Lady Eagles’ still stand at 3.
Lady Eagles
The Lady Eagles fell to their DLSU rivals at a 0-4 score. Ana De Duque started it off against DLSU’s Woman International Master Bernadette Galas on board one. Unfortunately for De Duque, Galas picked up the victory and took DLSU to a 0-1 lead. Over on board two, Lady Eagle Minella Sandoval fell to Woman Candidate Master Mira Mirano.
With a two-point deficit, Lady Eagles Aryanne De Ocampo and Jasmine Principe faced Woman International Master Marie Antoinette and Ella Moulic, respectively. However, De Ocampo and Principe lost to their opponents, as the Lady Archers took the round at a 0-4 score.
Blue Eagles
The Blue Eagles lost to NU, but not before Gavin Ong added 0.5 points to their season score. Ong ended his match against FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) Master Austin Literatus in a draw on board three. On board one, Blue Eagle Joseph Tsoi lost to International Master Paulo Bersamina.
Boards two and four featured Blue Eagles Keefe Tan and Jolo Lat as they faced NU’s Robin Ignacio and Ryan Magtabog, respectively. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, Tan and Lat fell to their opponents ending the round at a 0.5-3.5 score.
“The round was great practice for us. I was glad to pull off a draw against a FIDE Master, and Keefe had a good game against Ignacio,” said Ong.
The Blue and Lady Eagles’ next matchday is scheduled on Sunday, April 8, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in UST. The Blue Eagles will face the University of the Philippines, while the Lady Eagles will take on Adamson University in the final round of UAAP Chess.
