THE ATENEO Chess Teams embarked on a tumultuous outing for the seventh and eighth days of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Chess Tournament. The matches were held from November 26 to November 27 at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tech Gym in the City of Manila.
November 26 matches
The Women’s Team bounced back from their loss to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs with a 2.5-1.5 victory on November 26 over the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons to conclude the first round. Ateneo’s Laila Nadera and Kristine Flores won their boards against AdU’s Robelle De Jesus and Bonalyn Ornido, respectively. Team Captain Alexis Oseña and Lady Falcon Queenie Samarita had an intense battle that ended in a draw, while Glesit Tatoy conceded her board to AdU’s Jashua Patria.
Heading into their first second-round matchup against UST, Flores stressed how important it is to give their all on every board. “We always strive to do our best every game kahit anong (no matter what) results [come] after,” she shared.
November 27 matches
True to Flores’ word, the Blue and White gave their all to open Round 2, producing a hard-fought 2-2 outing against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Woodpushers on November 27. Oseña and Tatoy went back and forth with UST’s Rohanisah Buto and Josemier Jene Panol, respectively, with both matches ending in a stalemate. While Flores lost to UST Lady Woodpusher Jamaica Marie Lagrio, it was the veteran Nadera edging out UST’s Maycydel Fajardo to secure the lone win out of all four boards. The Women’s Chess Team now stands at a 3-1-3 win-draw-loss record.
Meanwhile, coming back from the short break, the Men’s Chess Team lost control of their boards in a close match against the AdU Soaring Falcons, 1.5-2.5.
First up for the Blue Eagles was Team Captain Joshua Tan, who bowed out to AdU’s John Sunga. Atenean Christopher Kis-Ing sought to deliver a win and was successful by defeating Adamson’s Jolan Ballobar. It was a nail-biter of an affair for Paul Llanillo against Alfonzo Olendo of AdU that eventually ended in a stalemate. Following this matchup, Atenean Rico Calderon came up short of a win against Soaring Falcon Matt Ramos, giving up another point to the Soaring Falcons. After the results at the end of the day, the Men’s Chess Team now stands at a 0-1-3 win-draw-loss record for the tournament.
In light of the loss, Llanillo shared the importance of continually improving and playing better as they head into their next match against FEU. “We can still push ourselves to do better than our last match. We [are] still looking up to beat FEU to maintain our stability in rankings,” he shared.
The Ateneo Chess Teams will continue its campaign on the boards on Wednesday, November 30, as the Men’s Team forge onwards in their first-round campaign against the FEU Tamaraws. Meanwhile, the Women’s Team looks to build on their momentum as they face the De La Salle University Lady Woodpushers. Both matches are scheduled at 2 PM at the FEU Tech Gym in Manila.
