Not given a semblance of a chance entering the UAAP chess wars, University of the East is making the detractors eat their words.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, unheralded Lee Roi Palma and University of the East kept sending shockwaves down the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion as they brought down defending champion Far Eastern University, 3-1, to continue to hold sway in the high school boys’ section of Season 82, Sunday.
Palma shone the brightest in the Juniors Warriors’ stunning triumph as he brought down on top board a highly-touted FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri when the former punished the latter from his opening misadventures for a 34-move win of a Bishop’s Opening.
John Kenneth Gelva delivered the other victory against Christian Marcelo Olaybal in 33 moves of a Scotch Game on board four while Noel Geronimo and Francis Roi Parro split the point with Jarvey Labanda and Lorenzo Aaron Cantela on second and third boards, respectively, to complete what could turn out as the biggest win of the season.
After four grueling rounds, the sensational win kept UE well-entrenched on top with 13.5 points, a full two points ahead of National University, which battled University of Santo Tomas to a 2-2 standoff, with 11.5 points.
The Baby Tams slipped to a share of third with Adamson, which zoomed back to contention with a 4-0 destruction of Ateneo, with seven points each.
The high school girls’ division took a break Sunday.
