University of Santo Tomas extended its unbeaten run in the girls’ division, while Far Eastern University-Diliman maintained its perfect record in the boys’ division following impressive victories in Round 5 of the UAAP Season 89 High School Chess Championships on Saturday at the BGPOP Building inside the UST campus in Manila.
The defending girls’ champion hardly missed a beat in the resumption of the tournament, walloping Adamson University, 3-1, to secure its fifth consecutive victory and improve to 10 match points, preserving its two-point advantage over second-running FEU-D.
Penelope Sanchez [4.5/5.0] spearheaded UST’s victory on Board 2, unleashing an unstoppable mating attack that forced AdU’s Elizah Bandejas [1.0/4.0] to resign after the 40th move to claim her fourth victory in five appearances.
Kara Meneses [2.0/3.0] followed suit on Board 4, delivering a 19-move checkmate against Samantha Mislang [1.0/5.0] to secure her first victory of the season and seal UST’s fifth straight win.
Angela Sotaridona [3.5/5.0] and Crystal Sunga [1.5/4.0] split the point on the top board, while Angel Nicole Po [2.0/3.0] and Athena Casas [3.0/5.0] likewise settled for a draw on Board 3 to complete UST’s winning performance.
In the boys’ division, the Junior Male Woodpushers kept pace with league-leading FEU-D after overpowering AdU, 3.5-0.5, to secure their third consecutive victory and improve to eight match points.
Arena International Master Gabriel Paradero [3.5/4.0] remained undefeated after taking down Allan Dolfo [2.5/5.0] on Board 2.
King Lanz Pamplona [2.0/3.0] also secured his second straight victory after prevailing over Ashton Fratkin [3.0/5.0] on Board 3, while Arena FIDE Master Prince De Luna [2.5/4.0] bounced back from his previous defeat with a win over previously unbeaten Jian Bautista [2.0/3.0] on Board 4.
Jian Carlo Rivera [4.0/5.0] preserved his unbeaten record after splitting the point with Bryce Bayani [2.0/3.0] on the top board to complete the Junior Male Woodpushers’ dominant performance.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Meanwhile, FEU-D continued its unbeaten campaign after turning back tournament debutant Southridge School, 3-1, to remain atop the boys’ division with 10 match points and 16 board points.
Arena Candidate Master Joemel Narzabal [4.0/5.0] led the Baby Tamaraws with a victory over Romeo Reyes III [0.5/5.0] on Board 1, extending his unbeaten streak to five appearances.
Runhigh Instrella [2.5/3.0] also remained undefeated after defeating Gael Garcia [0.5/5.0] on Board 3 for his second consecutive victory, while Arena International Master Gabriel Givero [2.0/2.0] maintained his perfect record with a win over Matteo Punzalan [0.0/1.0] on Board 4.
Arena FIDE Master Carl Nathan Importante [2.5/5.0], meanwhile, scored Southridge’s lone point after handing King Xyan Beltran [3.0/5.0] his first defeat of the season on Board 2.
In the other boys’ division match, Ateneo High School secured its second victory after routing De La Salle Zobel, 3.5-0.5, to remain in fourth place with four match points.
Arena International Master Joachim Manuel [2.5/5.0] defeated Kervin Dominguez [0.0/5.0] on Board 2, while Bryan Landicho [2.0/4.0] and Jose Pio Caro [1.0/1.0] prevailed over Collin Chiong [1.5/4.0] and Bernardo Escalona [0.5/2.0] on Boards 3 and 4, respectively.
Arena International Master Marc Fua [1.5/5.0] and Gian Marco Caguiat [1.0/5.0] settled for a draw on the top board, giving La Salle-Zobel its lone half-point.
On the distaff side, FEU-D stayed within striking distance of UST after sweeping La Salle-Zobel, 4-0, to secure its fourth victory in five rounds and improve to eight match points.
Woman National Master Bonjoure Suyamin [3.0/4.0] defeated Sophia Orosa [1.0/4.0] on Board 1, while Khana Ventolero [2.0/4.0] outmaneuvered Xophi Holgado [1.0/5.0] on Board 2.
Woman National Master Cyreine Jean Borce [1.5/2.0] and Jean Brade [2.0/2.0] completed FEU-D’s shutout with victories by forfeit over Jeslyn Santos [1.0/4.0] and Alexa Enas [0.0/4.0] on Boards 3 and 4, respectively.
National University Nazareth School also recorded its third consecutive victory after edging Ateneo, 2.5-1.5, to remain in third place with six match points.
Arena FIDE Master Ryien Bahita [4.0/5.0] earned her third straight victory by forfeit over Sapphire Abaño [0.0/5.0] on Board 1, while Mica Clar [3.5/5.0] extended her winning streak to three games after defeating Serenity Pesino [0.0/5.0] on Board 2.
