CEBU CITY, Philippines—It seems like Cebu has a new dominant team in the pro chess scene after the Cordova Dutchess Dagami Warriors defeated the heavily-favored Toledo Trojans in the all-Cebu team showdown of the ongoing “Wesley So Cup” of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) on Wednesday evening, May 26, 2021.
The Dutchess Dagami Warriors edged the Trojans, 11.5-9.5, in their much-anticipated match-up in the ongoing south division elimination round.
The Dutchess Dagami Warriors defeated the Trojans in the blitz round, 4.5-2.5, but the latter managed to seal the rapid competition with an even 7-all score. But was not enough to grab the lead in the final tally.
Aside from beating the Trojans, the Dutchess Dagami Warriors of playing team owner Ariel Potot also downed the Palawan Queen’s Gambit in their other scheduled match,14-7, to take the No. 1 spot in the south division standings with seven wins and no loss and 93.5 accumulated points.
With their win, they dislodged erstwhile leader, the Camarines Soaring Eagles, who dropped to No. 2 with a 6-1 (win-loss), card. The Iloilo Kisela Knights are at third place with a 5-2 record.
“I’m really proud of the Dagami Warriors, the boot camp that we had did real good with the team’s overall performance. We had the team stay in one house to practice and study alongside with proper diet and exercise to prepare for this tournament. We’re crossing our fingers if we can sustain this winning streak and momentum,” said Potot, also the founder of the RiChessMasters, a chess group in Cebu that aims to produce Mactan Island’s first International Master (IM).
The team’s import, Israeli Grand Master (GM) Nitzan Steinberg, led the Dutchess Dagami Warriors anew by winning all his matches in both the blitz and rapid competitions.
He beat National Master (NM) Rogelio Enriquez Jr. twice in board one in both the blitz and rapid rounds.
The Dutchess Dagami Warriors’ grabbed four wins and a single draw in the blitz round courtesy of Women’s International Master (WIM) Bernadette, Brylle Arellano, and Allan Pason, who beat Jinky Catulay, Rommel Ganzon, and Richard Natividad, respectively.
The Trojans’ import, Iranian GM Amir Bagheri, beat NM Merben Roque in the blitz round while Ronald Ganzon nipped Dione Patrick Miñoza in the blitz round. IM Rico Mascariñas of the Trojans and Mario Mangubat of the Dutchess Dagami Warriors settled their match with a draw in the same round.
In the rapid competition, both teams finished with two wins and three draws to finish with a tie with seven points apiece.
Despite losing to the Dutchess Dagami Warriors, the Trojans, who was the highest-seeded Cebu-based team in the first conference of PCAP earlier this year, bounced back in their other scheduled match by defeating the Zamboanga Sultans,11-10.
They are now fourth in the south division standings with a 5-2 record off 86.5 points.
Meanwhile, the Lapu-Lapu Naki Warriors split their two matches after losing to the Negros Kingsmen in the first round, 7.5-13.5. They redeemed themselves in their second match by upsetting the erstwhile south division leader Camarines Soaring Eagles, 11-10.
The Naki Warriors are now seated at the No. 6 spot with a 4-3 record.
The Cebu City Machers also split their matches after grabbing a win over the Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates,11-10, and losing to the Sultans,6.5-14.5.
They are at ninth place with a 2-5 record.
/bmjo
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