PCAP: Trojans take No. 1 spot in southern division
CEBU CITY, Philippines — For the first time in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) history, the Toledo-Xignex Trojans clinched the No. 1 spot in the southern division standings after clinching two victories on Wednesday evening.
This was after the Trojans defeated the Cebu City Machers and the Mindoro Tamaraws in their two scheduled matches.
They remained undefeated with three points, along with the Negros Kingsmen, the Iloilo Kisela Knights, and the Camarines-Iriga Soaring Eagles. However, the Trojans have the upper hand in total points accumulated, putting them on top.
They have 54.5 points, while Negros has 52 points, Iloilo with 43 points, while Camarines-Iriga with 36 points.
In their match against the Cebu City Machers, the Trojans finished off with a blistering 17-4 total score.
They narrowly edged the Machers in the blitz round, 4-3, but they had a lopsided win in the rapid round.
The newly added International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap, mainstays’ IM Rico Mascarinas and team captain Bonn Rainauld Tibod led the Trojans by winning both their blitz and rapid round matches.
IM Yap defeated Ariel Potot twice in both the blitz and rapid rounds. Tibod beat Allan Cantonjos twice also in their duel, and IM Mascarinas zeroed FIDE Arbiter (FA) Lincoln Yap in their showdown.
Women’s IM Beverly Mendoza, National Master (NM) Elwin Retanal and Richard Natividad also won their matches over Marian Calimbo, Reynaldo Flores, and Randi Cabuncal, respectively, in the rapid round.
Rex Cabuncal prevented a total shutout for the Machers in the rapid round after ending his match against Rommel Ganzon with a draw.
On the other hand, the Trojans put on a masterful performance against the Tamaraws, 19-2.
The Trojans finished the blitz round with a 6-1 total score and went on to score 13-1 in the rapid round.
The Trojans will face stiff competition on Saturday, Feb. 25, as they play against Iloilo and Davao Chess Eagles.
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