CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans-backed University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters are putting up a good fight in the ongoing Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) National Interschool Championships.
This as, the team is currently ranked No. 4 among 20 competing teams in the tournament.
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Trojans have 3 points
They currently have 3.0 points and accumulated 43.5 total points after four rounds. They defeated the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Radicals and the Adamson University in rounds 3 and 4, respectively last weekend.
For the Trojans’ team manager, they decided to choose UC as its official representative in the inter-school national tournament since they didn’t found a school with enough players from Toledo City to compete for them.
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Trojans choose UC
Instead, they chose UC which happens also to be the official team coached by one of its players, International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap to represent them in this tournament.
“As a team representing LGU Toledo City, our original plan was to send a school team from our hometown. However, we encountered difficulty in finding enough players from a single institution to meet the required number,” Gacang explained.
“As a result, we have formulated an alternative strategy. As most of us, the Trojans, are former varsity players/scholars from the University of Cebu, including myself, we have chosen to proudly represent our Alma Mater once again. The university played a vital role in shaping us not just as skilled chess players, but also as professionals. By participating in this event, we aim to provide exposure for our current UC chess players and honor the esteemed legacy of our institution. It’s worth noting that IM Kim Steven Yap, UC’s current coach, is also one of the key players for the Trojans, which adds to our team’s strength.”
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Dasmarinas leading show
The leading team in the tournament is the Dasmarinas Integrated High School (4.0), followed by the Ateneo de Manila University (4.0), San Sebastian College-Recoletos Manila (3.0), and UC-Toledo.
The team is comprised of IM Yap himself, Diego Abraham Caparino, Chris Aldritz Pondoyo, Duane Borgonia, John Dave Lavandero, Edelyn Vosotros, Rogel Nino Panilagao, and Bonn Rainauld Tibod.
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Potential players eyed
Also, Gacang mentioned that they’re also open to identifying and recruiting potential players from UC to represent the Trojans in PCAP’s third season and future tournaments.
“While our primary focus at the moment is on our participation in PCAP’s 1st Interschool Championship with the current student-athletes of UC, we are always open to identifying and nurturing potential players who could contribute to the Trojans in the future. Our aim is to build a strong and competitive team, and if there are promising individuals from UC or elsewhere who demonstrate exceptional skills and dedication, we would certainly consider them as potential recruits for the Trojans in due time,” Gacang explained.
The last two rounds of the tournament is slated this weekend, July 15 to 16, 2023, and will be held online.