from left to right; Bonn Rainauld Tibod, IM Rico Mascarinas, team manager Jeah Gacang, team trainer Felix Poloyapoy, team co-owner John Signe, and IM Kim Steven Yap. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo-Xignex Trojans have a huge chance to reclaim the top spot of the southern division standings of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference as they’re set for two more matches on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
The Trojans, the former leaders of the southern division standings in the tournament, lost their grip after suffering a string of recent losses. This paved the way for the Camarines Soaring Eagles to seize the top spot in the team standings with their record of 16 wins and four losses, while the Trojans hold a 13-6 (win-loss) card.
The Trojans have the opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 spot as they face off against the Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates and the Davao Chess Eagles.
They have a huge chance since they defeated Surigao last April 3, 11.5-9.5, total scores, while they lost to Davao, 7.5 – 13.5, the previous month as well.
They have a significant chance considering their victory over Surigao last April 3, with a total score of 11.5-9.5, while they suffered a loss to Davao, 7.5 – 13.5, the previous month.
However, they can still bounce back in tomorrow’s matches to reaffirm their position as the southern division’s top team, as they did in the early stages of this conference. Last Wednesday, they split their two matches with a win and a loss. They defeated the Mindoro Tamaraws, 18-3, but narrowly lost to the Iloilo Kisela Knights, 10-11.
Toledo, the sole team representing Cebu, will rely on its top players—Chin Lim, International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap, Women’s FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia, IM Angelo Young, IM Rico Mascarinas, National Master (NM) Merben Roque, and IM Joel Pimentel—to enhance their chances of winning their two matches tomorrow, which will commence at 7 p.m.
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