Toledo-Xignex Trojans team owners and some players pose for a group photo. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans exacted revenge against their fierce rival, Davao Chess Eagles, in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference on Saturday evening, May 18.
There was no fitting way to avenge the Trojans’ losses against the Eagles than in the extremely crucial semifinals last Saturday.
To recall, Davao handed the Trojans two heartbreaking losses in the elimination round.
READ: Toledo Trojans meet Davao in PCAP All-Filipino Conference semis
However, on Saturday evening, the tide changed completely in Toledo’s favor when they beat Davao 14.5-6.5 twice in their two-set match in the southern division semifinals.
READ: Toledo Xignex Trojans splits matches in PCAP All Filipino chess
In the first set, Toledo scored 4.5-2.5 in the blitz and went on to beat Davao, 10-4, in the rapid round.
International Master (IM) Joel Pimentel, Chin Lim, and IM Kim Steven Yap led Toledo in beating Davao in the first set match by winning both their blitz and rapid matches against NM Jonathan Tan, Arnel Aton, and Henry Roger Lopez, respectively.
READ: Toledo Trojans cement top spot position in PCAP All-Filipino Conference
In the second set match, IM Angelo Young, Diego Abraham Capariño, and National Master (NM) Merben Roque took their turn to hand Toledo huge wins in both the blitz and rapid rounds.
IM Young, Capariño, and NM Roque beat Alexander Luia, Austin Literatus, and Aglipay Oberio, respectively, to book their ticket to the southern division finals.
Toledo will take on the top-ranked Camarines Soaring Eagles in the southern division finals on May 22.
This is the Toledo Xignex Trojans’ second time to compete in the southern division finals. Last year, they won the Southern Division title and went on to play in the grand finals.