Toledo thrashes Bacolod in PCAP SGM Wesley So Cup opener

Toledo Xignex Trojans

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans kickstarted their Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) SGM Wesley So Cup campaign with a dominant victory against the newcomers, the Bacolod Blitzers, on Wednesday evening, September 18.

The Trojans, the reigning first runners-up of PCAP, welcomed one of the tournament’s newcomers, the Bacolod Blitzers, with a 15-6 win in their lone match at the tip-off of the Wesley So Cup.

Toledo, led by its import, Candidate Master (CM) Bhavesh Mahajan of India, delivered a commanding performance, with Mahajan winning both of his matches against FIDE Master (FM) Danmaersk Mangao in the blitz and rapid rounds.

Also securing back-to-back wins in the blitz and rapid rounds were Women’s FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia against Eden Tumbos, International Master (IM) Rico Mascariñas versus Josevito Tapulgo, and IM Joel Pimentel over Thesius Benites.

The Trojans nearly swept the blitz round with a 6-1 victory against Bacolod, and they went on to claim the rapid round with an official score of 9-5.

FM Mangao managed to bounce back in the rapid round by defeating FM Noel Dela Cruz, while National Master (NM) Edsel Montoya helped prevent Bacolod from suffering a shutout at the hands of the Trojans.

Also winning last Wednesday were the Camarines Soaring Eagles, 16-5, against the Pasig City Grassroots Knights, as well as the Davao Chess Eagles, who triumphed over the Mindoro Tamaraws, 11.5-9.5, and Arriba Iriga, with a narrow 11-10 victory against the Iloilo Kisela Knights.

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