Toledo Trojans stay unbeaten in PCAP Wesley So Cup

The Toledo City Trojans. | File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Toledo Xignex Trojans are virtually unstoppable in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) SGM Wesley So Cup after clinching their 15th consecutive victory after Saturday night’s back-to-back matches.

The Trojans remain unbeaten with a flawless 15-0 record, firmly seated atop the southern division standings. With the playoffs fast approaching, Toledo is the only team in the tournament that has yet to taste defeat, cementing their position as the frontrunners.

Their latest victories came with identical 14-7 scores, first against the Cavite Spartans, followed by a repeat performance against the Manila Load Manna Knights.

READ: Toledo Xignex Trojans stretch unbeaten streak to 13-0 in PCAP SGM Wesley So Cup

Leading the charge was Russian Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Sorokin, who made a dominant return to action with wins in both the blitz and rapid rounds against Cavite’s Voltaire Marc Paraguya on board one.

READ: Trojans stretch winning streak to 11 in PCAP SGM Wesley So Cup

The Trojans dominated the blitz round against the Spartans, winning six of the seven matches for a 6-1 victory, while narrowly edging them out in the rapid round 8-6.

READ: Toledo Xignex Trojans grab solo lead in PCAP Wesley So Cup Southern Division

Women’s FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia and International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap contributed crucial victories over Anabelle Gonzales and Jayson Visca, respectively.

In their subsequent match against the Load Manna Knights, GM Sorokin again proved his mettle by defeating former Trojan David Elorta in both the blitz and rapid rounds.

Grandmaster (GM) Rogelio Antonio also put in a stellar performance, outclassing Chito Garma in back-to-back games. IM Yap continued his winning ways, besting Jan Emmanuel Garcia in both rounds.

The Trojans narrowly escaped the blitz round with a 4-3 win against Manila but then cruised to a convincing 10-4 result in the rapid round to seal the match.

Following Toledo in the team standings are the Camarines Soaring Eagles with a 10-5 record, while the Iloilo Kisela Knights sit in third place with a 9-6 slate.