Photo: Toledo Xignex Trojans page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans are now just two victories away from retaining their Southern Division title in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) GM Wesley So Cup.
In a commanding semifinal performance on Wednesday night, October 30, the Trojans swept the Davao Chess Eagles in a two-set match, securing their place in the division finals.
The Trojans will face the Camarines Soaring Eagles, who advanced after defeating the Iloilo Kisela Knights with scores of 12.5-8.5 and 12-9 in the other Southern Division semifinal matchup.
Toledo’s dominant showing left little room for Davao to mount a serious challenge, with the Trojans securing decisive victories of 15.5-5.5 and 16.5-4.5 across both sets.
A key contributor to Toledo’s success was Russian Grandmaster (GM) Alexsey Sorokin, whose return to the lineup added significant strength to the team. Sorokin was instrumental in the Trojans’ victory, winning both of his matches against Davao’s Aglipay Oberio and FIDE Master (FM) Sander Severino across the two sets.
The Trojans established an early lead in the first set, winning the blitz round with a commanding 5.5-1.5 score.
Building on this momentum, they went on to dominate the rapid round, closing it out at 10-4. Women’s FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia, International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap, and IM Joel Pimentel each played pivotal roles in the Trojans’ success, delivering double victories against Davao’s Karen Enriquez, National Master (NM) Jonathan Tan, and Ariel Nino Aton, respectively.
In the second set, Toledo intensified their dominance, crushing Davao 6.5-0.5 in the blitz round. They further sealed the match with a 10-4 win in the rapid round. Sorokin once again led the charge, winning both of his games against FM Severino, while WFM Mejia, GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., and Virgen Gil Ruaya each contributed vital wins.
The Trojans’ decisive performance underscores their readiness to defend their Southern Division title as they look ahead to a showdown with the Camarines Soaring Eagles.