Toledo routs Cavite, Cagayan to stay on top of PCAP southern division

The Toledo City Trojans pose for a photo in front of the Toledo City Hall. | Photo from Toledo City Trojans Facebook Page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans tightened their grip of the top spot of the southern division after scoring back-to-back wins in the inter-division round of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference on Saturday, April 12.

The Trojans defeated both the AQ Prime Cavite Spartans and the Cagayan Kings in a convincing fashion, improving their record to 12-1 (win-loss). With this, they pulled three games ahead of the second-seeded Bacolod Blitzers (9-4) and five games clear of the No. 3 Camarines Soaring Eagles (7-6).

Against the Spartans, Toledo cruised to a 13.5-7.5 victory despite a tough outing from Board 1 mainstay Grandmaster (GM) Mark Paragua, who fell to Luffe Magdalaga in the blitz round and settled for a draw in the rapid match.

However, strong performances on the lower boards carried Toledo through. Women’s FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia delivered a sweep on Board 3, defeating Michella Concio in both the blitz and rapid rounds. International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap, a homegrown talent, also notched twin victories on Board 7 against Alexis Maribao.

Toledo followed up with an even more dominant showing against the Cagayan Kings, posting a lopsided 16-5 win. This time, GM Paragua bounced back, winning both blitz and rapid matches against Don Tyrone Delos Santos on Board 1. The Trojans also drew solid contributions from Carlos Edgardo Garma, IM Barlo Nadera, Rhenzy Kyle Sevillano, and Virgen Gil Ruaya, all of whom secured wins in their respective matches.

The twin defeats dropped Cavite to fourth in the northern division standings with a 9-4 record, while Cagayan slipped to fifth with a 7-6 slate.