PCAP: Toledo Xignex Trojans rout Las Piñas, fall short vs. Camarines
Toledo Xignex Trojans players and team owners. | CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Toledo Xignex Trojans experienced contrasting outcomes in their back-to-back matches in the southern division of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference on Wednesday night, April 23.
Toledo delivered a masterclass performance against the Las Piñas Bamboo Knights with a flawless 20-0 sweep but later suffered a heartbreaking 10-11 defeat at the hands of the Camarines Soaring Eagles.
Despite the split results, the Trojans remain on top of the Southern Division standings with a 14-3 (win-loss) record. The Bacolod Blitzers trail closely at 12-5, while Camarines climbs to third with a 9-8 slate.
In their shutout victory over Las Piñas, the Trojans fielded a powerhouse lineup composed of International Masters (IM) Joel Banawa, Rico Mascariñas, Kim Steven Yap, and Joel Pimentel; FIDE Master (FM) Ellan Asuela; Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Cherry Ann Mejia; and Diego Abraham Capariño. They swept all seven boards in both the blitz (7 points) and rapid (14 points) segments.
It marked the second time Toledo dismantled Las Piñas this conference, having also scored a lopsided 20-1 win on March 1.
However, the Trojans met stiffer resistance from a resurgent Camarines squad—a team they previously routed 17.5-3.5 on March 26. This time, Camarines flipped the script and stunned the heavily favored Trojans.
In the blitz round, Camarines edged Toledo 4-3 despite wins from Banawa, IM Barlo Nadera, and Capariño over Giovanni Mejia, Coellier Graspela, and Jeth Romy Morado, respectively.
The rapid round ended in a 7-7 deadlock, with both teams securing three wins and a draw apiece. FM Asuela toppled former Trojan Chin Lim on Board 1, while IM Banawa and WFM Mejia scored victories over Mejia and Virginie Ruaya—both also ex-Trojans. IM Nadera and Marco Blanco split their match for the lone draw.
This marked the second straight back-to-back outing for Toledo in which they finished with a win and a loss, continuing a trend of mixed results in their recent campaign.
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