UAAP chess team competition starts

Games on Sunday, January 10, 2010 (8:30 am)

(College Men’s)
FEU versus Adamson,
UST versus DLSU,
UE versus UP,
NU versus Ateneo

(College Women's)
NU versus FEU
Ateneo versus UST
UE versus UP
DLSU bye

(High School)
La Salle-Zobel versus UE
UST versus Ateneo
NU versus FEU
Adamson bye

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

MANILA, PHILIPPINES--- REIGNING champion Far Eastern University are ready to defend their title when the 72nd season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) chess team championships for School year 2009-2010 gets underway on Sunday at the UST’s new Tan Yan Kee Student Center in Espana, Manila.

The Morayta-based squad will again rely on team captain Lyndon Sombilon, James Bulicatin, Sheider Nebato, Antonio Chavez Jr., Luffe Magdalaga and Kevin Merano.

Nebato, who hails from General Santos City, hometown of world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, also an avid chess player, is the last year’s UAAP chess Rookie of the year.

“We’ve been preparing so hard and I believe that we still have a strong chance to be able to defend our title,” said FEU head coach GM Jayson Gonzales, who help the Tamaraws to snatch the over-all championships in the 12th Rakan Muda GACC (Grand Asean Chess Challenge) World Inter-Varsity Chess Championships 2007 held at the Auditorium Perdana Siswa, University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Assistant coach is NM Alex Milagrosa.

Tamaraws woodpushers will open their title-retention bid in the College men’s divisions against the power house of Adamson University of head coach Christopher Rodriguez who will parade the likes of Romie Lord Guerra, Ferdie Reyes, Daniel Casil, Tristan Soriano and Jerome Baybay.

Guerra, the top player of Falcons who is fresh from winning the Chess University City 1st Student Chess Olympics ’09 at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

According to tournament arbiter Elias Lao, a certified national master and international arbiter, games will be held every Saturday and Sundays staring January 10 and will end on February 27, 2010.

Other Sunday matches will be in the College men's division: UST goes up against DLSU, UE opposite UP, and NU versus Ateneo.

In the women’s division, the Lady Tamaraws are looking to improve their runner-up place finish last year (lost by tie break to eventual champion DLSU), bannered by Woman National Master Jedara Docena, who si fresh from winning the Commonwealth Challengers section, dubbed as Singapore International Chess Festival 2009 at the Singapore Scouts Association in Singapore. She received first prize of $300 in the said event.

Other members of the Lady Tamaraws team who also bagged the 2009 Philippine University Games in Iloilo last October are team captain Rulp Ylem Jose, Jenny Rose Palomo, Lovelyn Medina, Ronna Reigner Senoea and Angelina Mortos.

Last Year ROY (Rookie of the Year) and team captain Mc Dominique Lagula will spearhead the FEU high school campaign that includes Vince Angelo Medina, Paul Robert Evangelista, Jose Catro, Jeremiah Alfonso and Enrica Villa. Defending high school champion is Adamson University.