Defending champions DLSU Lady Woodpushers were once again on the verge of snaring their second consecutive championship, after remaining atop of the Chess Championships, after the first round last Feb. 1.
On the other end, the Green Woodpushers kept a decent 3-0-4 win-draw-loss slate after seven starts.
One-two punch leads Lady Woodpushers
RP standout Aices Salvador and reigning MVP-ROY Jan Jodilyn Fronda led the Green-and-White to a 3-1 victory over Adamson University last Jan. 29 at the FEU Technology Building.
Former MVP Salvador, with an Elo rating of 2050 and a Philippine delegate mainstay, was almost automatic in Board 1. The other veteran of the team, Akiko Suede, was shuffled to Board 4 from Board 5 since Judith Pineda sat out the game due to the coaches’ decision.
“Judith (Pineda) did not play today because it was our strategy to keep the other teams off guard regarding our rotation. We always field our best players in the lower boards. Those are the scorers of the team,” Head Coach Randy Segarra quipped.
Fronda, who currently ranks 2nd in the Female Under-18 category in the country quickly disposed off AdU’s Eloisa Sta. Rita in Board 2 an hour and 20 minutes of play.
Despite a 3-1 domination over the Lady Falcon, Fronda believes there is still room for improvement.
“We still have to practice to get better. Everybody in the team had a difficult time notching a win against Adamson today, but a win is still a win. Coach Randy (Segarra) prepared us well,” Fronda shared.
Sixteen-year old Rookie Cherry Ann Mejia, 2011 SEA Games individual rapid chess silver medalist, suffered an unexpected Board 3 setback from the hands of Jon Ira dela Cruz.
The Ladies from Taft pushed on to blank the UST Tigresses and UE Lady Warriors, 4-0, last Feb. 1 and Jan. 28, respectively.
After their shutout victory, the Lady Woodpushers has accumulated a total of 23 points, enough to retain the top seed during the 1st round robin.
Poised at the 4th spot
Meanwhile, the Green Woodpushers showed much improvement after a dismal performance last season, finishing at the bottom of the standings.
The Green-and-White chesser maintained their 4th place finish, after winning against National University (NU) 2.5-1.5 last Feb. 1.
Team captain Revin Vasallo yielded Board 1 to NU’s Jefferson Mansanero, but rookie Woodpusher Aglipay 8 Oberio and sophomore Franz Grafil notched full point with wins over Boards 2 and 3.
Another rookie Woodpusher, Jan Nigel Galan, settled for a draw with Gold-and-Blue’s Virgen Gil Ruaya in the last board.The Green-and-White squad, however, fell to tournament powerhouses UST and FEU with 1-3 and 1.5-2.5 win-loss card last Jan. 28-29.
“I think we have a better chance of competing for the crown because the team is loaded with fresh recruits compared to just two last year,” Oberio quipped.
Coach Segarra praised his young team for showing spirit against the other powerhouse teams, especially the defending champions FEU, which was eager to earn a six-peat.
“FEU is the team to beat right now, yet we gave them a run for their money. Sometimes, bad breaks do happen and unfortunately for us, they capitalized on ours. The women’s team is without a doubt, leading the tourney. Nevertheless, we will continue to get better and let us see what happens,” ended the chess mentor.
