MANILA – Iloilo Kisela Knights continued its hot streak in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) Wesley So Cup second conference after scoring a pair of wins on Wednesday night.
The Kisela Knights first scored a close 11.5-9.5 victory over Arriba Iriga followed by a 15-6 triumph over Mindoro Tamaraws as they stayed at second place in the Southern Division standings with 7-1 win-loss record.
The Kisela Knights edged Iriga in the blitz event, 5.5-1.5, with full points each from Prin Laohawirapap (Board 1), Jovelyn Sepanton (Board 3), Cesar Mariano (Board 4), Fritz Porras (Board 5), Rolly Parondo Jr. (Board 6) and a split by Mark Mariano (Board 2).
The llonggos, however, bowed to Iriga in the rapid game, 6-8, as only Cesar Mariano got the full two points, while Mark Mariano, Sepanton, Porras and Parondo settled for one point each.
Against the Tamaraws, the Kisela Knights scored a 6-1 victory in the blitz event with Laohawirapap, Mark Mariano, Sepanton, Cesar Mariano, Porras and Parondo getting the full point each.
The Kisela Knights also prevailed against the Tamaraws in the rapid event, 9-5, courtesy of two points each from Laohawirapap, Cesar Mariano, Parondo and Lloyd Lanciola and half point from Porras.
Kisela Knights head coach Hubert Canto said it was a strong first round performance for the squad against their fellow teams in the Southern Division as they hope to continue the momentum into the next round.
The Kisela Knights will begin their inter-division competition this Saturday as they face powerhouse teams defending champion Pasig City King Pirates and the 1st Season Open Conference champion San Juan Predators.
“It was a strong start of the team in our Southern Division squads. Even with an all-Iloilo City based lineup, we still able to land at second place in the standings,” Canto told Panay News.
“Those victories will be a huge momentum boost for the team as we start our inter-division matches. Hopefully, we can continue our winning streak,” he added./PN
