MANILA – Negros Kingsmen and Iloilo Kisela Knights scored separate wins on Monday evening to stay on top of the 2022 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference.
The Kingsmen handily defeated Camarines Soaring Eagles, 15-6, to move to second place in the Southern Division standings with 6-3 win-loss record.
The Kingsmen dominated the Eagles in blitz game, 6-1, behind triumphs by David Elorta (Board 1), Mari Turquiza (Board 2), Natori Diaz (Board 3), Alvin Alcala (Board 5), Edsel Montoya (Board 6)m and Ian Montoyo (Board 7).
Negros also edged Camarines in rapid event, 9-5, with wins by Elorta, Alcala, Montoya and Montoyo and a draw from Adrian Ros Pacis on the fourth board.
“Credit goes to Elorta, Montoya, Montoyo and our minority team owner Alcala for bringing their A game and pulling off the impressive win against the favored Camarines,” said Kingsmen team manager Nayk Segismar.
The Kisela Knights, on the other hand, moved up to solo first place in the Southern Division standings at 8-1 win-loss slate following a 14.5-6.5 beating of Davao.
The Kisela Knights prevailed over Davao in blitz game, 6.5-0.5, before following up their domination with a 8-6 escape in the rapid event.
“It was a tough win. Good thing the players made a strong effort to pull out the win,” said Iloilo head coach Hubert Canto. “We are No. 1 right now in the standings but it is still a long way to go.”
The rare Monday evening match was a continuation of Negros and Iloilo’s match against Camarines and Davao, respectively, last Jan. 26, which was halted halfway due to technical issue.
PCAP action resumes tonight with the Kingsmen facing Tacloban and Palawan, while the Kisela Knights battles with Zamboanga and Tacloban./PN
