By Vince Matthew Jaramilla

#ICYMI: With two more rounds to go, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Woodpushers have virtually secured another championship in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women's chess tournament last Wednesday, November 13, at the Adamson University SV Gym in Manila City.

Last November 10, the boys' and girls' teams also ensured their title defenses despite still having two rounds to spare, with 14.0 match points (25.0 board points) and 13.0 match points (22.5 board points), respectively. As a result, the green-and-gold champions have clinched a second straight triple-gold finish.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, women’s team captain Women's National Master (WNM) Vic Glysen Derotas credited their coaching staff for their success.

“It was a great show of talent talaga. We couldn’t do it without our coaches… Sila ‘yung pinaka-foundation sa achievement namin ngayon… Grabe ‘yung hirap, ‘yung pagod, but it was worth it kasi maibabalik namin ‘yung korona sa Morayta (It was really a great show of talent. We couldn’t do it without our coaches… They are the very foundation of our achievement now. It was difficult and exhausting, but it was worth it because we’ll get to claim the crown for Morayta),” she said.

The Lady Woodpushers comfortably sat at the top spot for the majority of the competition, remaining undefeated and only taking two total draws from National University and the University of the Philippines on November 6 and 10, respectively.

FEU's match against De La Salle University last Wednesday was then treated as the green-and-gold chessers' championship round.

With a 3.0-1.0 victory, the Morayta-based squad amassed 18.0 match points (31.0 board points), enough to be unreachable from the other schools vying for the gold.

Soon to be officially hailed champions once again, UAAP Season 86 Most Valuable Player WNM Mary Joy Tan echoed their captain’s gratitude for their support system.

“We’re very grateful, kasi we did not expect na ganito pala ka-solid ‘yung lineup namin… And grabe ‘yung support system ng team namin kaya bawat tira, inaalay talaga namin hindi para sa’ming sarili [pero] para sa mga tao behind [us] (We’re very grateful, because we did not expect that our lineup would be this solid… The team’s support system was great as well so our every move was not just for ourselves, but for the people behind us),” she stated.

WNM Derotas then mentioned their goal to also win all the individual awards in the tourney.

“After securing the championship sa team, we are planning to secure na rin ‘yung individual medals. We’re aiming for [those] na makuha ng FEU… We’re gonna continue to prepare and give our best shot until the very end of the tournament,” the team captain shared.

Meanwhile, the men's squad still look to secure their own podium finish, currently standing at the three-seed with 9.0 match points (18.5 board points).

FEU's chess teams will compete in two final rounds this weekend, November 16 and 17, at the same venue.

(Photo courtesy of the UAAP Media Team)