UST pulls ahead of FEU in UAAP men’s chess

MANILA, Philippines—University of Santo Tomas unseated six-time defending champion Far Eastern University in the men’s lead at the end of the 12th round of the UAAP chess tournament over the weekend at the FEU Auditorium.

The Growling Tigers had a decent two-game stretch after it settled for a 2-2 stalemate against Adamson on Saturday before repelling University of the Philippines, 3-1, the day after.

The Tamaraws on the other hand, absorbed a surprising 1.5-2.5 defeat to Ateneo in Round 11 before Adamson managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw in Round 12.

UST pulled ahead with 31 points while FEU slipped behind with 30.5 points with only two rounds left in the elimination round.

The Tigers drew solid efforts from Timothy So Kua, Patrick Florendo and Steven Dacanay against the Fighting Maroons, whose only victory came in Board 4 courtesy of Ywhen Lababo.

Meanwhile, the De La Salle tightened its hold of the top spot in the women’s division after fashioning out a 3-1 win over University of the East in the 11th round and a 2.5-1.5 squeaker over Ateneo in the next round.

The Lady Archers, who banked on reigning MVP Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Akiko Suede and Cherry Ann Mejia to deliver the crucial wins, now have 35 points, just a point ahead of second-running Lady Maroons, who also scored big wins over the Tigresses, 3.5-.5 and the Lady Warriors, 3-1.