UAAP Season 81
2018-2019 UAAP Chess Team Tournament (Men)
1st Floor, QPAV Building, UST, España St., Manila
Sept. 19-Oct. 28, 2018
FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU), 40 points, 24 match points
bd01 IM John Marvin Miciano 8/10, bd02 Jeth Romy Morado 11/14, bd093 John Jaspoer Laxamana 8.5/14, bd04 Romy T. Fagon 10.5/13, bd05 Kristian Glen Abuton 1/4, bd06 Albert Kenth Cabiles 1/1. Team Captain: John Jasper Laxamana, Head Coach: GM Jayson Gonzales, Asst. Coach: Luffe Magdalaga, Team Manager: Atty. Ruel Canobas.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NU), 34.5 points, 19 match points
bd01 IM Paulo Bersamina 12/14, bd02 Rafael Caneda 0/1, bd03 Ahmad Ali Azote 0/1, bd04 Robin Ignacio 6/14, bd05 Ryan Christian Magtabog 9/14, bd06 Arnel June Iligan 7.5/12. Team Captain: Ryan Christian Magtabog, Team Coaches: Jose Aquino Jr, Mark Anthony Bernales, Team Managers: Samson Go, Manny Go.
ADAMSON UNIVERSITY (AdU), 32 points, 16 match points
bd01 Jayson Levin Tapia 10/14, bd02 Khristian Clyde Arellano 8/13, bd03 Godfrey Villamor 7.5/13, bd04 Alji Cantonjos 2/8, bd05 Remark Bartolome 4.5/10. Team Captain: Godfrey Villamor, Team Coach: Christopher Rodriguez.
UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST (UE), 30.5 points, 17 match points
bd01 Michael Suacillo 2/14, bd02 Eliseo Budoso 10/14, bd03 Keneth Flores 8.5/14, bd04 Sean Andrew Olan 10/14. Team Captain: Kimuel Aaron Lorenzo, Head Coach: John Perzeus Orozco.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (UST), 25 points, 14 match points
bd01 Jerlyn Villanueva 2.5/9, bd02 Brylle Gever Vinluan 8/14, bd03 Lance Cave 0.5/1, bd04 Antonio Almodal III 8.5/14, bd05 Jeffu Dorog 3/10, bd06 Ven Dwight Kwan 2.5/8. Team Captain: Lance Cave, Team Coach: IM Ronald Dableo, Team Manager: Michaela Concio.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP), 24.5 points, 11 match points
bd01 John Edward Vito Cruz 3/9, bd02 Brent Lenard Alanan 4/10, bd03 MacQuay Labasano 2/10, bd04 Joshov Alekhine Rosarda 7.5/14, bd05 Fernando Mendoza 8/10, bd06 Gabriel Angelo Galpo 0/3. Team Captain: MacQuay Labasano, Head Coach: FM Leonardo Carlos, Asst. Coach: WIM Catherine Perena-Secopito, Team Manager: Sol Marfori
ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY (ADMU), 19.5 points, 8 match points
bd01 Joshua Glenn Dy 0/2, bd02 Gavin Lloyd Ong 6/11, bd03 Vince Oliver Edralin 4/13, bd04 Tristan Jared Cervero 6/14, bd05 Alexander Santos 3.5/12, bd06 Keefe Elbert Tan 0/4. Team Captain: Gavin Lloyd Ong, Team Coach: GM Darwin Laylo, Team Managers: Paco Rivera, Andrea Borbe, Bernice Ty, Janice Manto, Christian Deuna, Tiffanee Tan.
DELA SALLE UNIVERSITY (DLSU), 18 points, 3 match points
bd01 Justine Robert Co 0/5, NM Giovanni Mejia 9.5/14, bd03 Richmond Lloyd Young 1/9, bd04 Raymond Albert Ng 1/14, bd05 Tristan Frech Ibaoc 6.5/13, bd06 Davenson Co 0/1. Team Captain: NM Giovanni Mejia, Team Coaches: FM Randy Segarra, Susan Grace Neri, Team Managers: Family Aurelio, George Barcelon, Gerardo Achacoso.
Individual Medal Awardees
Most Valuable Player: IM Paulo Bersamina NU
Rookie of the Year: Jeth Romy Morado FEU
Board 1
gold IM Paulo Bersamina NU 12/14
silver IM John Marvin Miciano FEU 8/10
bronze John Edward Vito Cruz UP 3/9
Board 2
gold Jeth Romy Morado FEU 11/14
silver Jayson Levin Tapia AdU 10/14
bronze Eliseo Budoso UE 10/14
Board 3
gold Khristian Clyde Arellano AdU 8/13
silver John Jasper Laxamana FEU 8.5/14
bronze Keneth Flores UE 8.5/14
Board 4
gold Romy Fagon FEU 10.5/13
silver Sean Andrew Olan UE 10/14
bronze Godfrey Villamor AdU 7.5/11
Board 5
gold Fernando Mendoza UP 8/10
silver Ryan Christian Magtabog NU 9/14
bronze Tristan Frech Ibaoc DLSU 6.5/13
Board 6
gold Arnel June Iligan NU 7.5/12
silver Remark Bartolome AdU 4.5/10
bronze Veen Dwight Kwan UST 2.5/8
First of all I’d like to apologize to our readers for the lateness of our reporting. Usually the UAAP chess team tournament is held around towards the end of the school year, around February-March. This year they decided to advance the tournament to the first semester and it happened Sept.-Oct. of 2018. Somehow it never entered my consciousness that the competition had been rescheduled. Anyway, better late than never.
Remember what I said last year that FEU’s high school team was strong enough to be playing in the collegiate ranks? Well, I have just been proven right. FEU lost some of their top players to graduation but International Master John Miciano and Jeth Romy Morado graduated from their high school ranks to the men’s team and they both scored very well, enough for the FEU Tamaraws to win the Men’s Team Championship for the 14th time.
[UP] ALANAN, Brent Lenard B. — [FEU] IM MICIANO, John Marvin S. [E81]
2018 — 19 UAAP Chess (MEN) 1st Flr., QPAV Bldg., UST, Es (2.3), 22.09.2018
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0 — 0 6.Be3 Nbd7 7.Nge2 c5 8.Qd2 a6 9.Ng3 cxd4 10.Bxd4 b6
Historical footnote: 10…Ne5 11.Be2 Be6 12.Nd5 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.Bxb5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.a4 e6 17.0 — 0 Qh4 18.Ne2 Rfc8 19.Be3 Nc4 20.Bxc4 Qxc4 21.Rfc1 Qa6 22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.Nc3 Bc4 24.f4 d5 25.Bd4 Bxd4+ 26.Qxd4 Qb7 27.Qf2 Ba6 28.Rd1 Rc4 29.Rd2 Rxc3 0 — 1 (29) Aaron, M-Fischer, R Stockholm 1962.
11.Be2 Bb7 12.0 — 0 Rc8 13.Rac1 Re8 14.Rfd1 Qc7 15.Nf1 Qb8 16.Nd5 e6 17.Nxf6+ Nxf6
In hedgehog formations (you know, both bishops fianchettoed with pawns on the 6th rank like Black’s set-up here) White always has to be on the look-out for …b6 — b6 and …d6 — d5 pawn breaks. White fails to do this and Miciano gives a good demonstration of Black’s dynamic potential.
18.Qc3? <D>
POSITION AFTER 18.QC3
Putting the queen on the same file as the enemy rook is like waving the red flag for Black’s …b5 or …d5.
18…e5 19.Be3
Well, he could have taken the b6-pawn with 19.Bxb6 Bxe4 20.Bf2 (20.Be3 Nd5; 20.fxe4? Qxb6+ 21.Qe3 Qxb2 22.Rxd6 Bf8! followed by …Bc5) 20…Bb7 followed by …e5 — e4. Black is doing very well.
19…d5! 20.exd5 Nxd5 21.Qb3 Nxe3 22.Nxe3 Qc7 23.c5 Bh6
And Black could have simply taken the c5 — pawn, but he had a diabolical plan in place.
24.cxb6 Qxc1!
Who can resist a queen sacrifice? Well, this is not really a sacrifice for he gets two rooks, but it still looks good!
25.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 26.Kf2 e4 27.Ng4 Bg7 28.f4 e3+ 29.Kg3
[29.Nxe3 Bd4]
29…Rg1 30.Kh4
[30.Bf3 e2!]
30…Rxg2 31.Qd3 h5 32.Nxe3 Bf6+ 33.Kh3 Rxe2 34.Qxe2 Bd4 0 — 1
The defending champion National University Bulldogs lost last year’s gold medalist FM Austin Literatus and that blow proved to be too much to bear. International Master Paulo Bersamina still scored 12/14 to win the individual gold medal on top board, but that was not enough to carry the team and they had to settle for the silver medals this season.
[FEU] IM MICIANO, John Marvin S. [NU] IM BERSAMINA, Paulo S. [A46]
2018 — 19 UAAP Chess (MEN) 1st Flr., QPAV Bldg., UST, Es (3.2), 23.09.2018
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 b5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0 — 0 e6 6.a4 b4 7.Nbd2 c5 8.c4 bxc3 9.bxc3 Nc6 10.Ba3 Rc8 11.Re1 Be7 12.dxc5 Na5 13.Ne5 Bxc5 14.Bxc5 Rxc5 15.Qb1
Inviting Black to take his c3 — pawn.
15…0 — 0!
Taking the pawn is bad: 15…Rxc3? 16.Qb5+ Bc6 17.Qb4 wins a piece. Let us explore further: 17…Rc2 (17…d4 18.Ndc4! (idea of Nd6+) 18…Rxc4 (of course not 18…Nxc4 19.Bxc6+) 19.Nxc4 Bxg2 20.Nxa5 White is clearly winning) 18.Rec1 Rxc1+ 19.Rxc1! Bd7 20.Rc5 Nc4 21.Ndxc4 dxc4 22.Nc6 this is not going to end well for Black.
But now that Black’s king has castled into safety White is left with a chronically weak c-pawn, and IM Bersamina pounds on it.
16.Qb4 Qc7 17.Rab1 Rc8
With his rook on c5 secured Black is now threatening …Qxe5
18.Qd4 Ba6 19.g4 Ne4 20.Nb3 20.Nxb3 21.Rxb3 Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Qxc3 23.Qxc3 Nxc3 24.Bf3 Nxa4 25.Ra1 Bb5 26.e3 f6 27.Nd3 Bxd3 28.Rxa4 a6
Black is two pawns up and wins easily.
29.Kg2 Kf7 30.Rb4 Bb5 31.e4 Rc4 32.Rb2 dxe4 33.Be2 Rc5 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Rb4 f5 36.h4 Kf6 37.Rd4 Rd5 38.Rb4 Ke5 39.g5 Kf4 40.Rb3 Kg4 41.g6 hxg6 42.Rg3+ Kh5 43.Kf1 f4 44.Rb3 Kxh4 45.Rb4 Re5 46.f3 exf3 47.Rxf4+ Kg3 48.Rf7 g5 49.Rxg7 g4 50.Rd7 b4 51.Rd1 b3 52.Rb1 Re3 53.Rb2 e5 54.Kg1 Re1# 0 — 1
Last year’s runner-up Dela Salle University did even worse — they lost Christian Nanola, Denzel Amar and Jeazzir Surposa and even though National Master Giovanni Mejia still remained on top board the team crashed to last place, its worse finish ever.
I have a great deal of respect though for the La Salle coaching staff and am sure that they would bounce back, perhaps as early as next year, to contend once more for the title.
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
