Asteegs’ Macasling flourish fourth board sweep, redeem women's chess championship title

Photo by: Adrian Joven

Soaring from last year’s bronze finish to this year’s coveted gold, the College of Engineering (COE) Asteegs triumphed in a nail-biting two-day showdown of wits and strategy, dominating the wooden battlefield with 23 points, wherein the College of Education (COEd) Legendary Mentors followed closely with 20 points to secure silver, while the College of Agriculture (COA) Reapers settled for bronze with 18 points in the women’s chess tournament held on October 13.

Leading the Asteegs’ golden campaign was Maichaella Macasling, who fronted COE’s rally after sweeping all her matchups, 7–0, earning her the fourth board MVP honor.

Prevailing from a tense tiebreaker, teammate Jamie Diane Langub broke the deadlock at the third board against the Reapers’ Julijah Flores, clinching the third board MVP trophy.

Solidifying COE’s top finish were the consistent performances of seasoned first and second boarders Trishia Atoc and Amanda Grace Borbon, who contributed 6 and 4 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, adding to the list of individual awardees were Bea Victoria Castañares of the Legendary Mentors, who triumphed in a triple-tied position to claim first board MVP, and her teammate Jelly Creed Hinacay, who notched 6 points as the second board's MVP, bolstering COEd’s silver finish.