The UST Junior Male Woodpushers fell short of defending their UAAP blitz title, settling for silver after yielding to the Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) Baby Tamaraws, 3-1, 2-2, 2.5-1.5, in the Season 88 finals on Sunday, April 12, at the Adamson Gym.
The Junior Male Woodpushers finished the elimination round undefeated to secure an automatic finals berth as the No. 1 seed but ultimately bowed to an FEU-D team they had previously beaten last season when blitz chess was still a demonstration sport.
“Game of chances ang blitz, so may chance na rin talaga na ‘yong accuracy mababa na kasi pabilisan na,” UST head coach Ronald Dableo told the Varsitarian. “Malaking difference ang standard sa blitz … [‘yong dating] apat na oras, ngayon isang oras lang.”
“Okay lang naman, normal. It happens naman talaga ‘yon, lalo blitz yan.”
Against FEU-D, King Lanz Pamplona claimed the silver medal on Board 1 after winning 13 of his 16 matches, while Jian Rivera struck gold on Board 2.
On Board 3, John Borce secured the bronze medal after winning six matches, while Season 88 standard chess MVP Gabriel Paradero snared bronze on Board 4.
Glenn Panuelos earned a gold medal on Board 5 after scoring three points, while John Adonairam also struck gold after going undefeated on Board 6.
In the girls’ division, the UST Junior Lady Woodpushers missed out on a finals berth after a semifinal loss to the National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) Bullpups but bounced back with a 3-1, 3-1, 4-0 victory over the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the bronze-medal match.
Kara Meneses picked up a bronze medal with three wins on Board 1. Daren Dela Cruz delivered after finishing with 15 match points on Board 2.
On Board 3, Trina Temple added another bronze with three wins, while Iana Sotaridona notched a gold medal after collecting 14 wins and two draws throughout the tournament. Katriel Guerrero also took home the gold medal after going undefeated this season.
On Board 6, Axienna Mortel won the silver medal after finishing the season with a 4-4 record.
FEU capped the tournament with a triple championship, capturing its first-ever title in the women’s division while completing a golden double in the juniors’ division.
