Camille Naredo

The UST men's team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships. UAAP Media

The UST men's team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships.

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UAAP Season 88

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776061280001UAAP 88 Blitz Chess Men&#x27;s - Champion UST - IMG_4914.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The UST men&#x27;s team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships. UAAP Media" width="960"/>The UST men&#x27;s team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships. UAAP Media</div>MANILA -- University of Santo Tomas reasserted its dominance in collegiate chess by capturing the men&#x27;s title, while Far Eastern University secured the women&#x27;s crown in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Blitz Chess Championships held Sunday at the Adamson Gym.The España-based squad delivered a composed and consistent performance throughout the finals to clinch the championship, finishing ahead of a stacked field that saw Far Eastern University settle for first runner-up and De La Salle University place third in the men&#x27;s division.The UST Male Woodpushers easily dispatched Ateneo de Manila University, 3.5-0.5, 3-1, 3-1, in the semifinals to set up a rematch against FEU, which hurdled La Salle, 4-0, 2.5-1.5, 1.5-2.5, 2-2, in the other semifinal pairing.In the finals, UST opened the series with a dominant 4-0 sweep, followed by a narrow 2.5-1.5 win in Round 2 before clinching the title with a 2-2 draw in Round 3.UST&#x27;s title run was anchored by key performances across the boards, highlighted by gold medal finishes from Jan Clifford Labog (Board 2), Christian Mark Daluz (Board 3), Chester Neil Reyes (Board 4), and Carl Daluz (Board 6). Vince Pascual added a silver medal on Board 5.In the women&#x27;s division, FEU edged Ateneo in a tightly contested semifinal series, 2-2, 2.5-1.5, 2.5-1.5, before engaging La Salle in a gripping finals showdown.After settling for 2-2 draws in the first two rounds, the Morayta-based squad found its breakthrough in Round 3, with Woman National Master Vic Glysen Derotas delivering a crucial win on Board 2 to power a 3-1 victory.The Lady Tamaraws sustained their momentum to close out the series with another 3-1 win in Round 4.Derotas capped off FEU&#x27;s dominant campaign by clinching the MVP award following a gold medal finish on Board 3.&quot;It feels really nice na maexperience na mag-MVP kasi this is my first MVP as well. And to me, na magkaroon ng special award, hindi lang siya individual medal, is something to be proud of. It feels really nice. It feels really great,&quot; shared Derotas.Woman FIDE Master Francesca Largo (Board 1), Woman National Master Mhage Sebastian (Board 4), and Kate Ordizo (Board 5) each added silver medals for FEU, while Samantha Umayan (Board 6) chipped in a gold.FEU&#x27;s Woman FIDE Master April Joy Carlos settled for a bronze medal on Board 2.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776061303704UAAP 88 Blitz Chess Women&#x27;s - Champion FEU - IMG_4894.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The FEU women&#x27;s team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships. UAAP Media" width="960"/>The FEU women&#x27;s team in the UAAP Season 88 blitz chess championships. UAAP Media</div>The Morayta-based squad also took home the MVP award in the men&#x27;s division, with International Master Mark Jay Bacojo delivering a standout performance on Board 1 to lead FEU to a runner-up finish.&quot;Being an MVP is just a bonus. The most important thing talaga is the team. UAAP is a team tournament. Still sad na we only got second place, but I&#x27;m still happy for the FEU Chess Team kasi nakuha namin yung championship sa ibang divisions,&quot; said Bacojo.The Tamaraws also secured the Rookie of the Year honors courtesy of Jerish John Velarde, who delivered a steady campaign on Board 2, highlighted by a silver medal finish.On Board 5, Franklin Andes contributed another gold medal for FEU, while Dale Bernardo (Board 3) added a bronze.De La Salle University finished third in the men&#x27;s division after dispatching Ateneo, 3.5-0.5, 2-2, 4-0, in the battle for bronze.Rigil Pahamtang spearheaded La Salle&#x27;s podium finish with a silver medal on Board 4, complemented by bronze medal efforts from Karlycris Clarito Jr., National Master Cyril Telesforo, and John Lance Valencia.In the women&#x27;s division, La Salle settled for runner-up honors, drawing strength from Checy Aliena Telesforo&#x27;s gold medal run on Board 4, alongside silver medal finishes from Juezia Agne (Board 2) and Heart Padilla (Board 3).Ateneo secured third place after defeating National University, 2.5-1.5, 3.5-0.5, 1.5-2.5, 3-1, in their playoff series.The Katipunan-based squad received key contributions from Maria Elayza Villa (Board 1), who delivered a bronze medal performance, alongside Kristine Flores&#x27; silver medal finish on Board 6.Despite missing out on the overall podium, National University saw standout performances from Woman FIDE Master Allaney Doroy (Board 1) and Jersey Marticio (Board 2), who each claimed gold medals.UST also made its presence felt in the women&#x27;s division, with Rohanisah Buto delivering a gold medal performance on Board 5.Meanwhile, FEU-Diliman completed a sweep of the boys&#x27; and girls&#x27; titles with dominant finals performances in the high school division.

University of Santo Tomas reasserted its dominance in collegiate chess by capturing the men's title, while Far Eastern University secured the women's crown in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Blitz Chess Championships held Sunday at the Adamson Gym.

University of Santo Tomas reasserted its dominance in collegiate chess by capturing the men's title, while Far Eastern University secured the women's crown in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Blitz Chess Championships held Sunday at the Adamson Gym.

UAAP: UST reclaims men's blitz chess crown, FEU rules women's division

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UAAP: UST reclaims men's blitz chess crown, FEU rules women's division

ABS-CBN News

Published April 13, 2026 02:25 PM PHT

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