By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo Kisela Knights ended their November 12 scheduled double-header match day with a 1-1 split in the ongoing 2022 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) third conference tournament.
After back-to-back wins against the PECA Executives and the Negros Kingsmen during their last outing, the Kisela Knights prevailed over the tough Toledo squad, 12.5-8.5, and lost against Davao in a tightly-contested duel, 9.5-11.5.
It was a classic Iloilo start against Toledo after immediately grabbing a 4.5-2.5 lead in the first seven playing boards.
The Kisela Knights carried their momentum in the rapid category after getting solid contributions from Karl Viktor Ochoa, NM Cesar Mariano, and NM Rolly Parondo Jr.
Toledo attempted to mount a rally in the last three playing boards after winning two matches but wasn’t enough to match Iloilo’s tallied points.
Meanwhile, against Davao, the Kisela Knights failed to sustain its firepower after leading in the blitz category, 4.5-2.5.
Davao then came back in the last seven playing boards and outlasted the Kisela Knights in three intense matches.
GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. opened the rapid category with a much-needed win but Davao countered with two-straight victories that built their momentum going into the last board.
Davao kept its focus and failed to drop a single board in the last four outings, edging the Kisela Knights in the rapid category with a 9-5 win.
The Kisela Knights are still 2nd place in the Southern division with 347 points with a 21-3 win-loss record.
Davao is still the top team with 373.5 points in the South while Pasig continued its dominance in the Northern division with 363.5 points.
