Palawan Queen’s Gambit: Shania Mendoza and a habit of bouncing back
MANILA, Philippines — If you talk to Woman International Master Shania Mae Mendoza of the Palawan Queen’s Gambit team of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines, life isn’t about how many times you fall, but how many times you get right back up.
As a youngster growing up in Laguna, she would routinely beat her friends in the board game of Dama then one day, they challenged her to a game of chess.
The new sport proved to be more difficult for Mendoza as her friends had the upper hand on her.
After multiple crying sessions after a loss, she asked an aunt of hers to teach her how to properly play chess. When Shania figured out the game, no one wanted to play against her.
“Hindi na ako nakabawi,” she lamented with a laugh.
However, the game took an interesting turn when she was in high school at Santa Rosa Elementary School Central and joined an intra-school chess competition.
“Katuwaan lang na sumali ako,” she revealed. “Walang expectations kahit ano yung resulta.”
As fate would have it, Shania won and received the grand prize of a plastic full of candies that she shared with her friends.
“Puwede pala ako rito,” she thought to her confident self. Actually, she proved that she belonged.
In college, while representing Far Eastern University, she helped the Morayta-based school to three UAAP Women’s Chess championships (Seasons 77, 79, and 82) while being named Rookie of the Year in 2014 and the Most Valuable Player in last year’s tourney.
Mendoza also represented the country in the World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Japan, and Batumi, Georgia. She’s also a 30th Southeast Asian Games silver medalist and an Asian Indoor Games bronze medalist.
Aside from her representing the Philippines in international chess competition, Shania relishes the title of Woman International Master that she was conferred last 2018 at the Asean Age Group chess tournament in Davao.
Despite her gleaming resume (there’s more than what is listed), Mendoza nearly quit the game back in 2018.
“Ang sama ng laro ko sa 2016 World Juniors, the 2016 Olympiad, hanggang sa 2017,” recounted Mendoza who took a leave of absence from both the game and FEU to collect herself. “Sabi ko sa sarili ko na mag-stop ako kung wala pa rin mangyari sa laro ko. Sobrang delayed na rin ako sa school nung time na yun.”
After Shania won the National Women’s Chess Championship Road to Batumi, she felt she had found her second wind and her groove back.
“Mahirap yung time na yun kasi ang tagal na masama laro ko,” she admitted. “Pero ganyan ang buhay, pursigido ka lang dapat. At ayun – breakthrough ulit.”
With this new opportunity with the Palawan Queen’s Gambit and PCAP, Shania Mae Mendoza is aiming for a bigger goal. “Sana makatulong itong PCAP sap ag-spread ng chess hindi lang sa buong Pilipinas kasama na rin ang kababaihan. Malaking bagay yan."
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