San Juan tops Philippine Paralympics Team in Armageddon

MANILA, Philippines — The battle was met and it did not disappoint.

The San Juan Predators had to go to Armageddon to repulse a tough Philippine Paralympic Team, 3-0, in the PCAP-San Miguel Corporation-Ayala Land Premier Cup Saturday.

Staring at an upset and their lock on to the top spot of the Northern Division, San Juan avoided the scalp-hunting Paralympics Team, who got huge performances from their top two boards in FM Sander Severino and IM Daniel Quizon, who collected five of the six cumulative points available in their respective battles with GM Oliver Barbosa and IM Ricardo Nolte.

San Juan bounced back in Boards Three and Four, with WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda and IM Ricky de Guzman going one better by claiming all six points between the two of them against Jean Lee Nacita, who took over from Jerlyn San Diego who was unavailable as well as Joselito Cada.

The homegrown boards were a crapshoot with San Juan taking 2.5 points in blitz. But the Para Team secured five points in rapid play.

Blitz chess saw San Juan take a 4.5-2.5 lead but the Paralympics squad took rapid chess, 8-6, for a 10.5-all draw to set up Armageddon.

Come the extra period, San Juan threw the guest team for a loop when Arquingel Reyes, playing white faced Severino on Board One, and FM Arden Reyes, playing black, took on Quizon on Board Two. Playing white, Barbosa went down to the third board and battled FM Roel Abelgas.

San Juan swept the Paralympics Team, 3-0, to take the win. Their coup de grace for the day was sweeping guest team Sunrays, 21-0, the second time they were to achieve this feat in the inaugural season of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines.

The Paralympics Team bounced back in the second match of the double-header with a 14-7 win over Pampanga.

With Laguna losing to Iloilo, the Predators are the last undefeated squad in the ongoing tournament. San Juan is at 11-0.

The Philippine Paralympics Team remains atop the Southern Division with a 9-2 slate while the Iloilo Kisela Knights are at second with a 7-4 record. The only other loss of the Paralympics Team was to the Laguna Heroes. They did defeat northern powers Manila and Pasig.

They still have to take on their division powers Iloilo, Negros, Camarines and Toledo.

The Negros Kingsmen, which was third in the Southern Division prior to Saturday’s matches dropped to seventh spot after losing both their games to the Manila Indios Bravos, 15-6, and Pasig, 13.5-7.5.