Cavite scrapes past Quezon City in Wesley So Cup

MANILA, Philippines – The Cavite Spartans edged the Quezon City Simba’s Tribe, 11-10, last Wednesday evening in the Wesley So Cup, the second of three annual conferences of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines.

The Simba’s Tribe actually took a slim, 4-3, lead after blitz play behind Michaela Concio, Danilo Ponay, NM Robert Arellano and Kristian Paulo Cristobal. The Spartans came roaring back in rapid chess with huge performances from IM Joel Banawa, who claimed all three points available from his match-ups as well as AFM Lloyd Rubio, for an 8-6 win that translated into an 11-10 overall victory.

The Spartans made it a double victory after they crushed Olongapo, 15.5-5.5 in the evening’s second match. 

Quezon City bounced back in their second game with a squeaker over the Mindoro Tamaraws, 11.5-9.5.

With Cavite’s twin victories, they tied the Cagayan Kings with an equal 17-14 win-loss slate in PCAP’s northern division and with 328.5 points each. If the Spartans can sweep their final three assignments, they can move up to sixth spot and avoid the anything-goes play-in where they could be upset by a lower seed.

Quezon City is ninth in the North with a 12-19 record. They are already assured of a spot in the play-in. But they would like to continuously improve their standings. 

In other close matches, the Zamboanga Sultans also scraped past the Toledo Trojans, 11-10. With the win, Zamboanga (19-12) pulled within a win of Toledo (20-11) in the southern division.

The fifth spot is important because the seventh placer in the south will face either tough Negros or Davao when the playoffs commence.