UAAP women wars
2017-2018 UAAP Chess Championship ( Women’s) 1st Flr., QPAV Building, UST, Espana St., Manila Feb. 17-April 8, 2018
Final Standings
1. De La Salle University ( DLSU), 45.0/56
Bd01 WIM Bernadette Galas 12/13, Bd02 WCM Mira Mirano 8/13, Bd03 WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego 12.5/13, Bd04 Ella Grace Moulic 10.5/13, Bd05 Kyla Joy Camacho 2/3, Bd06 Karen Dimen 0/1. Team Captain: WIM Bernadette Galas, Team Coaches: FM Randy Segarra, Susan Grace Neri, Team Managers: Aurelio Family, George Barcelon, Gerardo Achacoso.
2. Far Eastern University ( FEU), 42.5/56
Bd01 WFM Shania Mae Mendoza 12.5/ 14, Bd02 Venice Vicente 11/ 14, Bd03 Michelle Yaon 5.5/ 10, Bd04 Marife dela Torre 10.5/13, Bd05 Janin Crisologo 1.5/3, Bd06 Jemima Valdez 1.5/2. Team Captain: Michelle Yaon, Team Coach: GM Jayson Gonzales.
3. University of the Philippines (UP), 34.5/56
Bd01 Martina Sophia Casiano 4/10, Bd02 WNM Arvie Lozano 12.5/14, Bd03 Mytzka Mendoza 0/4, Bd04 Ynna Sophia Canape 10/14, Bd05 Ruth Aubrey de Guzman 8/14. Team Captain: Ynna Sophia Canape, Head Coach: FM Leonardo Carlos, Asst. Coach: WIM Catherine Perena Secopito, Team Manager: Sol Marfori.
4. University of the East ( UE), 32.5/56
Bd01 Monaliza Geronimo 0/3, Bd02 Virgenie Ruaya 9/14, Bd03 Crystal Jade Werba 9/14, Bd04 Cristhina Ann Medenilla 7.5/14, Bd05 Nicole Kimberly Chu 7/11. Team Captain: Cristhina Ann Medenilla, Head Coach: John Perzeus Orozco, Asst. Coach: Robert Gene Mariano.
5. University of Santo Tomas (UST), 29.5/56
Bd01 Highzzy Manaloto 7.5/14, Bd02 Cyamir Jill Villanueva 7/12, Bd03 Mary Ann Alcantara 8/ 14, Bd04 Charlotte Britney Paez 2/4, Bd05 Shayxanthe Lois Guico 2.5/7, Bd06 Michaela Concio 2.5/5. Team Captain: Highzzy Manaloto, Team Coach: IM Ronald Dableo. 6. National University (NU), 20.5/56 Bd01 Kelly Ann David 4/10, Bd092 Lovely Iris Reyes 5/14, Bd03 Jemelee Oandasan 2.5/10, Bd04 Joribene Bonifacio 5/11, Bd05 Arlene Ruiz 4/11. Team Captain: Kelly Ann David, Team Coach: Jose Aquino, Jr., Team Manager: Samson Go, Manny Go.
7. Adamson University (AdU), 14.0/56
Bd01 WFM Elyssa Marie Enriquez 0/2, Bd02 Bea Antoinette Betco 0/2, Bd03 Lindsay Ann Novabos 1/14, Bd04 Crissa Canada 5.5/14, Bd05 Abigal Tamundong 5.5/14, Bd06 Angelica Charisse Zafe 2/10. Team Captain: Crissa Canada, Team Coach: Christopher Rodriguez
8. Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), 5.5/56
Bd01 Ana Guadalupe De Duque 1/11, Bd02 Ma. Minella Christine Sandoval 0/8, Bd03 Janela Alyssa Salazar 0/2, Bd04 Aryanne Shirene de Ocampo 2/13, Bd05 Jasmine Nicole POrincipe 1/13, Bd06 Jillian Jay Feliciano 1.5/9. Team Captain: Jasmine Nicole Principe, Team Coach: IM Yves Ranola, Team Managers: Miguel David, Gab Casino, Brena Mae Membrere/
The De La Salle Lady Archers stormed through the UAAP Women’s Chess Team Championship and won the event with one round to spare. They were led by WIM Bernadette Galas (12/13) who is currently the Philippines’ Woman (not junior — the adult version) Chess Champion, WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego (12.5/13) (4th place in the latest Woman’s Chess Championship) and Ella Grace Moulic (10.5/13). There is a strong possibility that both Galas and San Diego will be part of the team to represent the country in the Batumi Chess Olympiad to be held later this year.
By the way, Bernadette is really someone we have had our eyes on many years ago. Back in 2012 when she was just a high school student in Pio del Pilar (Makati), she finished 2nd in the Asian Zone 3.3 Championship (once again, an adult tournament), which included representatives from our regional rivals from Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia and Singapore. Think about that — she was just 15 years old then!
Here are two of her games from the UAAP season 2017-2018. A textbook Dutch Attack and a nice endgame transition.
[UE] Geronimo, Monaliza M. — [DLSU] Galas,Bernadette [A85]
2017–2018 UAAP Chess ( WOMEN) 1st Flr., QPAV Bldg., UST,
Es (10.1), 18.03.2018 1.d4 d6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Be2 0–0 7.0–0 e6 8.Qc2 Qe7
A typical Dutch Leningrad formation. White will operate on the queenside and center, Black on the kingside. Lots of pros and cons for both players but at least for Black she has a clear line of play where the moves come almost automatically. Automatic, of course, is a relative term because you have to know the typical motifs to aim for. Bernadette is more than well equipped for this.
9. e4 e5 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Bg5 c6 12. Bd3 f4 13. a3 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15.b4 g5 16.h3?!
White should leave her kingside pawns intact. She cannot prevent Black’s h- and g-pawns from rolling forward anyway and the text move only makes them stronger.
The most obvious move to continue the attack is 19... Qh7 planning to follow–up with Kg7 and Rh8. This is where we see how matured is the style of WIM Bernadette Galas — she avoids that line because of complications based on White’s counter-sacrifice Nxf4. Instead, she chooses to put more wood behind her attack and activates her knight first. 19...Na6! 20.c5 Nc7 21.Qb3+ Kg7 22.Rfd1 Qe8 23.Kf1 Qh5
With her queen invading down the h-file and her knight coming into d4, Black is already winning.
24.Ng1 Ne6 25.Be2 Nd4 26.Qd3 Be6 27.Rac1 Rad8 28.Qc3 Qh1 29.g3 f3 30.Ndxf3 [30.Bc4 Qg2+ 31.Ke1 Qxg1+]
30... gxf3 31. Bxf3 Bh3+ 32. Ke1 Qxg1+ 33.Kd2 Qxf2+ 34.Kd3 Qxf3+ 0–1 It is mate after 35.Kc4 Be6 or 35.Kd2 Qe2.
[UP] Casiano, Martina Sophia — [DLSU] Galas, Bernadette [E60] 2017–2018 UAAP Chess ( WOMEN) 1st Flr., QPAV Bldg., UST, Es (8.1), 11.03.2018 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.c4 0–0 5.Be2 c5 6.0–0 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Nc3 Qxd1 10.Rxd1 The position is perfectly equal. Now see what Bernadette does.
10... Be6 11. e4 Nd7 12. Bg5 Rfe8 13. Rac1 Ne5 14. b3 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16.f4? Creating holes in her own position.
16...Ng4 17.Bxg4 [
Forced. White cannot allow 17... Ne3 which wins a pawn: 18.Rd2 Red8 19.Rxd8+ Rxd8 20.Bxe7 Re8 21.Bh4 Bxc3 22.Rxc3 Nxg2 23.Kxg2 Rxe2+ 24.Kg3
Rxa2 Not so hard to calculate as it is a long but forced variation.
17...Bxg4 18.Re1 e5 19.h3 Bf5 20.g4 Bd3 21.fxe5 Rxe5 22.Rxe5 Bxe5 23.Rd1 Bc2 24.Rc1 Bxc3 25.Rxc2 Bd4+ 26.Kg2 Re8 27.Bc1 Kf7 28.Bb2 Bxb2 29.Rxb2 Re3 30.Rf2+ Ke6 31.g5 a5 32.Rf6+ Ke7 33.Rf3? Re2+! 34.Rf2 Rxf2+ 35.Kxf2 White did not realize that this endgame is a forced win for her opponent.
35...Ke6
[35...Kd6! is faster, making a beeline for White’s queenside pawns, but the text wins as well.]
36.Kf3 Ke5 37.Ke3 Kf5 38.h4 Kg4 39.Kd4 Kxh4 40.Kc5 Kxg5 41.Kb6 h5 42.Kxb7 h4 43.Kxc6 h3 44.Kb6 h2 45.c5 h1Q 46.c6 Kf6 47.c7 Qa8 0–1
FEU’s top board WFM Shania Mae Mendoza had an awesome score — she played in all 14 rounds and did not lose a single game with 11 wins and 3 draws. This would have been more than enough to win the gold medal except that Bernadette Galas scored 12/13. She drew with Bernadette in round 2 but did not have a rematch in the second round as, having clinched the trophy, La Salle chose to rest their top players in the last round.
By the way, I apologize to UP’s Ms. Casiano for featuring here two of her losses. Then again this shows that she is no pushover — it takes the best from two titled masters to beat her!
[UP] Casiano, Martina Sophia — [FEU] Mendoza, Shania Mae [E61]
2017–2018 UAAP Chess ( WOMEN) QPAV Bldg., UST, Manila
(5.3), 03.03.2018 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Be2 0–0 5.c4 d6 6.0–0 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5
White has adopted a very tame setup against the King’s Indian. Black’s plan of attack will be c7–c6 (to prevent Nb5 or Nd5), Qe7, e5–e4 followed by h7–h5.
8.Qc2 Qe7 9.b3 c6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Rad1 e4 13. Nd4 h5 14. Qc1 Bf8 15. Rd2 Ne5 16. h3 g5 17. Qc2 Ng6 18. f4 exf3 19. Rxf3 g4 20.Nf5 Bxf5 21.Rxf5 Qxe3+ 22.Kh1 gxh3 23.Bf3 Qe1+ 24.Kh2 hxg2 0–1
White is lost in all variations: after 24...hxg2: 25.Kxg2 Nh4+ 25.Bxg2 Ng4+ 26.Kh3 Qh4#; 25.Rxg2 Qh4+ 26.Kg1 Re1# Next season the UAAP has added an additional event — High School Girls’ Team Championship. I think this will be another toss-up between La Salle and FEU.