By Adrian Stewart Co

Iloilo Kisela Knights and Negros Kingsmen split their matches ahead of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) San Miguel Corporation-Ayala Land Cup.

The Kisela Knights opened the Saturday night double-header with an 11.5-9.5 defeat to Paralympics before bouncing back with an 18-3 victory over Olongapo Rainbow Team 7.

Iloilo edged Olongapo in the blitz game, 6-1, behind victories by Rogelio Antonio Jr. (Board 1), Fiona Guirhem (Board 3), Cesar Mariano (Board 4), Fritz Bryan Porras (Board 5), John Michael Silvederio (Board 6), and Mark Mariano (Board 7).

The Kisela Knights also edged out Rainbow Team 7 in the rapid game, 12-2, with two-pointers from Antonio, Giovanni Mejia (Board 2), Cesar Mariano, Porras, Silvederio, and Mark Mariano.

The Kisela Knights finished the double-round eliminations at second place in the Southern Division with 17-6 win-loss slate. They will face Toledo Trojans in the two-leg quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“It was a tough loss for us against Paralympics but was also a great learning experience for the players as we reached the quarterfinals round,” Kisela Knights mentor Hubert Canto said.

The Kingsmen, for its part, also came from a split of its final two elimination round matches as it bowed to SiQGApore, 12-9, before recovering with 21-0 sweep of Pengcheng.

The Negrenses closed out the elimination round at fourth spot in the standings with 15-8 win-loss slate. They are set to tangle with No. 5 ranked Penang (14-9) in the quarterfinals.

Nelson Mariano (Board 1), Mari Turqueza (Board 2), Rowelyn Joy Acedo (Board 3), Jenny Mayor (Board 4), Theseus Benitez (Board 5), Rolzon Roullo (Board 6), and Adrian dela Cruz (Board 7) made their presence felt against Pengcheng

“The 21-0 victory against Pengcheng was a morale boosting win for the Negros heading into the playoffs round,” said Negros co-team owner Carlo Fontelo. “The team hopes to learn from our losses since the quarterfinals is just around the corner.”/ASC, WDJ