Equipped with high analytic prowess, Gerald Alim Camus of the School of Engineering and Architecture Tigers and Aubrey Lara of Accountancy Griffins reigned supreme in a five-game single round-robin men and women’s chess tournament for the 2019 Palarong Atenista held at J301 yesterday.

Camus tallied 4.5 points, consisting of four wins and 1 draw throughout the five games he played.

Meanwhile, Computer Studies’ Jay Are Maynagcot recorded three wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, putting him one point shy behind Camus.

Maynagcot said that he did his best while enjoying the whole match where he gained more friends, relating chess to his life as a student.

“Sa chess, focus lang jud same sa pagskwela,” 2018 men’s chess first runner up said.

In the women’s division, Lara survived a do-or-die match against Tigers’ Alexis Cae Villaluna as she completed an invincible 5-0 record to garner the gold while handing Villaluna her first loss to finish the tournament first runner up with a 4-1 standing.

“Nakulbaan ug nahadlok ko nga mapildi kay maulaw ko sa cluster. At the end, nalipay ko kay nagbunga akong efforts,” Lara said.

Being hailed as the Chess Queen, Lara enunciated her winning formula behind her triumph.

“Maingon nako nga naa koy edge sa akong mga nakalaban tungod sa akong experience and of course tungod kay God nga mao akong una ginapasalamatan, sa pagtudlo ni Kuya Joshua, ug motivation and support sa akong mga classmates, and whole Accountancy cluster,” Lara stressed.

Last year’s champ Joshua Tiagan of the Griffins placed second runner up while in the women’s division, Sheena Cameros of B&M Vipers placed second runner up, both ended with three wins and two losses.