Prepared with an unrivaled battle plan, School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers and Natural Sciences and Mathematics & School of Education (NSMxSOE) Lions soared high as they showcased their wits and encyclopedic vocabulary, conquering the 2021 Palarong Atenista men and women’s chess and scrabble competitions, streamed live via Discord yesterday.

Finishing strong with a 5-0 standing, Ella Mae Villacorte and Chris Maynard Ampon of the SEA Tigers and Mel Angelie Bariquit of the NSMxSOE Lions scored an undefeated streak, pinning opponents down effortlessly and landing on top of the scoreboard list by the end of the tournaments. 

Notably, the SEA Tigers bagged a back-to-back win in the men’s chess and scrabble competitions, fairly dominating the Palarong Atenista board games competition. The NSMxSOE Lions meanwhile bagged the win in the women’s chess tournament.

Regine Cabel of the Accountancy Griffins landed second for the scrabble competition, followed by Gian Visabella of the Business and Management Vipers. Social Sciences Dragons Danny Panaligan Jr. claimed second place in the men’s division for chess while James Bryan Labustro of the NSMxSOE finished third. Meanwhile, SEA bet Shyra Abil settled second place in the women’s chess. 

Hailing from the two-time overall Ateneo Fiesta champions, Villacorte expressed an honor to represent the SEA cluster in the concluded scrabble competition. According to the athlete, giving her best and playing for the SEA Tigers was one of the ways she could take part in the team’s goal.

“I wanted to contribute substantially to my cluster, so I gave my best in the games. This victory is crucial to me because I wanted to help propel the SEA cluster to become the Champions. Let’s go, TIGERS!!!!,” Villacorte said.

The SEA Tiger champion also shared how the online setting of playing the games put less pressure on the players. Compared to the face-to-face tournaments, there were fewer distractions, thus helping them to focus more during the game.

Villacorte mentioned that conducting the competition online enabled the participants to have more practice hours since it provided accessibility and convenience, making it possible to play against opponents and even a bot. 

“The online platform, rackword.com, makes it easier for me to practice scrabble. I also want to commend the organizers and ushers as they managed the game smoothly and fairly on this platform,” she added.

Despite not being able to experience real-life cheers from the audience, Villacorte said that she was still grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the 2021 Palarong Atenista, as it was a memorable event for her.

“This win still gave me a sense of fulfillment and happiness even though the game was held online. Nevertheless, I am very grateful to my friends and the SEA Cluster, as I was still able to feel their support and joy during the competition,” she added.