SURIGAO City, known as the bedrock of diehard wood pushers in the country, secured a special place in Philippine chess.
This, after its Surigao Diamond Knights, blanked the Edmonton Oilers in their best-of-three final series, 2-0 to win the Philippine Chess League Season 3 dubbed as Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio Cup virtually held via Lichess Platform, over the weekend.
The Diamond Knights’ sister team, the Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates is also competing in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines currently tied for third to 5th place with a 6-3 win-loss slate in the Southern Division of the invitational conference.
Oozing with confidence after their lopsided 136-98 conquest in Game 1 of the standard chess competition, the Diamond Knights left nothing to chance as they pummeled the Oilers, 144-46 in Game 2’s Fischer Random or Chess960 for a sweeping finish.
The Diamond Knights, also owned by the Fianchetto Checkmates’ franchiser in Arena Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo, made it to the final after besting the Davao Durianburg in the quarterfinals and Chessmis TV in the semifinals.
“We beat all our Mindanao-based rivals (Davao Chess Eagles, Zamboanga Sultans, Cagayan de Oro Higalas, Pagadian-PCL) in the first elimination round at PCAP. And now we won the prestigious PCL tourney. Can we be considered now as the new kingpin of Mindanao chess,” rumored Urbiztondo, even as he thanked Congressman Robert Ace Barbers for his unwavering support and Engr Dodjie Morales for managing both the Knights at PCL and Checkmaters in the ongoing PCAP rivalry.
Urbiztondo also acknowledged assistant team coach Atty. Cliburn Anthony Orbe, team captain Engr Joselito Serna and team coordinator Mark Antes for the resounding success in PCL organized by the Philippines’ Finest Chess Club.
Aside from Urbiztondo, Orbe and Serna, key members of the team include lawyers Melzar Galicia and Jason Bandal, Dr Wil Maghanoy, Fr Vic Arellano, Lennon Hart Salgados, Kevin Mirano, Alfred Rapanot, Cyrus Donasco, Adrian Perez, Rodney Opada, Alexis Emil Maribao, Reynaldo Quinonez, Deo Sandro Ladion, Francis Joseph, John Ranel Morazo, Antonio Chavez Jr, Mariel Batulan-Romero, Gladys Romero, Lovelyn Rapanot, James Catayas, Mark Gabriel Usman, and Jerome Pullos.
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