NATIONAL University topped the men’s division for the second straight year, while Far Eastern University regained the women’s championship as the UAAP Season 79 chess tournament came to a close over the weekend at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall inside the De La Salle University campus.
The Bulldogs amassed a 14-round total of 44 points to beat the Tamaraws, who settled for the runner-up honors with 39 points.
IM Paulo Bersamina, who took home his second straight season MVP honors, powered NU to its fourth title overall.
University of the East finished third with 33.5 points.
The race for the women’s championship was too close to call between FEU and De La Salle.
The Lady Tamaraws drew with the Lady Tamaraws, 2-2, in the final round to finish with identical 44.5 points, but the Morayta-based woodpushers won the title via tiebreak with the most number of wins, 12-11.
Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s first woman grandmaster, won her second MVP plum in three years to help FEU clinch its third title overall.
The Lady Warriors, with 27.5 points, claimed third place.
Bersamina, NU’s top board player, led the men’s gold medalists which include FEU’s Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano (Board 2), NU’s FM Austin Jacob Literatus (Board 3) and Vince Angelo Medina (Board 4), FEU’s Jose Carlo Castro (Board 5) and Ferdinand Aviles (Board 6).
Ateneo’s Gavin Lloyd Ong emerged as the Rookie of the Year.
Aside from Board 1 player Frayna, other women’s gold medal winners were FEU’s WFM Shania Mae Mendoza (Board 2), De La Salle’s Rowelyn-Joy Acedo (Board 3), FEU’s Venice Vicente (Board 4), De La Salle’s Mira Mirano (Board 5) and Ella Grace Moulic (Board 6).
FEU-Diliman, meanwhile, retained juniors’ title in runaway fashion with 42 points. NM John Merili Jacutina won the MVP honors last year for the Baby Tamaraws.
UST’s Dennis Gutierrez bagged the Rookie of the Year award.
