By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo Kisela Knights ended their stellar run with a second-place finish during the recently concluded 2022 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) tournament.
Iloilo lost both games in the grand finals against their rival squad San Juan Predators, 5-16 in the first encounter, and 12.5-11.5 in the thrilling second match that went as far as the Armageddon stage to break the tie.
It was an unusual position for the Kisela Knights in the first seven playing boards during the first match as San Juan immediately went to a 5-2 lead.
Things got worse in the rapid category as Iloilo was only able to score three more points to their total tally while the Predators continued to roll, ending the last seven playing boards with a 3-11 score.
Eager to get back and force a do-or-die match, Iloilo played better during their second showdown and went toe-to-toe with San Juan on all the 14 playing boards.
Both teams were deadlocked in the blitz, 3.5-3.5, and also the rapid, 7-7, which made way for a three-board Armageddon finale to break the deadlock.
Despite going for a quick 1-0 lead courtesy of a victory from NM Rolly Parondo Jr., the Kisela Knights failed to win the last two games that sealed the grand finals victory for San Juan.
The Kisela Knights were led by the consistent offense of GM Antonio Rogelio Jr., and Karl Viktor Ochoa who kept them within striking distance during the intense second battle.
The grand finals between Iloilo and San Juan set up another meeting between them in the grand finals with the Predators leading the head-to-head matchup.
