By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo Kisela Knights are currently on a roll after clinching their fourth-straight win in the ongoing 2022 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) third conference tournament.
After two dominant outings against Mindoro and Olongapo, the Kisela Knights replicated their untouchable form and crushed Quezon, 15.5-5.5, and Rizal, 17.5-3.5.
It was another flawless PCAP match night for the Kisela Knights after recording their fourth-straight match holding their opponents under six points in all categories.
Iloilo kicked off its match against Quezon with an overwhelming 5.5-1.5 lead in the first seven playing boards courtesy of an early 5-0 burst led by NM Rolly Parondo Jr. and Karl Viktor Ochoa.
Quezon only managed to grab one board win in the blitz category after Francis Talaboc got the better of Horizon Villanueva but wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
The Kisela Knights then continued to pour in the attack in the rapid category and immediately registered seven points in the first four boards.
Iloilo’s NM Fritz Bryan Porras and NM John Michael Silvederio then took matters into their own hands and sealed the deal for the Kisela Knights with back-to-back wins.
Meanwhile, against Rizal, the Kisela Knights replicated their onslaught against Quezon and notched a wire-to-wire victory.
Iloilo had a quick 4.5-2.5 lead after the first seven playing boards and put on a masterclass in the rapid category to close the show.
The Kisela Knights had a terrific performance in the last seven playing boards and tallied six wins and one draw.
After an NM Giovanni Mejia draw in the first match, the Kisela Knights overwhelmed Rizal with six-straight wins to end the rapid category with a 13-1 lead.
With another twin-win outing, the Kisela Knights improved to second place in the Southern Division with 241 points behind rival squad Davao with 247.5 points.
