By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo Kisela Knights clinched another playoff berth in the ongoing 2023 Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) 1st conference.
After consecutive post-season playoff appearances since joining the first-ever season of PCAP, the Kisela Knights extended its streak of quarterfinal qualifications formalized last April 17, 2023.
Iloilo achieved the feat after bagging the fourth overall rank in the Southern Division behind Negros, Davao, and Toledo.
The Kisela Knights finished the regular season with 15 wins and 13 losses while accumulating a total of 281.5 points in the three-month competition.
Iloilo will kick off its playoff campaign today when they clash with the talented Surigao squad for the battle of the 4th and 5th placers in the South.
During the regular season, the Kisela Knights had a winning record against Surigao and are looking to extend their mastery to take one slot in the tournament semifinals.
Meanwhile, in the team standings, Surigao only trailed by a point to Iloilo and is only one win away from taking their spot over.
However, Iloilo’s timely winning streak in the middle of the season propelled their ranking to the top five which boosted their chances of another post-season stint.
For the other scheduled matches in the Southern division, the no. 1 ranked Negros squad will be taking on Mindoro, the no. 2 Davao team to test Zamboanga, and Toledo setting up an exciting matchup with team Camarines-Iriga.
Laguna-Dasmariñas on the other hand will be protecting their no. 1 rank in the Northern division as they look for quick work of Rizal in the first round.
San Juan, Iloilo’s rival since the last two seasons of PCAP, will be taking on Cagayan as the second-seeded team while Pasig will be squaring off against Cavite and Mandaluyong to collide with Manila in the last game of their division.
Can Iloilo extend their streak of post-season success?
