CE Knights rise as the kings and queens of chess

The chessboards were silent, yet the atmosphere was charged with tension as the College of Engineering captured both the men’s and women’s titles with their unwavering focus and technique during the PLM Intramurals 2025 chess finals held at the university library, last November 5.

The path to victory was far from easy, marked by tense tie-breakers and unforgettable moments when racing against the clock nearly jeopardized the men's campaign between the CE Knights and College of Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE) Owls.

After a series of exhausting tiebreaks, CE Knights clinched the championship title with calculated moves under relentless mid-game pressure, as star players Caleb Cordero and Jedric Cyrus Navarro found their rhythm and delivered a clutch performance with a 2–1 victory, taking both matches in Games 1 and 3.

Despite a valiant effort to win the last match, the CASBE Owls, with Jomari Saltorio and Gabriel Vaflor, secured the silver with smiles—a clear testament of camaraderie and pride in representing their respective college.

In a competitive battle of wits and strategy, the Knights’ women's team delivered a calm, clean, and dominant performance against the College of Information Systems and Technology Management, clinching the title with a swift 2–0 victory.

Opening with clever gambits and finishing with a checkmate, the Knights’ women’s team, fueled by the sharp instincts of Claire Padero and Jenalyn Miole, stormed the board and shut down every attempt by the Pythons’ Judelle Anne Ferrer and Jewel Eunice Martinez to snatch the crown, leaving them to settle for silver.

The battle for third split the podium, with the College of Education’s Edmond Mendoza and John Russel Esquivel winning bronze (2–0) in the men's division while the College of Business Administration’s Eunice Gabrielle Angeles and Erin Karli Janelle Feria triumphed (2–0) for women’s bronze.

The finals proved that this mental game is just as crucial as any physically driven sport, with the Knights’ kings and queens of the board emerging victorious under immense pressure—truly, a legacy made with double gold in the battle of the minds.

This served as back-to-back triumphs for the Knights as the college also emerged as champions in the men's division of table tennis and third in the mixed doubles division.