NCAA chess tourney officially begins

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANDALUYONG--The NCAA chess tournament began on Saturday inside the JRU campus with a simple opening rites.

The said ceremony formally kicked off Arellano's bid for a third consecutive title in the seniors division, and the team is once again tagged as favorite to win it all with Carlo Caranyagan, Don Delos Santos, and Kyz Llantada, and Tucker Viernes leading the way with NM Rudy Ibañez taking care of the tutelage.

"We'll have a strong chance to win again this year," said Ibañez.

Meanwhile, JRU athletic director Paul Supan expressed optimism about the school hosting the tournament.

"Chess is a discipline that helps in character building by training the student-athletes to focus and think ahead of the strategy. That's why the NCAA continues to promote the sport and discover new talents," said Supan.

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