SAMANTHA Umayan, the woman national master (WNM) from Davao City, maintained her flawless record by securing a perfect five points as her team, Far Eastern University (FEU), surged into the lead after eight rounds in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 high school girls' chess competition, which recently resumed.
Ranked 14th, Umayan, playing on board 2, delivered impressive victories against the eighth-ranked Ma. Christina Samarita of Adamson University (AdU) and Merjeri Janapin of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in their seventh and eighth-round matches, respectively.
The 17-year-old Umayan did not play in the fifth round, paving the way for another teammate.
The FEU Girl Tamaraws, who had byes in the first and sixth rounds, amassed a total of 19 points. This included the scores of WNMs Ruelle Canino (5.0), Bonjoure Fille Suyamin (3.0), and April Joy Carlos (2.0), as well as Kate Nicole Ordizo (3.0) and Arleah Cassandra Sapuan (1.0).
This performance propelled them to the top of the team standings, displacing last week's leader, National University (NU).
FEU achieved a commanding 4-0 victory over UST in Round 7 and secured a 3-1 win against UST in Round 8.
NU slipped to the second spot with 18.5 points, led by WNM Lexie Grace Hernandez (5.5), Sara Dalagan (4.5), Heart Padilla (3.0), Yana Emilou de Vera (2.5), and Juziea Marielle Agne (2.0).
UST claimed the third position with 16 points, while Adamson University occupied the fourth spot with 10.5 points.
The tournament, following the Swiss System format, will resume this weekend with the final two rounds. FEU is set to face NU in Round 9 and De La Salle Zobel in Round 10. MLSA