𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 | 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐚, 𝐏𝐒𝐔-𝐔𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐀𝐀 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – As the mind played the game, a young chess master emerged to play the game with his heart. Freshman Jaden Frias Alegria did a spectacular showing as Pangasinan State University – Urdaneta City Campus (PSU-UC) chess team ruled the University Meet, securing four Regional State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) tickets in the recently concluded event on October 10-11. Team PSU-UC ended their campaign with 28 wins, two draws, and two losses, seven of those wins were capped by Alegria, who surprised his older foes under board number 4. The 18-year-old Alegria, who inked his name on history books as one of the youngest among all the competitors in chess, proved that his age was not a hindrance rather his sports-minded, disciplined, and discerning characteristics led him to trounce other competitive opponents. “Ang isang malaking kalidad na nakatulong sa akin ay ang aking nakaugaliang pagtanaw sa aking mga kalaro bilang isang mahusay na manlalaro. Hindi ko isinasaisip na ako ay nakaaangat sa kanila kung kaya’t ang aking mga tira ay mayroong mataas na pag-iingat. Kung ikaw ay disiplinadong manlalaro ng chess ay alam mong magtiyaga na maghintay sa susunod na tira ng iyong kalaro,” said Alegria in an interview. Despite the impressive run, Alegria did recall a match against an experienced PSU-Lingayen player, which the former described as his most difficult match. Alegria conceded his only loss in the nerve-wracking battle against a skilled competitor, yet he gave his opponent an exquisite execution of his skills in chess, making their battle an almost never-ending game. On the other hand, four PSU-UC chess players will represent the University in the upcoming Regional SCUAA, spearheaded by their team captain Jabez Antonio Canilang, Aerobin Prado, Christine Giela Gajeton, and Alegria. Editor | Christian Niturada, Sports Editor Creative Works | Marc Wilson MJ Buaron, Layout Artist