Xavier School team, from left, bd 5 Nathan Emilio Valdez, bd 2 Jericho Winston Cu, bd 6 Kirk Xander Lim, bd 3 Ryan Gabriel Taguba, bd 4 AFM Philip Gregory Pe, bd 1 FM Ivan Travis Cu, Athletic Director Ms. Aimee Apolinario and Head Coach Rolando Yutuc
By Marlon Bernardino
Xavier School San Juan won the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM) Chess Team Tournament held September 24-26, 2025 at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
FIDE Master (FM) Master Ivan Travis Cu bannered the squad that successfully defended its title in the High School Division of this prestigious tourney among Jesuit Schools in the Philippines.
Joining FM Ivan in the winning team were Jericho Winston Cu, Ryan Gabriel Taguba and Arena FIDE Master (AFM) Philip Gregory Pe.
Completing the victorious squad that is being mentored by Xavier School Athletic Director Ms. Aimee Apolinario and International Chess Federation Arbiter Rolando Yutuc are alternate players Nathan Emilio Valdez and Kirk Xander Lim.
Aside from winning the gold medal in board 1 after tallying a perfect score (4/4), FM Ivan also asserted his dominance to win the blitz category with 4.5 points, the same output of AFM Philip.
Xavier finished with 8 match points and 15.5 game points.
Ateneo de Manila University finished second with 8 match points and 15.0 game points followed by Ateneo de Zamboanga University with 7 match points and 12.5 game points.
Ateneo de Davao University HS placed fourth with 5 match points and 9 game points, Ateneo de Naga University placed fifth with 2 match points and 8 game points and sixth and last place Loyola College of Cullon with 2 game points.
Beyond the result, Xavier saw the victory as a breakthrough that validated the long hours they’ve invested in practice and preparation.
The Tournament Director was Carla Sucalit while National Arbiter Lorenzo Cuizon Jr. served as the Chief Arbiter in the chessfest -Marlon Bernardino-