Mindoro Tamaraws looking to unveil best version for PCAP's 3rd season

MANILA, Philippines – You know what they say when you’re down at the bottom — the only way to go is up.

And that is exactly the attitude that the Mindoro Tamaraws have heading into the third season of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines.

With FM Julius Joseph de Ramos back returning to Mindoro after a spell with the Cavite Spartans, Mindoro has a strong Board One player. Along with Nezil Arj Merilles who played the top boards in the previous season, Mindoro is now competitive. 

Also joining the squad are lady player Denise Sy and senior player Stephen Reloj. 

“We now have a line-up of 15 players to draw from and choose based on match-ups and performances,” pointed out Merilles, the team’s bight star from the last season.

In their first year in the Northern Division (after playing in the southern division during the first year of the country’s first professional chess league), Mindoro finished with an 8-26 record in the Wesley So Cup and with a poor 4-29 slate in the Open Conference.

The Tamaraws had fallen down the tables after a sterling 13-21elimination round finish in the inaugural All-Filipino Cup where they made the playoffs. Since then, they have struggled mightily.

“We will be the best version of the Mindoro Tamaraws 7.0,” promised Merilles.

The third PCAP season begins with the annual draft that will be held on February 5. The All-Filipino Cup will start on February 18.