DEFENDING men’s champion University of Santo Tomas remained undefeated after surviving a tough La Salle crew, 2.5-1.5, in the eighth round of the UAAP chess tournament at the FEU Tech Gym on Sunday.

The Growling Tigers, who have won six and drawn two matches, improved to 14 match points heading into the final two rounds of the season.

Ateneo, which scored a 2.5-1.5 win over Far Eastern University, stayed close to UST with 12 match points, but the Blue Eagles cannot afford any missteps from now on if they want to beat the Growling Tigers for the championship.

FIDE Master Christian Daluz snapped a two-game slump after beating Jester Sistoza on Board 1, while National Master Chester Reyes scored his seventh win in eight matches by besting Daniel Lemi on Board 3.

National Master Julius Gonzales then settled to a draw against Kris Oswald Olvido on Board 4 for UST to seal the win, as Melito Ocsan Jr. suffered his second loss against National Master Cyril Telesforo on Board 2.

University of the Philippines also inched closer to a third straight podium finish after putting away Adamson, 3-1.

In the women’s division, La Salle dealt FEU its first loss with a 2.5-1.5 victory in the 11th round.

Despite the loss, the Lady Tamaraws, who had eight wins and a draw before Round 11, remained on top the standings with 17 match points.

The Taft-based Lady Woodpushers, meanwhile, solidified their bid for a podium finish, increasing their match points total to nine.

Woman National Master Sara Olendo topped erstwhile undefeated Woman National Master Mhage Sebastian on Board 3, while Woman National Master Rinoa Sadey outplayed Woman National Master Bea Mendozaon Board 4.

La Salle then sealed the win after Woman National Master Francois Magpily settled for a draw with Woman National Master Mary Joy Tan on Board 2.

Woman National Master Vic Glysen Derotas secured the lone win for FEU as she outplayed Checy Telesforo on the top board.

In other ties, UP pulled off a stunning 3-1 win over defending champion National University, while Ateneo remained in third place, thanks to a 4-0 sweep of Adamson.

The Lady Bulldogs have 13 match points in second place, while the Blue Eagles and the Fighting Maroons have 10, with the Katipunan-based side holding the tiebreaker.