Palawan Queens' Gambit

Palawan Queens' Gambit
Sport	Chess
Founded	2020
League	Professional Chess Association of the Philippines
Region	South
Location	Palawan
Owner	Jojo Mitra
Head coach	Susan Neri

The Palawan Queens' Gambit is a professional chess club which plays in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) based in Palawan. It is noted for having a all-female roster in a professional league where most players are male.

History[]

The Palawan Queens' Gambit was formed as a representative team of the province of Palawan at the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP), the first professional chess league in the Philippines. Owned by Palawan-based businessman, Jojo Mitra they formed an all-female team, and deliberately picked female players at the inaugural PCAP draft.^[1]^[2] Palawan employed Susan Neri, daughter of an Aklan-based national master and international arbiter, as their coach who got enticed with the idea of mentoring an all-female team.^[3]

Roster[]

The following is the Palawan Queens' Gambit roster for the 2021 PCAP season.

Marie Antoinette San Diego (WIM)
Mikee Charlene Suede (WIM)
Catherine Pereña-Secopito
Shania Mae Mendoza
Carmelita Abanes (WNM)
Cecilia Cuizon (WNM)
Marife Dela Torre*
Yanika Eli Seratubias*
Jesibel Maberit*
(*) Homegrown players

Coach: Susan Neri

Team image[]

The Palawan Queens' Gambit is named after the Netflix series, The Queen's Gambit which features a female protagonist.^[4] The team features an all-female lineup as a means to give more opportunities for women in the Philippines to play competitive chess.^[1]

References[]

^ ^a ^b Rodriguez, Mia (January 3, 2021). "Meet Palawan Queen's Gambit, a professional all-female chess team". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^ "Palawan forms crack "Queens' Gambit" all-women chess team". Palawan News Online. December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^ Olivares, Rick (December 30, 2020). "Palawan Queen's Gambit coach Susan Neri: Public service through chess". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^ Saldajeno, Ivan (December 20, 2020). "Palawan Queen's Gambit loaded with chess queens". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[spin1-1] Rodriguez, Mia (January 3, 2021). "Meet Palawan Queen's Gambit, a professional all-female chess team". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[2] "Palawan forms crack "Queens' Gambit" all-women chess team". Palawan News Online. December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[3] Olivares, Rick (December 30, 2020). "Palawan Queen's Gambit coach Susan Neri: Public service through chess". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[4] Saldajeno, Ivan (December 20, 2020). "Palawan Queen's Gambit loaded with chess queens". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]