Not a rook on this

UTRGV Chess Team to compete in national tournament

The UTRGV Chess Team will participate in the President’s Cup Friday through Sunday at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Chess coach Bartek Macieja said the competition determines the collegiate chess national champion, considered one of the most prestigious titles.

“We had a huge qualification tournament called the Pan-American [Intercollegiate] Championship and the top four teams qualified for this final tournament called the President’s Cup,” Macieja said. “… And not only did we win, but we won it with a perfect score of six won matches in six rounds.”

The coach said their best results in the President’s Cup were in 2018, 2019 and 2021, winning three years in a row because there was no competition in 2020.

“Last year we finished third and, this year, we definitely want to improve,” Macieja said.

He said he knows it is a difficult competition of the top universities in the nation, but the team looks forward to winning the competition, or at least finishing second. 

Two of the Final Four participants, Grandmaster Gleb Dudin, a psychology sophomore, and International Grandmaster Jakub Fus, a psychology junior, are preparing for the competition playing in the 2025 European Individual Chess Championship in Romania, a prestigious and demanding tournament. Grandmaster Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, a biomedical science sophomore, is preparing for the final in a tournament in Canada.

“In my opinion, it will be a very good preparation for this Final Four,” Macieja said. “I think our students are getting in shape and, hopefully, they will be ready and they can show what they’ve learned.”

He said winning the Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship was a success for them.

“Of course, that means that we are among the best teams,” Macieja said. “… We will be fighting and we are doing everything with our preparation to increase our chances.”

Rodrigue-Lemieux said his journey at the chess team has had great teammates to play with.

“I’m very excited about [the President’s Cup],” he said. “It’s gonna be my first participation for myself.”

The grandmaster said the goal of the team is to win first place and they are doing their best for it.

UTRGV is not one of the favorites to win, but there are good chances for a second or third place, according to the coach.

“However, I would also like to mention that in the past–in 2018, 2019 and 21–when we won the national championship, when we won the President’s Cup, we [were] not the favorites either,” Macieja said.  “… That’s why we are preparing and I have to say they’re preparing very, very well. They take it very seriously.”