Missouri Wins 2nd CCL Championship, UT Rio Grande Valley Takes 3rd
Missouri triumphed vs. Saint Louis in the Final of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) Fall Season on Sunday. GM Mikhail Antipov led Mizzou to their second CCL team title with a score of 3.5/4.
UT Rio Grande Valley defeated SRM 11-5 to claim third place. Their board one, GM Viktor Gazik, scored 3.5/4 to help his team seal victory.
Division I Bracket - Final
- UTRVG Sweeps Last Round: SRM 5-11 UT Rio Grande Valley
- Mizzou Overtakes Defending Champs: Saint Louis 7-9 Missouri
UTRGV Sweeps Last Round: SRM 5-11 UT Rio Grande Valley
With three grandmasters and one IM, UT Rio Grande Valley had the edge on SRM, which had two of their top players, GM Pranesh M and IM Ra Harikrishnan, missing from the lineup. Yet SRM was still the top finisher in the regular season, fielding one GM and three IMs.
The match started in a deadlock of all draws. GM Gleb Dudin chased IM Srihari L's king into the center for a unique perpetual.
Every game was decisive in round two, though the teams split 2-2. Gazik found a masterful combination vs. Srihari L.
In round three, Texas took a two-point lead. IM Ekin Ozenir traded into a winning king and pawn ending vs. Srihari L.
The last round was a shocker. UT Rio Grande Valley won on every single board. Dudin prevailed in a double-edged duel vs. GM Arjun Kalyan.
The 4-0 finish clinched the match convincingly for UTRGV, granting them third place in the CCL.
Mizzou Defeats Reigning Champs: Saint Louis 7-9 Missouri
It all came down to SLU vs. Mizzou. Missouri had the rating edge, yet Saint Louis has proven their prowess in the CCL with four titles under their belt.
Saint Louis took the first lead, scoring 3-1 in round one. GM Nikolozi Kacharava converted in a queen ending to upset GM Aryan Tari.
In round two, Missouri struck back, gaining a point on SLU. Facing Kacharava, Antipov mopped up all of the enemy kingside pawn cover before going in for an unstoppable mate. This is our Game of the Day, with analysis by GM Rafael Leitao coming soon.
In the third round, Missouri gained another point on their competition, due to GM Luka Budisavljevic's victory vs. NM Shelev Oberoi. All the other boards drew.
Entering the final round, Saint Louis and Missouri were now tied 6-6, though the momentum was in Mizzou's favor. Early in the round, IM Isik Can found a brilliant tactical idea vs. Oberoi. Can you find it?
White to move.
Tari won next, giving Missouri eight points, inches from the finish line. Antipov crashed through on the enemy kingside in the middlegame, chasing the opposing monarch into the center. Yet GM Robby Kevlishvili fought back to equal chances in the endgame. The match was decided in the final seconds of this duel between the top boards.
With this, Mizzou reached nine points, clinching their second CCL team championship. Afterward, Tari shared: "I'm very thrilled, of course. It's probably the biggest win of my career, so I'm trying to find a very special way to celebrate."
I'm very thrilled, of course. It's probably the biggest win of my career, so I'm trying to find a very special way to celebrate.
—Aryan Tari
You can review the 2024 Collegiate Chess League presented by Susquehanna on Chess.com/TV. You can also enjoy the show on our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/ChesscomLive. Games from the event can be viewed on our events page.
The live broadcast was hosted by GM Benjamin Bok and Jules Gambit.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. The 2024 CCL Fall Season was a team event that started September 28 and featured a $25,000 prize fund.
Freshman and sophomores, Susquehanna's "Discovery Days" could be your chance to explore what a career in quantitative trading and finance looks like! Apply now for virtual and Philly spots (travel included): https://careers.sig.com/us-discovery-days.
Previous reports:
- Saint Louis Prevails vs. SRM, Will Face Missouri in Final
- Missouri, Saint Louis Advance To Semifinals
- SRM Leaps Back Into First, UCLA Defeats Illinois
- Saint Louis B Team Stages Last-Round Comeback, Arizona State Outscores Northwestern
- Saint Louis Overcomes Yale in Shocking Finish, SRM Still Perfect
- SRM Reaches Perfect 4/4, Saint Louis Bounces Back
- Newcomers Take Down 4-Time Champions, Team Spirit Carries Athens To Victory
- Missouri Unleashes 'Star Recruit' Tari In Win Over Athens
- Virginia Upsets Top-Seeded Missouri, Saint Louis Defeats Athens
- Registrations Are Open For The Collegiate Chess League Fall 2024 Season
Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
