Webster Scores Debut Victory vs. Athens As 2024 Collegiate Chess League Begins
The 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) kicked off on Saturday with two telling matchups. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley gained vengeance vs. their UT counterparts in Dallas, led by top scorer IM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux with 3.5/4.
In the second duel of the day, Webster University made their debut in the league by beating the National Technical University of Athens. GMs Aram Hakobyan and Harsha Bharathakoti both proved to be MVPs by turning in matching 3.5/4 scores.
The CCL continues with week 2 on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.
Collegiate Chess League - Week 1 Standings
The CCL is back for another exciting season. Thousands of the strongest college players worldwide will duel to prove that their university belongs at the top. Division 1 features the eight top teams by rating. All other divisions will include 16 teams each. Teams will compete in a seven-week round-robin of all-play-all matches. The top six teams will progress to the playoffs and compete for their share of the $25,000 prize fund.
Halftime Takeover: UTD 7-9 UTRGV
This matchup served as a rematch after UT Dallas knocked out UT Rio Grande Valley in the Semifinals of the 2023 Fall season. Would Dallas prevail once again or would Rio Grande Valley even the score?
With victories by GMs Ivan Schitco and Balaji Daggupati, UTD took the lead in round one. The second round was a level team fight while GM Rahul Srivatshav's perceptive tactical play prevailed vs. IM Tianqi Wang.
In round three, UTRGV struck back, scoring 3/4 to take over the match lead. GM Viktor Gazik's double-edged duel vs. Srivatshav was one of the team's pivotal victories.
Viktor Gazik prevails as both GMs go all out for checkmate!#CCL pic.twitter.com/31TtpfAScR
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) January 20, 2024
Rio Grande Valley's comeback was also largely due to Rodrigue-Lemieux, who was the day's MVP with a 3-0 score before drawing in the final round. Can you find the tactical shot he used to defeat Schitco in round two?
Black to move and win.
In the last round, GM Gleb Dudin and Tianqi scored decisive wins for UTGRV. Dudin won material with an incredible tactical idea in our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao.
With a two point lead, UTGRV sealed the match, outscoring their fellow Texan rivals to gain their revenge.
Powerhouse Debut: Webster 10-6 Athens
This match was the CCL debut for both Webster University and the National Technical University of Athens. Though new to the league's online format, Webster has excelled in competition over-the-board: They are six-time President's Cup champions and nine-time Pan-American Intercollegiate champions.
In addition to their competitive contributions, Webster University has helped grow the game's reach by offering the first "Chess in Education" minor in the U.S.
For the first time, two international teams have been seeded into Division 1: Athens, led by GM Andreas Kelires, and Prague University of Economics, who will compete at a later date.
In this battle of CCL newbies, Webster showed what a powerhouse team they are. Their top two boards, Hakobyan and Harsha, turned in nearly perfect scores of 3.5/4 each. Out of the gate in the first round, Webster gained a two-point lead.
In round two, Hakobyan marched his king down the board to lead his attack vs. FM Vasilios Kasioumis.
During the match, the commentators shared their feelings on Webster's unique mascot: the Gorlock. Designed by the university's students and staff, the Gorlock is a mythical creature with "paws of a cheetah, the horns of a buffalo, and the face of a Saint Bernard."
Hakobyan utilized a surprising knight maneuver to reach 3-0 in the third round, stretching his team's lead to three points.
In the last round, GM Gergely Kantor gained the first victory, sealing the match in Webster's favor.
Reaching 8.5 points, Webster clinches the match with 3 games still going!#CCL pic.twitter.com/xuNUFeIDO1
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) January 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Harsha's rook lift reaped rewards in his victory vs. Konstantinos Tsarsitalidis.
Webster's convincing performance positions them as one of the formidable teams to watch this season. When asked who he saw as their top competition, Hakobyan shared:
I think Missouri is there. Saint Louis University is also quite good. They also have good blitz players, which is far more important. But I do believe we are the favorites.
I do believe we are the favorites.”
—Aram Hakobyan
You can watch the 2024 Collegiate Chess League presented by SIG 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 WFM Anna Cramling and Joe Bruin.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. The 2024 CCL Spring Season is a team event starting January 20 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST and featuring a $25,000 prize fund.
Previous coverage:
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
