Central High student makes Montana chess history

Central High School student Baylie Redman plays chess with Dr. Debora Wines on Friday. Last summer, Redman became the first female from Montana to play in an internationally rated chess tournament.

by Mike Ferguson, courtesy of the Billings Gazette, originally published November 25, 2013.

Baylie Redman has been playing chess for only a year, but what a year it’s been. Over the summer, Redman, 16, a junior at Billings Central Catholic High School, became the first female Montanan to play in an internationally rated chess tournament, the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls in St. Louis.

That tournament invites a girl from each state to compete, plus players from South America as well. Redman managed just one victory in six matches, but as one of her chess teachers, Dr. Charlie Wittnam, pointed out, she was up “against the very best in the country. They play serious chess with a capital ‘S.’”

Because she made history as Montana’s first female representative at the invitational tournament, Redman received special recognition during an awards ceremony at the end of the six-day tournament.

Redman credits her rapid development with “having enough room to grow” and with putting in practice time and studying strategy videos posted on YouTube.

Seated on a stool in the biology lab of the school’s chess team adviser, Dr. Debora Wines, Redman said last week that the cerebral game born in India about 15 centuries ago has taught her focus, patience and thinking ahead — “qualities that people need to do well in life.”

She said playing chess has also helped her better cope with her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“Chess helps keep it under control,” she said. “Those good qualities chess teaches — most of them are difficult for kids with ADHD.”

Since she took up the game, she’s also noticed a benefit probably of interest to her parents, Darryl and Melanie Redman, as well as the family’s automobile insurance provider — her driving has improved.

“My brain now processes things faster, so it’s easier to notice things as I drive,” she said. “I can also concentrate in class better. My thoughts tend to be scattered, but since I started chess, it is better.”

Wines, who like Wittnam has played chess most of her life, said Redman is the kind of player “who’s just good naturally. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to work at it — it just means your work pays off.”

The two played a friendly match in the biology lab after school one day last week, with the teacher schooling the pupil — although technically the match ended in a draw, since Wines set a short time limit on the contest.

Wittnam, an internist at the Billings Clinic and the vice president of the Montana Chess Association, with a focus on Eastern Montana, said Redman has natural drive and “a good eye for tactical positions,” but “she is still a beginner and she still has a lot of technical flaws to correct.”

She’s benefited, he said, from the best coaching that Billings can provide, which includes Mo Bain, one of the top players in the state and the reigning state chess co-champion. With the game’s emphasis on logical thinking, Wittnam said keeping up with his game has benefitted his medical practice. He’s a proponent of a European-style chess program, where elementary-aged students are introduced to the game.

Chess is a game with nearly infinite permutations, he said: in a typical 35-move match, the combination of possible legal moves exceeds the number of atoms in the observable universe, Wittnam said — estimated to be 1 followed by 81 zeroes.

Redman’s potential could be fairly limitless as well.

“If you’re not careful, she will hand you your head very quickly,” Wittnam said of Redman’s aggressive style of play. “It’s rare to find a young woman who plays that way. I think she will get better. She has the possibility of being a strong player.”

For her part, Redman hopes to play one day at the collegiate level, perhaps at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, where she knows a faculty member.

She said she prays before each competitive match — but not necessarily for victory. “I pray for clarity of mind and clarity of heart,” she said. “I ask God if it is his will for a win. And if it’s not, that’s a lesson I can learn.”

Follow-up information: In a recent exchange of e-mails, Spanish journalist Leontxo Garcia shared the following insights on chess and ADHD.

Dr. Hilario Blasco is a young prominent Spanish psychiatrist who is applying chess as a therapy to some of his ADHD patients for years already with a clear success. Besides on that, he made a serious study, fully supported and certified by the Puerta de Hierro hospital (Madrid) with a group of young ADHD people. His conclusions are very impressive: in light and moderate cases, chess can replace drugs; in more serious cases, chess can substantially reduce the dose. By the way, that [corresponds] very well with what several ADHD parents told me in different countries (of course, they do not know each other): "The only way for my son (or daughter) to [stay] concentrated for one hour or more is when he (or she) is playing chess".

University of Haifa launches chess research project

By Sarah Carnvek
courtesy of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The University of Haifa, in collaboration with world-ranked Israeli chess champion Boris Gelfand, has announced a new research initiative that will study how playing chess can contribute to social and scientific development.

“This initiative is introducing chess and the disciplines involved in the game’s development into the academic world as never before,” says Vice President and Dean of Research Prof. Michal Yerushalmy.

“Through advanced studies in the University’s Department of Computer Sciences and other innovative facilities, and with the ongoing guidance of Grandmaster Boris Gelfand, the program will provide an opportunity to achieve breakthrough research and social outreach in a field that has not yet been fully explored.”

Chess Grandmaster and former World Championship contender Boris Gelfand

The initiative will examine the impact of chess on students’ math skills, language acquisition and other skills.
The program will include research on the connection between chess and cognitive enhancement; develop the first Hebrew-language educational software program for teaching chess in schools and kindergartens; and establish an international program for training chess instructors and coaches.

“I am sure this will make our society better -- I know leading intellectual professionals who succeeded thanks to their playing chess in school and continued playing alongside their professional development,” said Gelfand.

At the 2012 World Chess Championship in Russia, Gelfand [narrowly lost] to Viswanathan Anand of India. "Thanks to Gelfand's achievements, interest in chess in Israel grew dramatically," says Shay Bushinsky, who developed the software program to be used in the project.

Bushinsky was given the task of building a blueprint for teaching chess in the classroom. "It's the first time an Israeli academic institution is taking upon itself a scientific research project focused on chess," says Bushinsky, a University of Haifa researcher and chess software developer who is best known for co-authoring the award-winning computer chess programs Junior and Deep Junior.

“I am honored that the University of Haifa has decided to develop studies connected to chess and I do believe that through these studies we can help children and people of all ages develop their interest and play chess," said Gelfand.

Bushinsky notes that it is widely believed that chess helps everyone – young and old – with cognitive skills.
"For the young, we believe chess is an excellent vehicle for promoting many skills, namely linguistic and mathematical ones. With older [people], it's known to be a preserver of cognitive skills. This is empirical knowledge that we're trying to prove scientifically," says Bushinsky, who, together with University of Haifa Vice President for External Relations Amos Gaver, came up with the idea for the new project.

While there have been many international research projects on the benefits of chess, Bushinsky says the Haifa study stands out mainly because its testing ground is rich in high-quality chess players. He points to the wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s as the reason Israel's chess scene today includes many strong chess players and coaches.

"We are fortunate to have a significant proportion of the population that knows and plays chess. We have a broad sample that will help us ascertain aspects of this study," he explains. "We also have very good research tools as far as computer science is concerned, trainers and people who are actively involved in chess professionally."
Bushinsky says the study can also help groom a new generation of Israeli players.

"Israel is blessed with many elite chess players and there's a fear that these skills are going to vanish. We want to help facilitate and preserve these skills in the realm of academia and build a framework for professional chess training," he says.

Prior to Gelfand, Israeli chess players have won many international contests but, because there has been little investment in this field, "all these achievements are endangered," says Bushinsky. "There's not a next generation that you could foresee repeating those achievements."

The educational software program for chess instruction was written in Hebrew. But Bushinsky says it's clear that it will eventually be translated into all languages. "Around the world, there's a growing interest in chess as a vehicle for improving studies and disciplines of research in many fields. It's only natural that this will draw interest outside of Israel," he says.

Moreover, the University of Haifa’s Grandmaster Chess Research Program will initiate and take part in multiplatform collaborations with international experts and grandmasters to explore the multidisciplinary aspects of chess – including the scientific, cognitive, political, cultural and historical.

A message from Delilah

In October 2012, we were invited to Delilah's annual Halloween party near Seattle and it turned into a wedding - her wedding! She didn't tell the guests in advance, not even her own children. She is pictured here with my wife, Natasha Niro. Like everyone else, Tash remained in costume throughout the ceremony and reception.

I've been looking for an opportunity to post this photo. 2012 was a busy year and I didn't do a great job of maintaining my blog at the time. In any case, here's a message from Delilah to her listeners posted on her Facebook page today...

"If you're missing my show at night, know that radio stations come and go (unfortunately, I get "dumped" by stations and it STILL breaks my heart...!) BUT my program of requests, dedications and sappy love songs will always stay....

If you tune in one night and discover I have disappeared from your station you can ALWAYS find my program on my website, www.delilah.com. We also have a list of every station that carries the show. If your local station is not listed, CALL THEM AND WHINE LOUDLY!!! (Have all your fb friends call them as well...)

Or you can always find my radio program on the APP called iHeartRadio. Look for Live Radio and then Personalites, and my program is at the top of the list.

You can listen to the program anytime, free, on iHeartRadio."

- Delilah, Love Someone

Follow the bouncing ball -
My previous blog posts about Delilah:
Seattle Trip Report Part #1, 4/5/06
Delilah's words about me to her listeners, 8/15/06
What rain?, 11/16/06
Safe Return, 12/3/06
Reflections, 1/1/07
Some 2006 Photos, 1/22/07
Delilah's New Book, 9/16/08
Delilah on Nightline tonight, 11/12/08

Also related, from Chess Daily News & Information:
Meeting the incredible Delilah, 11/12/06
A New Major Addition to the Susan Polgar Foundation, 11/14/06
Delilah, a very special woman, 11/9/06
Happy Times!, 4/30/07
A truly special individual, 1/8/08
Delilah on the TODAY show tomorrow!, 9/30/08
The Queen of Radio, 2/18/2013

Latest McKay Tartan book series update

No. 21, Listen for the Lonesome Drum, another of the non-chess books in the David McKay Tartan series

I have now acquired and/or identified 71 of the 73-book Tartan Series. My goal in 2014 is to locate the remaining two books. I am missing numbers 16 and 45.

1. Ideas Behind the Chess Openings – Reuben Fine
2. The Middle Game in Chess – Reuben Fine
3. Basic Chess Endings – Reuben Fine
4. Learn Chess Fast – Sammy Reshevsky & Fred Reinfeld
5. My System – Aron Nimzovich
6. Common Sense in Chess - Emanuel Lasker
7. Winning Chess Traps - Irving Chernev
8. Chess Strategy & Tactics - Fred Reinfeld & Irving Chernev
9. Modern Chess Strategy - Edward Lasker
10. Let’s Play Checkers - Grover & Wiswell
11. Learn Checkers Fast - Tom Wiswell
12. Pawn Power in Chess - Hans Kmoch

13. Prodigal Genius: the life of Nikola Tesla - John J. O'Neill
14. Freud: A Critical Reevaluation of his Theories - Reuben Fine
15. The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer; Frank Ernest Hill
16. ?
17. The Commonsense Book of Wine - Leon Adams
18. My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923 - Alexander Alekhine
19. My Best Games of Chess 1924-1937 - Alexander Alekhine
20. Dark Trees to the Wind - Carl Carmer

No. 20, Dark Trees to the Wind, tales about life in NY

21. Listen for a Lonesome Drum - Carl Carmer
22. The Playmaker of Avon - Charles Norman
23. English Thought in the Nineteenth Century - D.C. Somervell

24. English Social History - George Trevelyan
25. 200 Miniature Games of Chess - J. du Mont
26. A Passion for Chess - Reuben Fine
27. Chess Fundamentals - J. R. Cabaplanca
28. The Art of Sacrifice in Chess - Rudolf Spielmann
29. Profile of a Prodigy - Dr. Frank Brady
30. Storming of the Gateway - Fairfax Downey
31. Point Count Chess - I.A. Horowitz & Geoffrey Mott-Smith
32. Paul Morphy and the Golden Age of Chess - William Napier
33. Epic Battles of the Chessboard - R.N. Coles
34. Alekhines' Best Games of Chess 1938-1945 - C.H.O'D. Alexander
35. Dominoes - Dominic Armanino
36. How to Win in the Chess Endings - I.A. Horowitz
37. Practical Chess Openings - Reuben Fine
38. Strategy and Tactics in Chess - Max Euwe
39. Beginning Backgammon - Tim Holland
40. Official Rules of Chess - U.S. Chess Federation
41. Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur - Max Euwe & Walter Meiden
42. Monopoly Book - Maxine Brady
43. Guide to Tournament Chess - Siegbert Tarrasch
44. The Game of Chess - Siegbert Tarrasch
45. ?

46. Official Rules of Chess (2nd edition) - Martin Morrison, editor
47. The Development of Chess Style - Max Euwe
48. Capablanca's 100 Best Games of Chess - Harry Golembek
49. Modern Chess Opening Traps - William Lombardy
50. The Road to Chess Mastery - Max Euwe & Walter Meiden
51. Pawn Structure Chess - Andrew Soltis
52. The World Chess Championship 1978 - Bent Larsen
53. Backgammon for People Who Hate to Lose - Tim Holland

54. Better Backgammon - Tim Holland
55. Attack and Defence in Modern Chess Tactics - Ludek Pachman
56. Judgment and Planning in Chess - Max Euwe
57. Modern Chess Tactics - Ludek Pachman
58. The Art of Positional Play - Samuel Reshevsky
59. The Chess Struggle in Practice - David Bronstein
60. Winning Casino Craps - Edwin Silberstang
61. Maxims of Chess - John Collins
62. Catalog of Chess Mistakes - Andrew Soltis
63. A Short History of Chess - Dr. Henry Davidson
64. Learn to play Mah Jongg - Marcia Hammer
65. Winning Poker Strategy - Edwin Silberstang
66. Practical Endgame Lessons - Edmar Mednis
67. The Modern Chess Sacrifice - Leonid Shamkovich
68. America's Chess Heritage - Walter Korn
69. Modern Chess Openings - Walter Korn
70. King Power in Chess - Edmar Mednis
71. The Art of Defense in Chess - Andrew Soltis
72. How to play good Opening Moves - Edmar Mednis
73. U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess - Tim Redman, ed.

Thanks to those who have assisted me with this list including Patsy A. D'Eramo, David Shane, Robert Chenault, Robert Hampton, Dale Wentz and especially my wife, Natasha Niro.

Previous posts about this series:
Books 1-3, April 17, 2008
Book No. 4, May 22, 2008
Book #5 + list, September 19, 2011
2012 Update, November 8, 2012
Tartan Book Series, August 15, 2013

What do Cashew Chicken and Pink Floyd have in common?

I posed this question on ask.com and, surprisingly, got some answers. Boiled down, it's: "How can you hate either one?"

The combination "cashew chicken + pink floyd" on Google.com returned Leong's Asian Diner in Springfield, MO, and Tiffany's profile on airbnb.com and about 813,000 other results (no kidding!). Makes little difference if you enter it as "pink floyd + cashew chicken" (except that there are a few thousand more hits).

Anyway, the answer is chess. Come back this weekend to find out why...

And for those who are looking for something reasonably priced and a little different to do later this month, consider this as an option:

Please go here for my 2013 blog index sorted by topic.

2013 Blog Index

With links to all my blog posts in 2013 sorted by topic: (chess; distance running; family & friends; food & beverage; health care; music, movies & the arts; sports; travel).

Blog entries may be listed in more than one category to make them easier to find. Links to the index for 2012, as well as 2011 and prior, are also included below.

We started the year in Meridian, Idaho, by celebrating Tash's birthday with brunch and a movie, accompanied by my in-laws Gene & Celeste Fox. A few weeks later I took the Status (pictured) above on a journey through Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota where I acquired a celebrity passenger, former U.S. and World Open chess champion Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky. From there, we headed to the Cardinal Open in Columbus, Ohio (with a side trip to Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri, to have dinner with the national champion collegiate chess team) and on to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Alex met with the chess team and flew home from Syracuse while Tash flew into the same airport the next day. It was time to teach our Strategic and Business Planning course at Cornell University. Continued at the bottom of the page...

BLOG INDEX FOR 2013 BY TOPIC

CHESS
South Dakota to Ohio... via Missouri January 24
Yermo comes to Cornell to meet with Chess Team January 30

With Susan Polgar and Alex Yermolinsky in January

2013 Cardinal Open held in memory of Mike Anders January 31
Games from the 2013 Cardinal Open February 7
Northwest Chess releases online color versions of magazine (with 3-month delay) February 14
September Northwest Chess online color edition released Feb. 28
October NWC online color edition March 14
2013 Roland vs. Niro Match April 4
2013 National Chess Day Announced April 11
November 2012 NWC online color edition April 18
December 2012 NWC Online Color Edition May 2
January 2013 NWC online color edition May 16
My tenure at NWC is complete! May 23
Chess Journalists appoint new President and VP May 30
An afternoon chat with Yasser - Part I June 6
An afternoon chat with Yasser - Part II June 13
An afternoon chat with Yasser - Part III - June 20 (pending final edit)
2013 North American Youth Chess Championships in Toronto July 4
Schedule of Events for Susan Polgar Foundation Girls Invitational July 18
Big 10th anniversary surprise for Girls chess! $5,000 cash prizes added! July 19
2013 SPFGI is under way July 22

Updated Coverage - 2013 SPGI July 23
Northwest Girls +3 at halfway mark of Girls' Invitational July 24
Colombian girl wins 2013 Susan Polgar Invitational August 8
Tartan Book Series August 15
NWC Features Luke-Harmon Vellotti September 26
E-town Christmas Open is tomorrow; PanAm starts at TTU in Lubbock December 27
Top teams face off in rd. 4 of PanAm Intercollegiate December 28
Webster takes big match with Texas Tech; UT-Dallas also at 4-0 December 29
PanAm update: Five teams fighting for 3 remaining spots... Dec. 30
Webster sweeps; UMBC, Illinois and Texas Tech advance Dec. 31

DISTANCE RUNNING
John Gray passes away at 88 March 28

FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Gethsemani Abbey - Happy 165th Anniversary! December 21
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year December 24

FOOD & BEVERAGE
Best Wine I've Had in a Long Time July 11

HEALTH CARE
Strategic and Business Planning for Healthcare Professionals starts today February 1

MUSIC, MOVIES & THE ARTS
Produce, the movie November 13
You Never Know Where Hope Grows November 21
Supporting the Arts in Portland, ME & Portland, OR December 15

In November, I was an extra in three different scenes for the upcoming movie, Produce. I am pictured above chatting with cast member, McKaley Miller, after the scene at Mt. Tabor Cemetery in Crestwood, KY.

SPORTS
Grapefruit League 2013 March 7

TRAVEL
Heading East January 20

Day 2; Little Big Horn January 21
Lots of snowmobiles January 22
What, no Harleys?? January 23
South Dakota to Ohio... via Missouri January 24
Sloan Case Competition team returns to UAB February 21
Lexington, KY or bust May 9
We're headed to Kentucky June 27

Index for 2012
Index for 2011 and prior

Our Year in review... (continued from the top of the page)

In between classes, Tash and I stayed at an extended stay hotel in Lexington, KY. We returned to Birmingham, AL, in Febuary with the Cornell Case Competition team and went on to Florida for a professional conference and a couple of Spring Training games. We found a place to live in March and our new landlord agreed to hold it for us until May in exchange for payment of the utility bills during the interim period.

Tash flew home from Syracuse after our last class in March and I left the Stratus in a friend's driveway in Missouri and flew home from St. Louis. In May we returned to New York for the Cornell Wagner Weekend, for the Susan Polgar Foundation fundraiser in NYC and a friend's birthday party in New Hartford, NY.

On June 26, I left Idaho in a Penske truck with Tash following in her Toyota. 2,000 miles later we arrived in Lexington, KY, where she started working towards her Ph.D. in Gerontology at the University of Kentucky.

Since school started at the end of August, we have stayed pretty close to home save a few round trips to Indiana and Ohio. I directed the Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational in St. Louis and attended the U.S. Open Chess Championship in Wisconsin while Tash attended her student orientation. Of course, we were able to watch the Red Sox during the playoffs and World Series on TV, so it didn't really matter where we were located in October. Tash spends most of her time reading and studying and I have been writing, dieting and exercising as much as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you have found a few worthwhile items. In 2014, I hope to expand my writing about health care reform and the Affordable Care Act from an unbiased (as much as possible for a former patient and hospital administrator) and non-partisan perspective.

Something new in 2013 for Tash who grew up on the Oregon coast: she got to stick her feet in the warm Atlantic ocean for the first time near Jacksonville, FL, in March (she didn't get more than a toe in at York Beach, ME, in 2012. brrr.)

...may 2014 be your best year yet

...and may you find the "mate" of your dreams!!

Sincere thanks to Susan Polgar Daily News and Information and Chess.com for uploading segments of my Pan Am coverage.

Pictured above, l. to r., members of the Webster University A-team: Le Quang Liem, Wesley So, Susan Polgar (coach), Georg Meier and Ray Robson

Webster sweeps; UMBC, Illinois and Texas Tech advance

Webster University chess team, l. to r., Maraani Kamphorst, Georg Meier, Manuel Leon Hoyos, Anatoly Bykhovsky, Le Quang Liem, Vitaly Neimer, Susan Polgar, Inna Agrest, University President Beth Stroble, Fidel Corrales, Andre Diamant, Ray Robson, Wesley So, Jake Banawa and Denes Boros. Photo courtesy of Webster University S.P.I.C.E.

The final standings are located here.

The 60th Pan American Intercollegiate chess tournament is over and the teams in the Final Four of college chess (known as the President's Cup) are determined! UMBC, Illinois and Texas Tech, along with the undefeated Webster University A-team, will compete in the Spring at a time and place to be announced (most likely in the Washington, D.C. area in early April - last year was in Herndon, VA). The Webster University A-team swept the tournament with a 6-0 match score, while the Webster-B team also scored well enough to qualify.

It is a long standing tradition that each college or university is limited to one team in the Final Four. National TD and FIDE Zonal President Franc Guadalupe was the chief tournament director. A total of 42 teams from 27 schools represented by 23 grandmasters, four WGMs, 12 IMs and six WIMs competed.

University of Illinois Chess Team, l. to r., Eric Rosen, Michael Auger, Akshay Indusekar and Leo Luo.

For the second year in a row, the team from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shocked the experts. Last year, with four wins and two draws in six total matches, the Illinois team garnered five out of six possible points and wound up in a 5-way tie for first place in the tournament. They repeated their spectacular 5-1 result again this year. It was the only team among the five that had no coach and no grandmasters. The team’s four players are Eric Rosen (2379), Michael Auger (2233), Xin “Leo” Luo (2202), and Akshay Indusekar (2094). All of the players except Indusekar were on last year's Illinois PanAm team.

NM Eric Rosen, the 2011 U.S. National K-12 champion (pictured above), led the Illinois team on Board 1 for the second year in a row. Source: Chicago tribune

GM Wesley So of Webster University, by way of the Philippines, and reigning World University Champion, won the first place prize on Board #3 and the best individual performance award with a perfect 6-0 score and a performance rating of 2894. GM Ray Robson, also of Webster, was the top rated US-born player in the tournament and took the first board #4 prize with the only other 6-0 score.

GMs Le Quang Liem of Webster's A-team, Fidel Corrales Jimenez of Webster's B-team, Niclas Huschenbeth or UMBC, WIM Mariam Danelia University of Texas at Dallas C-team and Yaroslav Zherebukh of Texas Tech all finished at 5-1 on Board #1. Zherebukh received the trophy on tiebreaks. GM Anatoly Bykhovsky of Webster-B was the clear winner on Board #2 with 5.5 points. The "Best Female" prize went to Mariam Danelia of UT-D, losing only to GM Anton Kavalyov (2704) of University of Texas at Brownsville.

Suprisingly, both UT-Dallas and UT-Brownsville fell short of advancing to the Final Four this year. Additional team prizes were awarded to University of Toronto (Division II), Harvard University (Div III), Oberlin College (Div IV), and UMBC-B team (Div V). Miami-Dade was the top community college. UMBC-B also received the biggest team upset prize for their win over Florida State University. The individual biggest upset was by Robert Huie IV (rated 1189) of UMBC-B. Huie defeated USCF Rated Expert Embert Lin (2005) of NYU in Round 1.

According to Texas Tech chess program director Al Lawrence, "The championship is rich in college tradition. The first Pan-Ams took place in 1946 (but the championship traces its heritage to a U.S. university championship going back even further) and was held biennially until 1962, when the event was made annual and has indeed been held every year since then."

Congratulations to all of the teams who made the trip to Lubbock for this year's tournament, especially to the host team from Texas Tech University for putting on such a great event in addition to qualifying for the Final Four.

Members of the Texas Tech University Chess Team with their coach, GM Alex Onischuk (rear).
Photo courtesy of Texas Tech University chess program

Games from Round 6:

Le (Webs-A),Q - Kovalyov (UTB),A [E06]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.d4 0-0 6.Nbd2 b6 7.0-0 c6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.e4 Na6 10.a3 dxc4 11.Nxc4 b5 12.Ne3 c5 13.d5 exd5 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nf5 c4 16.Rd1 Re8 17.Bf4 Nc5 18.Ne5 Rc8 19.Nxf7 Qd7 20.Ne5 Qe6 21.Rxd5 Bxd5 22.Nd4 Qd6 23.Nxb5 Qe6 24.Nd4 Qd6 25.Nf5 Qe6 26.Bh3 Qa6 27.Nxe7+ Rxe7 28.Bxc8 Qxc8 29.Rd1 Qe6 30.f3 Re8 31.h4 Nd7 32.Nxd7 Bxf3 33.Ne5 Bxd1 34.Qxd1 h6 35.Nf3 Qb6+ 36.Qd4 Re1+ 37.Kf2 Qxd4+ 38.Nxd4 Rb1 39.Bd2 Rxb2 40.Ke3 Kf7 41.a4 a6 42.Bc3 Rg2 43.Kf3 Ra2 44.a5 g6 45.Ke4 Rg2 46.Kf3 Ra2 47.Ke3 Rg2 48.Be1 Ra2 49.Nc6 Ke6 50.Bc3 Rg2 51.Kf4 Rf2+ 52.Ke4 Rg2 53.Nd4+ Kd7 54.Be1 Kd6 55.Bb4+ Kd7 56.Kf3 Ra2 57.Kf4 Rf2+ 58.Ke3 Ra2 59.Ne2 Ke6 60.Nf4+ Kf5 61.Kf3 h5 62.Ng2 Ra4 63.Ne3+ Ke6 64.Be1 Ra3 65.Bb4 Rb3 66.Be1 Ke5 67.Ke2 Rb2+ 68.Kd1 Rb1+ 69.Ke2 Rb2+ 70.Kd1 Rb1+ 71.Ke2 Rb2+ 72.Kd1 Rb1+ ½-½

Hernandez (UTB),H - Meier (Webs-A),G [D30]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Be2 b6 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Bb5 Bb7 12.Qa4 Rfd8 13.Bc6 Bxc6 14.Qxc6 Nb4 15.Qa4 Nd5 16.Nc3 Nxc3 17.bxc3 c5 18.e4 Nf6 19.Rfe1 cxd4 20.cxd4 Rac8 21.Qa6 Rc2 22.h3 Rdc8 23.Rad1 R8c4 24.Ne5 Rc7 25.d5 exd5 26.exd5 Qc5 27.Nd3 Qxd5 28.Nb4 Qc4 29.Qxc4 R2xc4 30.Rd8+ Kh7 31.Nd5 Nxd5 32.Rxd5 Rc1 33.Rdd1 Rxd1 34.Rxd1 Kg6 35.Rd3 Kf6 36.g4 Ke6 37.Kg2 Rd7 38.Rc3 Rd4 39.Kf3 Ra4 40.a3 g6 41.Kg3 b5 42.f3 Kd5 43.h4 a5 44.Rc7 Rxa3 45.Rxf7 b4 46.Rb7 b3 0-1

So (Webs-A),W - Cornejo (UTB),M [E32]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d6 7.Nf3 b6 8.Bg5 Nbd7 9.Nd2 Bb7 10.f3 c5 11.e4 cxd4 12.Qxd4 Qc7 13.Be2 d5 14.exd5 exd5 15.0-0 Rfe8 16.Rfe1 Qe5 17.Qxe5 Rxe5 18.Bf4 Ree8 19.Bf1 Nc5 20.b4 Ne6 21.Be5 Red8 22.Rac1 Rac8 23.Kf2 Ne8 24.a4 Nd6 25.cxd5 Rxc1 26.Rxc1 Bxd5 27.Nb1 Bb3 28.a5 bxa5 29.bxa5 f6 30.Bc3 Rc8 31.Na3 Kf7 32.Bd2 Rxc1 33.Bxc1 Nd4 34.Be3 Nc6 35.a6 Ke6 36.g4 g6 37.h4 Kd5 38.Bf4 Bc4 39.Nxc4 Nxc4 40.Bd3 Nb4 41.Be4+ Ke6 42.Kg3 Ne5 43.Bb7 Nd5 44.Bc1 Nc4 45.h5 g5 1-0

Nemcova (UTB),K - Robson (Webs-A),R [B85]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 0-0 9.Kh1 Bd7 10.Be3 a6 11.a4 Rc8 12.Nb3 Na5 13.e5 Ne8 14.Nxa5 Qxa5 15.Qd2 Bc6 16.Bd4 dxe5 17.fxe5 Nc7 18.Bd3 Nd5 19.Rf3 f5 20.exf6 Nxf6 21.Bc4 Kh8 22.Bxe6 Rcd8 23.Rd3 Nh5 24.Re1

24...Nf4 25.Bd5 Nxd5 26.Nxd5 Qxd2 27.Rxd2 Rxd5 28.c4 Rd6 0-1

Corrales Jimenez (Webs-B),F - Zherebukh (TTU),Y [B46]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Qd2 Bb4 8.f3 d5 9.a3 Ba5 10.Nb3 Bxc3 11.Qxc3 e5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Qd2 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Bf5 15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.0-0-0 0-0 17.Rxd3 ½-½

Steingrimsson (TTU),H - Bykhovsky (Webs-B),A [B36]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Be3 Bg7 9.f3 0-0 10.Qd2 a5 11.Na4 Nd7 12.Be2 b6 13.0-0 Nc5 14.Nc3 Bb7 15.Rfd1 Qd7 16.Rac1 Rfc8 17.b3 Qe8 18.Bf1 h5 19.Kh1 Kh7 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Bf6 22.g3 Rc7 23.Re1 Qd7 24.h4 Qf5 25.Qd1 Kg7 26.Rc2 Qc8 27.Kh2 Qb7 28.f4 Kg8 29.Bf2 Na6 30.Re3 Kg7 31.f5 Qc8 32.Bh3 Qh8 33.fxg6 fxg6 34.Rce2 Rf8 35.Rf3 Nc5 36.Bd4 Kh7 37.Ref2 Qg7 38.Rf1 Ra7 39.Qe2 Raa8 40.Be6 Bxd4 41.Rf7 Rxf7 42.Rxf7 Rf8 43.Rxg7+ Kxg7 44.Kh3 Rf2 45.Qe1 Rxa2 46.Bf5 Be5 47.Bxg6 Rb2 48.Bxh5 Rxb3 49.Kg4 Rxg3+ 50.Kf5 a4 51.Bg4 a3 52.Qd2 Bf6 53.h5 Nb3 54.h6+ Kh8 55.Qf2 Nd4+ 56.Kf4 Rc3 57.Bh5 Rc2 58.Qg1 Ne2+ 59.Bxe2 Rxe2 60.Qg6

60...a2 61.Qe8+ Kh7 62.Qf7+ Kxh6 63.Qf8+ Bg7 64.Qc8 Rh2 65.Qg4 Rh5 66.Qe6+ Bf6 67.Qg8 a1Q 68.Qf8+ Bg7 0-1

Hoyos (Webs-B),M - Moradiabadi (TTU),E [A05]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 e6 5.c4 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.d3 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bd2 c5 10.a3 Nd7 11.b4 Rc8 12.Qb3 Nxc3 13.Bxc3 Bd5 14.Qb2 Bf6 15.Rfc1 c4 16.e4 Bxc3 17.Rxc3 Bb7 18.Rxc4 Rxc4 19.dxc4 Bxe4 20.Qd4 Nf6 21.Rd1 Qa8 22.Ne1 Bxg2 23.Nxg2 Rc8 24.Ne3 h6 25.Qf4 Qc6 26.Rd6 Qa4 27.Rd3 Qc6 28.Qd4 Qc7 29.Qa1 Nd7 30.f4 Nf6 31.Qf1 h5 32.Qf3 a5 33.f5 e5 34.Rd1 axb4 35.axb4 Qe7 36.b5 Qa3 37.Qe2 Qb3 38.Qd3 Qb2 39.Qd2 Qa3 40.Qe2 Qb3 41.Qd3 Qa2 42.Qd2 Qa4 43.Qe2 Qb4 44.Kh1 Qb3 45.Rd3 Qb4 46.Rd1 Qa4 47.Qb2 Qa8+ 48.Qg2 Qa3 49.Qe2 Re8 50.Nd5 Qc5 51.Kg2 e4 52.Nxf6+ gxf6 53.Rd5 Qc7 54.Rd4 Qe5 55.Qe3 Qxf5 56.Rd5 Re5 57.Rd4 Kg7 58.Rd6 Re6 59.Rd5 Qg6 60.c5 bxc5 61.Rxc5 Qg4 62.Rc6 Re5 63.b6 Rb5 64.Rc2 h4 65.h3 Qe6 66.Re2

66...Rb3 67.Qxe4 Rxg3+ 68.Kf1 Qxh3+ 69.Ke1 Rg1+ 70.Kd2 Qd7+ 71.Kc2 Qd1+ 72.Kc3 Qa1+ 73.Kc4 Qa6+ 74.Kc5 Rg5+ 75.Kc6 Qc8+ 76.Kd6 Qc5+ 77.Kd7 Rd5+ 0-1

Gorovets (TTU),A - Boros (Webs-B),D [D11]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Qb3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Qd1 ½-½

Huschenbeth (UMBC),N - Margvelashvili (UTD),G [B12]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nd7 6.0-0 Bg6 7.Nbd2 Nh6 8.Nb3 Nf5 9.Bd2 Be7 10.g4 Nh6 11.h3 0-0 12.c3 Kh8 13.Ne1 Ng8 14.Nd3 f6 15.f4 fxe5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qb6+ 18.Kh2 a5 19.a4 Be4 20.Nd4 c5 21.Nb5 c4 22.Qe1 Bc5 23.Bxc4 Ne7 24.b4 axb4 25.cxb4 dxc4 26.Qxe4 Rad8 27.Rad1 Rxd2+ 28.Rxd2 Bxb4 29.Rd4 Bc5 30.Rxc4 Nd5 31.Rfc1 Be7 32.Qd4 1-0

Professor and director of the chess program Alan Sherman (standing, center) with the team that represented UMBC at the 2013 Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship in Lubbock, Texas. UMBC is one of the top four qualifying schools from the PanAm qualified to go on to compete in the Final Four of college chess, held in the Spring. The winner is considered national champion and takes home the President’s Cup. Team coach GM Sam Palatnik is standing of Prof. Sherman's left.
Photo courtesy of University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Sadorra (UTD),J - Kore (UMBC),A [A41]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.e4 Bg4 5.Be2 Nc6 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Bxf3 8.Bxf3 Nd4 9.Bxd4 exd4 10.Nd2 Ne7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Be2 c6 13.Bd3 Nc8 14.f4 Nb6 15.b4 Nd7 16.Nb3 Re8 17.Rc1 Rc8 18.dxc6 Rxc6 19.c5 dxc5 20.bxc5 Qe7 21.e5 Rd8 22.Bb5 Rc7 23.Bxd7 Qxd7 24.Rc4 Bf8 25.Kh1 d3 26.Rf3 Qf5 27.Qd2 Rcd7 28.h3 Rd5 29.Rf2 Qe6 30.Re4 Bxc5 31.f5 Qe8 32.Nxc5 Rxc5 33.e6 Rc2 34.Qh6 Rxf2 35.Rh4 d2

36.Qxh7+ Kf8 37.Qh6+ Ke7 38.Qg5+ Kd6 39.Qg3+ Ke7 40.Qg5+ Kd6 41.Qg3+ Kd5 42.Qd3+ Ke5 43.Re4+ Kxf5 44.g4+ Kf6 45.Qc3+ Ke7 46.Qc5+ Rd6 47.Qc7+ Kf6 48.Qc3+ Kg5 49.Qe3+ Kf6 50.Qc3+ Ke7 51.Qc7+ Kf8 52.Qxd6+ Kg8 53.Kg1 Rf6 54.Qxd2 Rxe6 55.Rd4 Re2 56.Qd3

56...Qe5 57.Rf4 Rxa2 58.Rf2 Rxf2 59.Kxf2 Qc5+ 60.Kg3 Qe5+ 61.Kh4 Kg7 62.Qd7 Qe1+ 63.Kg5 Qe3+ 64.Kh4 Qf2+ 65.Kg5 Qf6# 0-1

Bregadze (UMBC),L - Yotov (UTD),V [A11]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.d4 e6 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 c5 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Qe2 Nbd7 11.Rd1 Qb8 12.a3 Bd6 13.dxc5 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nxc5 15.Bc2 Bxh2+ 16.Kh1 Be5 17.Qc6+ Ncd7 18.Ne4 0-0 19.Rxd7 Nxd7 20.Qxd7 Rd8 21.Qe7 Ra7 22.Qh4 Rc7 23.Nc3 g6 24.e4 a5 25.Bg5 Rdc8 26.Bd3 b4 27.axb4 Qxb4 28.Rb1 Rd7 29.f4 Bg7 30.Qh3 h6 31.Nd5 Rxd5 32.exd5 hxg5 33.dxe6 f5 34.fxg5 Qf4 35.Bf1 Rc1 36.Rxc1 Qxc1 37.Qd3 Qxg5 38.g3 Be5 39.Kg2 f4 ½-½

Holt (UTD),C - Paikidze (UMBC),N [D38]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (6), 30.12.2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Qa4+ Nc6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.e3 0-0 9.Be2 dxc4 10.0-0 a6 11.Bxc4 Bd6 12.Rfd1 Rb8 13.Qc2 b5 14.Be2 Bb7 15.a3 e5 16.d5 Ne7 17.Rac1 Qg6 18.Bd3 f5 19.e4 f4 20.a4 b4 21.Nb1 Qf6 22.Nbd2 g5 23.Nb3 g4 24.Nfd2 g3 25.Nc5 gxh2+ 26.Kh1 Bc8 27.Nxa6 Rb6 28.Nxc7 f3 29.Nxf3 Bg4 30.Qe2 Ng6 31.Qe3 Bxc7 32.Rxc7 Nf4 33.Bf1 Kh8 34.Rdc1 Bxf3 35.Qxf3 Qg5 36.Qg3 Qxg3 37.fxg3 Nh5 38.Kxh2 Nf6 39.Rc8 Rxc8 40.Rxc8+ Kg7 41.a5 Rd6 42.a6 Rd7 43.Bb5 Ng4+ 44.Kg1 Rf7 45.d6 Rf2 46.Bd7 1-0

Webster University A-team, pictured above, finished with a perfect 6-0 match score and a combined record of 19 wins, 0 losses and 5 draws in their collective games. Pictured, l. to r., are Ray Robson, Le Quang Liem, Wesley So, Georg Meier, Susan Polgar (coach) and P.J. Truong (alternate).
Photo courtesy of Susan Polgar Daily News & Information

PanAm update: Five teams fighting for 3 remaining spots...

Webster University defeated University of Texas at Dallas at the 2013 Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championship with three wins and a draw in their round five match to clinch a spot in the Final Four of College chess. Five other schools (all tied with 4 match points) are still in the running for the remaining three spots: University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas Tech University, University of Maryland - Baltimore County, University of Texas at Dallas and University of Illinois. In order to advance, Texas Tech must defeat the Webster University B-team, which also has 4 points through the first five rounds.

Webster has clinched clear first because even if the A-team loses in the final round to University of Texas at Brownsville, creating a possible multi-way a tie at the top in match points, none of the other teams can catch them in tiebreak points. The sixth and final round is scheduled for today (Sunday) at 9 AM central time.

Round 5

UTD A vs Webster University A
GM Leonid Kritz (2676) W - GM Quang Liem Le (2786)
GM George Margvelashvili (2626) B - GM Georg Meier (2700)
GM Conrad Holt (2613) W - GM Wesley So (2743)
GM Ioan Cristian Chirila (2621) B - GM Ray Robson (2693)

Game scores from the top match:

Kritz (UTD-A),L (2676) - Le (Webs-A),Q (2786) [B23]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (5), 29.12.2013
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 g6 6.d3 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 Nd7 9.f4 b6 10.g4 Bb7 11.Ng3 e6 12.Nce2 Qc7 13.c3 f5 14.Be3 Rae8 15.Qd2 Ne7 16.Rad1 b5 17.Kh1 Nb6 18.Bg1 Kh8 19.Rde1 Rd8 20.Qc2 Qc8 21.Be3 Rde8 22.Bc1 e5 23.gxf5 gxf5 24.Nh5 Rf7 25.Neg3 Rg8 26.Kh2 Qf8 27.Re2 Bh6 28.Ref2 Nd7 29.fxe5 Nxe5 30.Bxh6 Qxh6 31.exf5 Bxg2 32.Rxg2 Nd5 33.Qd2 Ne3 34.Rff2 Qg5 35.Rg1 Nf3+ 36.Rxf3 Nf1+ 37.Rgxf1 Qxd2+ 38.R1f2 Qc1 39.Re2 Qg5 40.f6 Qd5 41.Rfe3 Qxa2 42.Re8 Qd5 43.Nf4 Qf3 0-1

Holt (UTD-A),C (2613) - So (Webs-A),W (2743) [D43]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (5), 29.12.2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 Nd7 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 g6 10.0-0 Bg7 11.Rc1 0-0 12.e4 Rd8 13.e5 Qe7 14.Re1 b5 15.Bd3 Bb7 16.Ne4 c5 17.Nxc5 Nxc5 18.dxc5 Qc7 19.Re3 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 Bxe5 21.Rc2 Bxh2+ 22.Kf1 Be5 23.Bxb5 Rab8 24.Qe2 Rd5 25.b4 Qd8 26.Ke1 Qh4 27.Re4 Qh1+ 28.Qf1 Qh5 29.g4 Qg5 30.Qe2 Qh4 31.Bd3 Rbd8 32.g5 Bf4 33.Qf3 Rxd3 34.Rxf4 Qh2 0-1

Meier (Webs-A),G (2700) - Margvelashvili (UTD-A),G (2626) [E11]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (5), 29.12.2013
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bxd2+ 6.Nbxd2 0-0 7.Bg2 c6 8.Qc2 Nbd7 9.0-0 b6 10.e4 Bb7 11.e5 Ne8 12.c5 bxc5 13.dxc5 a5 14.Rfe1 Nc7 15.Bf1 Ba6 16.Nd4 Nb8 17.f4 Bxf1 18.Rxf1 Nb5 19.N4f3 a4 20.Ng5 g6 21.h4 Nd7 22.Rac1 Qe7 23.Ngf3 Qd8 ½-½

Robson (Webs-A),R (2693) - Chirila (UTD-A),I (2621) [C92]
2013 Pan Am Intercollegiate (5), 29.12.2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Nd7 11.Nbd2 exd4 12.cxd4 Bf6 13.Nf1 Na5 14.Bc2 Re8 15.Bf4 c5 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Bxf3

18.Qd3 Nxe5 19.Qxh7+ Kf8 20.Ng3 Ng6 21.Nf5 Re2 22.Rxe2 Bxe2 23.Re1 Bd3 24.Nh6 Ne5 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qxf7+ Kd6 27.Bxd3 gxh6 28.Be4 Nac6 29.Rd1+ Nd4 30.Bxa8 1-0

Standings after round 5:
{click on image to enlarge}

Individual cross table after round 5:

Competing coaches Rade Milovanovic of UT-Dallas (standing on left) and Susan Polgar of Webster University (standing on right) watch their teams (UTD in green, Webster in blue) as they clash in round 5 of the 2013 Pan American Intercollegiate chess championship. Webster won the match to clinch a spot in the Final Four of College chess. The remaining three teams will be determined by today's matches. Photo courtesy of the Texas Tech chess program.

Round 6 pairings:

Related Links:
Official pairings and results, including wall charts
TTU tournament web site
Round 1 Games
Round 2 Games
Round 3 Games
Round 4 Games
Round 5 Games
Round 6 Games - watch live beginning at 9 AM today!!
Round 6 - games will be located here after the round is completed
Program booklet
Susan Polgar Daily News and Information
US Chess Federation coverage by Al Lawrence
Additional USCF Coverage (FSU)

Webster takes big match with Texas Tech; UT-Dallas also at 4-0

Photo courtesy of Sustina Jolie on Facebook

Webster University beat Texas Tech, 3-1, to advance to 4-0 with two rounds to go in the 2013 Pan American Intercollegiate chess championship. On board 1, Grandmasters Quang Liem Le and Yaroslav Zherebukh fought to a 55-move draw, as did GM Hedinn Steingrimsson and GM Georg Meier (in 57 moves) on board 2. But wins on the bottom two boards by GMs Wesley So and Ray Robson against GM Elshan Moradiabadi and IM Andrey Gorovets, repectively, turned the match in the defending champions' favor. The top four teams will advance to a separate tournament next Spring known as the Final Four of College Chess.

Round 5 pairings:

Watch the games live.

Games from Round 1 here.
Round 2 games with UT-T DGT Applet to play over the games, courtesy of Luis Salinas

Photo of playing hall at Overton Hotel in Lubbock Texas, courtesy of Texas Tech University chess program