Andrea Flores Edinburg- UTRGV’s Chess Team is getting back on their feet to continue their consecutive wins, competing once again in the National Championship of Collegiate Chess, also known as the President’s cup.
The team has advanced from the Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship six times since 2015.
This year’s competition was held here in the Valley at the Mcallen Convention Center where UTRGV competed against 21 schools and earned fourth place.
Chess Coach Bartek Macieja said UTRGV sent out nine teams, which is the record number that a school has ever sent to compete. Macieja has been the chess coach since 2012 and says it’s rewarding to see the team learn and grow.
“When I see that we are practicing, the students are learning,” he said. “And then the knowledge that they get during the trainings, they can apply it in their games, and they do it successfully. And then I am so happy, ‘Yes, it worked.’”
Macieja added it is not just about the members’ skills but how focused and motivated they are.
Psychology sophomore Gleb Dudin and biomedical science sophomore Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux are two winning team members.
Rodrigue-Lemieux said the most rewarding experience in the chess program is winning the Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship while it only being the second tournament he plays.
Dudin, who has been playing chess for 11-years, explains that being with his team eases the tension when competing.
The team members are looking to make UTRGV the national champion once again, preparing with trainings and reviewing their past games.
“So it’s gonna [going to be] be a big challenge,” Lemieux said. “I think the other three universities are very strong. But you know, UTRGV has won it like three times recently.”
The Chess Program also has a club for those looking to play recreationally or who would like to learn and meet new people. To get in contact, email chess@utrgv.edu.
The team will compete in the President’s Cup in the first week of April.
