Matthew Gonzalez EDINBURG – The UTRGV Chess program celebrates another historic milestone on the international stage after Gleb Dudin, UTRGV chess Grandmaster and team captain, defeated reigning Gukesh Dommaraju, the current Classical Chess World Champion.
Dudin secured the victory in the final round of the Chess Olympiad, earning an individual gold medal. The performance highlights a banner year for UTRGV Chess, coming on the heels of the team’s national titles at both the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship and the President’s Cup.
Reflecting on the match, Dudin attributed his win to solid opening preparation.
“Yeah, it worked out pretty good because he fell into my preparations, and I got a very comfortable position, comfortable advantage from the opening,” Dudin said. “And I’m not sure if he understood what he was doing. So, everything went my way from the start.”
Bartek Macieja, UTRGV Chess head coach, credited Dudin’s relentless drive and initiative for his performances.
“Gleb is the one who always comes to me for some additional guidance, what else he can do on his own to improve even more,” Macieja said. “And this is very, very, very good. It also motivates me as the coach to try to do even more to help him.”
Looking ahead, the Vaqueros face a packed competition schedule. UTRGV will begin by defending its collegiate titles in upcoming regional matchups before shifting full focus toward the spring President’s Cup where they aim to keep their winning momentum alive, if they qualify.
