The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Chess Program [1] is one of the major chess organizations in the Rio Grande Valley and an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation (USCF). It consists of the Chess Team and Chess Club. The UTRGV Chess Club has approximately 100 members, which include grandmaster Anton Kovalyov, Andrey Stukopin, Carlos Hevia, Vladimir Belous, International Masters Felix Ynojosa, Guillermo Vazquez, Joshua Ruiz and Yannick Kambrath. The UTRGV Chess Team is coached by Polish grandmaster Bartłomiej Macieja. The Chess Club provides students ranging from beginner to expert a place for them to improve their game. UTRGV Chess competes at the state, national and international levels. They also help promote chess around local communities.

Organization

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The UTRGV Chess Team faculty consist of Head Coach grandmaster Bartłomiej Macieja, Program Coordinator grandmaster Aleksander Miśta, and Dr. Douglas Stoves. The UTRGV Chess Club faculty consists of Dr. Nancy Razo and President Manuel Gonzalez.

History

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UTRGV Chess was established August 31, 2015.

National championships

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In 2018 the UTRGV Chess Team won its first national championship[2] defeating the 5-time reigning national champs Webster University.[3] In 2019, the UTRGV Chess Team successfully defended[4] its title to win once again.[5] In 2019, they also won the 2019 National Collegiate Rapid Chess Championship[6]

Awards and honors

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Proclamation of the City of Brownsville, Texas November, 2019[7]
Chess College of the Year August, 2019
The State of Texas Governor Recognition May, 2019[8]
The Texas State Senate Resolution May, 2019[9]
The Texas House of Representatives Resolution May, 2019[10][11]
UT Board of Regents Recognition May, 2019
Chess College of the Year August, 2018
Proclamation of the Hidalgo County May, 2018
Proclamation of the City of Brownsville, Texas May, 2018
Proclamation by City of Edinburg, Texas April, 2018[12]
Letter from Senator Ted Cruz March, 2018[13]
Letter from Congressman Vicente Gonzalez January, 2018[14]
Proclamation of The City Commission of Brownsville TX Spring, 2016[15]
The Texas House of Representatives Resolution Fall, 2015[16]
The Texas State Senate Proclamation Fall, 2015[17]
The US Chess Federation named Brownsville as the 2014 Chess City of the Year 2014
Accomplishments UTB - Legacy Institution 2002-2015[18]

Team tournaments

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Name Location Date Result
Texas Collegiate Super Finals Richardson, TX Oct 19–20, 2019 1st
Chess President's Cup (Final Four) New York, NY Apr 6–7, 2019 1st
U.S. Collegiate Blitz Chess Championship St. Louis, MO Mar 17, 2019 2nd
U.S. Collegiate Rapid Chess Championship St. Louis, MO Mar 16, 2019 1st
Southwest Collegiate Chess Championship Plano, TX Feb 23, 2019 1st

References

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  1. ^ "UTRGV | Chess Program". Utrgv.edu. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  2. ^ Kannappan, Priyadharshan. "US college chess: UTRGV ends Webster's reign". Chess Base. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  3. ^ Garcia, Raul. "UTRGV celebrates its first national chess championship". Valley Star. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  4. ^ Lucas, Daniel. "UTRGV Repeats as President's Cup Champions". US Chess Federation. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  5. ^ Rodriguez, Marlane. "UTRGV Brings Home National Chess Title". KVEO. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  6. ^ Hoang, John (2019-03-23). "Making the right moves: Backed by tradition, UTRGV chess team, players take collegiate chess titles". The Monitor. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  7. ^ "City of Brownsville" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  8. ^ "Governor" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  9. ^ "Senate resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  10. ^ "House resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  11. ^ "House resolution". capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  12. ^ "Proclamation" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  13. ^ "Letter" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  14. ^ "Letter" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  15. ^ "Proclamation". www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  16. ^ "House resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  17. ^ "Proclamation" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  18. ^ "Accomplishments" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
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