by Alexey Root
12/30/2017 – The Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships (Pan-Am) had one dispute and several close matches in rounds 4 and 5. Despite announcements before each round to leave cell phones back in hotel rooms, in round 4 the Michigan “B” team forfeited a game because of a cell phone. Also in round 4, Webster’s “A” team and SLU’s “A” team notched 2½ : 1½ victories over their opponents. Thus, by Friday afternoon, both Webster “A” and SLU had won four out of four matches. In round 5, Webster “A” defeated SLU 2.5-1.5. The only other team entering round 5 with four match wins, the UTRGV “A” team, lost. Therefore Webster “A” is the only team with 5 out of 5 match wins going into the sixth and final round on Saturday morning. Pictured: Shimanov and Kovalyov | Photo: A. Root