St Louis University edges out Webster University to win President’s Cup

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
4/10/2022 – In a two-day event played last weekend, Saint Louis University won the President’s Cup, a team event featuring the top four US schools from the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship. Webster University came in second place, merely a half point behind the winners — board points, and not team wins, were the deciding factor. | Photo: Texas Tech Chess
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A close fight for first place

Back in January, 57 teams representing colleges from all around the United States participated in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship. The four top finishers qualified to the President’s Cup, a two-day single round robin event in which board points, and not match points (as in the Olympiad), were the deciding factor.

At the Intercollegiate Championship, Saint Louis University got clear first place as the only team that scored six match wins in as many rounds. The team is coached by GM Alejandro Ramirez and has no fewer than 14 members, including four 2600+ rated grandmasters: Dariusz Swiercz, Benjamin Bok, Nikolas Theodorou and Cemil Can Ali Marandi.

Two squads hailing from Texas finished in second and third places. The University of Texas at Dallas, captained by GM Julio Sadorra, and the Texas Tech University, captained by former US champion Alexander Onischuk.

Fourth place went to Webster University, the strongest team rating-wise, which was surprisingly defeated by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in round 4. Vietnamese star Le Quang Liem is the captain at Webster, while no fewer than six 2600+ rated players are included in its roster: Benjamin Gledura, Lazaro Bruzon, Aram Hakobyan, John Burke, Yuniesky Quesada and Jose Martinez.

Webster University Chess

The Webster University squad, with captain Le Quang Liem (second from the left)  | Photo: Texas Tech Chess

Saint Louis University also won the President’s Cup, albeit by the smallest of margins. The team, which is supported by SLU alumnus Rex Sinquefield, finished the event with 7½/12 board points to outscore Webster University by a mere half point. Texas Tech University got third place, while the University of Texas at Dallas finished last.

The two rating favourites were paired up against each other in the third and final round. Aram Hakobyan (Webster) got the better of Akshat Chandra (SLU), while Nikolas Theodorou (SLU) scored the crucial win, over Benjamin Gledura (Webster), that gave his team overall victory.

Theodorou had the white pieces and scored a convincing attacking victory over Gledura. The latter had obtained back-to-back wins in the first two rounds. On move 22, Theodorou gave up a rook before launching a winning attack.

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Nikolas Theodorou SLU1–0Benjamin Gledura WEB
President's Cup 2022
http://www.chessbomb.com03.04.2022[CC]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 Bf5 7.Ne5 e6 8.Qb3 Qb6 9.Qxb6 axb6 10.e3 Nd7 11.g4 Ndxe5 12.gxf5 Nc4 13.Bxc4 dxc4 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Ke2 Kd7 16.b3 Bb4 17.Ne4 Rhf8 18.Bg3 b5 19.Rhc1 Ba3 20.Rcb1 Nb4 21.bxc4 Nc2
Both kings are stuck in the centre, but Black's monarch is the more vulnerable of the two. Gledura managed to infiltrate with his knight, but his lack of coordination and deficient pawn structure will prove to be the decisive factors in the game. 22.Rxb5 Giving up the rook on a1 to go for the attack! Nxa1 23.Rxb7+ Kc6 24.Rc7+ Kb6 25.c5+ Kb5 26.Kd3 Bb4 27.Rb7+ The king's position is precarious, as his pieces and pawns cannot coordinate an effective defensive effort. Ka4 28.c6 Ka3 29.c7
While Black hastily tried to coordinate his army, White managed to push his c-pawn down the board. 29...Rfc8 30.Bd6 Ra4 31.Rb8 Bxd6 32.Rxc8 Bxh2 The bishop needs to remain on the h2-c7 diagonal to keep an eye on the passed pawn. But then comes 33.f4 and there is no way to prevent promotion. 1–0

Nikolas Theodorou, Benjamin Gledura

Nikolas Theodorou facing Benjamin Gledura | Photo: Texas Tech Chess

Texas Tech University Chess

The Texas Tech University chess team, captained by Alexander Onischuk, hosted the event | Photo: Texas Tech Chess

Team compositions with round results

1. Saint Louis University (RtgAvg:2663, TB1: 7,5 / TB2: 4)

Bo.   Name Rtg FED 1 2 3 Pts. Games RtgAvg
1 GM Swiercz Dariusz 2739 USA 1 ½ ½ 2,0 3 2637
2 GM Theodorou Nikolas 2639 GRE   ½ 1 1,5 2 2654
3 GM Bok Benjamin 2675 NED ½ 0   0,5 2 2592
4 GM Chandra Akshat 2571 USA     0 0,0 1 2676
5 GM Ali Marandi Cemil Can 2600 TUR 1 1 ½ 2,5 3 2573
6 GM Kevlishvili Robby 2561 NED 1     1,0 1 2589

2. Webster University (RtgAvg:2692, TB1: 7 / TB2: 4)

Bo.   Name Rtg FED 1 2 3 Pts. Games RtgAvg
1 GM Bruzon Batista Lazaro 2686 USA   1 ½ 1,5 2 2672
2 GM Gledura Benjamin 2728 HUN 1 1 0 2,0 3 2618
3 GM Martinez Jose  2656 PER   0   0,0 1 2589
4 GM Hakobyan Aram 2676 ARM 0   1 1,0 2 2575
5 GM Quesada Yuniesky 2665 USA 0     0,0 1 2579
6 GM Burke John M 2676 USA 1 1 ½ 2,5 3 2562

3. Texas Tech University (RtgAvg:2576, TB1: 5,5 / TB2: 2)

1 GM Sorokin Aleksey 2643 RUS 0 ½ ½ 1,0 3 2691
2 IM Khanin Semen     2579 RUS 1 ½ ½ 2,0 3 2629
3 IM Matviishen Viktor 2579 UKR 1 1 0 2,0 3 2643
4 IM Schmakel Sam 2503 USA 0 0 ½ 0,5 3 2619

4. University of Texas at Dallas (RtgAvg:2590, TB1: 4 / TB2: 2)

1 IM Grinberg Eyal 2583 ISR 0     0,0 1 2739
2 IM Vazquez Guillermo 2605 PAR ½ 0 ½ 1,0 3 2668
3 GM Preotu Razvan 2541 CAN 0     0,0 1 2600
4 IM Schitco Ivan 2572 MDA   0 ½ 0,5 2 2654
5 IM Brodsky David 2589 USA 0 1 1 2,0 3 2599
6 IM Escalante Ramirez Brian  2582 PER   0 ½ 0,5 2 2590

All games

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 7.f3 Bg6 8.Bd2 Be7 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Qc2 a5 11.g3 0-0 12.Kf2 c5 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.cxd5 exd5 15.Kg2 Nc6 16.Bb5 d4 17.Nd1 dxe3 18.Nxe3 Rc8 19.Qd1 Qb6 20.Bxc6 Rxc6 21.Nc4 Qa6 22.Qf1 Rd8 23.Rd1 a4 24.h4 b5 25.Ne5 Re6 26.Nd3 Bf8 27.Bg5 Qc6 28.Rc1 Qe8 29.Rc2 Nd5 30.Qf2 f6 31.Bc1 Ne3+ 32.Bxe3 Rxe3 33.Nf4 g5 34.hxg5 fxg5 35.Ne2 g4 36.fxg4 Qe4+ 37.Kh2 Rf3 38.Qg2 Qh7+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aleksey Sorokin TTU-Benjamin Gledura WEB-0–12022President's Cup 20221
Aram Hakobyan WEB-Semen Khanin TTU-0–12022President's Cup 20221
Viktor Matviishen TTU-Yuniesky Quesada Perez WEB-1–02022President's Cup 20221
John Burke WEB-Sam Schmakel TTU-1–02022President's Cup 20221
Eyal Grinberg UTD-Dariusz Swiercz SLU-0–12022President's Cup 20221
Benjamin Bok SLU-Guillermo Vazquez UTD-½–½2022President's Cup 20221
Razvan Preotu UTD-Cemil Ali Marandi SLU-0–12022President's Cup 20221
Robby Kevlishvili SLU-David Brodsky UTD-1–02022President's Cup 20221
Lazaro Bruzon Batista WEB-Guillermo Vazquez UTD-1–02022President's Cup 20222
Ivan Schitco UTD-Benjamin Gledura WEB-0–12022President's Cup 20222
Jose Martinez Alcantara WEB-David Brodsky UTD-0–12022President's Cup 20222
Brian Escalante Ramirez UTD-John Burke WEB-0–12022President's Cup 20222
Dariusz Swiercz SLU-Aleksey Sorokin TTU-½–½2022President's Cup 20222
Semen Khanin TTU-Nikolas Theodorou SLU-½–½2022President's Cup 20222
Benjamin Bok SLU-Viktor Matviishen TTU-0–12022President's Cup 20222
Sam Schmakel TTU-Cemil Ali Marandi SLU-0–12022President's Cup 20222
Lazaro Bruzon Batista WEB-Dariusz Swiercz SLU-½–½2022President's Cup 20223
Nikolas Theodorou SLU-Benjamin Gledura WEB-1–02022President's Cup 20223
Aram Hakobyan WEB-Akshat Chandra SLU-1–02022President's Cup 20223
Cemil Ali Marandi SLU-John Burke WEB-½–½2022President's Cup 20223
Aleksey Sorokin TTU-Guillermo Vazquez UTD-½–½2022President's Cup 20223
Ivan Schitco UTD-Semen Khanin TTU-½–½2022President's Cup 20223
Viktor Matviishen TTU-David Brodsky UTD-0–12022President's Cup 20223
Brian Escalante Ramirez UTD-Sam Schmakel TTU-½–½2022President's Cup 20223

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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