By GM Bartlomiej Macieja, UTRGV Chess Coach
Garry Kasparov is an undisputed legend of chess. Who has not heard of his intense world championship duels vs Anatoly Karpov in the 80s, or spectacular games and tournament achievements in the 90s? No wonder, chess enthusiasts all over the world dream about meeting, shaking hands, training and having a conversation with the legendary world champion.
Every year, the winning team of the top two sections of the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup receives an invitation for a training session with the legendary world champion. This is what makes the online team tournament of university students so attractive.
In the fourth edition of the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup, 494 students representing 117 universities of 25 countries from 6 continents fought hard to make their dream come true. No wonder that the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup is often viewed as an unofficial world university championship.
The tournament was held on the lichess.org platform. The Chief Arbiter was IA/IO Grant Oen, and the Technical Director was Chacha Nugroho.
This year, IM Kostya Kavutskiy was in charge of live commentaries. On the second day, he was joined by GM Alexander Lenderman. It is worth mentioning that none other than Garry Kasparov joined the commentary studio for half an hour. Therefore, it was a unique opportunity for university students to have their games analysed by the legend!
The picture of worldwide university chess is such that USA-based teams dominate all competitions. To make the competition more interesting and to increase the number of teams that can compete for first place, Michael Khodarkovsky, the President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation, has decided to limit an average team rating to 2400 URS (Universal Rating System). It works very well, and every year we can see a fascinating fight till the very end.
After 9 rounds, it was the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley that finished first. It didn't come as a surprise to anybody, since this Texas-based university, located just 1 km from the border with Mexico, had also won two out of the three previous Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cups. In recent years, UTRGV remains also the position of the most accomplished team in the USA, with three national university championship titles since 2018.
| Place | Country | Continent | University Name | Rtg | MP | BP |
| 1 | US | NA | University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (A) | 2397 | 8 | 26.5 |
| 2 | ID | AS | Gunadarma University | 2385 | 7.5 | 29.5 |
| 3 | UA | EU | Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (A) | 2133 | 7 | 26 |
| 4 | AM | EU | Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport | 2365 | 7 | 24.5 |
| 5 | US | NA | Texas Tech University (A) | 2358 | 7 | 24 |
| 6 | US | NA | Saint Louis University (A) | 2323 | 7 | 23 |
| 7 | US | NA | University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (C) | 1994 | 7 | 20 |
| 8 | US | NA | University of Texas at Dallas (A) | 2392 | 6.5 | 28 |
| 9 | PH | AS | Far Eastern University Manila (A) | 2241 | 6.5 | 24 |
| 10 | UA | EU | Ivan Franko National University of Lviv | 2148 | 6.5 | 22.5 |
| 11 | US | NA | Arizona State University (A) | 1984 | 6.5 | 22 |
| 12 | US | NA | University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (B) | 2129 | 6.5 | 21.5 |
| 13 | GR | EU | National Technical University of Athens | 2385 | 6 | 27.5 |
| 14 | US | NA | University of Texas at Dallas (B) | 2165 | 6 | 27 |
| 15 | UA | EU | Lviv State University of Physical Culture (B) | 2159 | 6 | 24 |
| 16 | ID | AS | Universitas Brawijaya (A) | 2021 | 6 | 23.5 |
| 17 | US | NA | University of Missouri - Mizzou (A) | 2395 | 6 | 23 |
| 18 | UA | EU | Lviv State University of Physical Culture (A) | 2204 | 6 | 22.5 |
| 19 | ID | AS | Padjadjaran University (A) | 1643 | 6 | 22.5 |
| 20 | US | NA | Vanderbilt University | 2088 | 6 | 21.5 |
| 21 | IN | AS | VIT Chennai (A) | 2052 | 6 | 21.5 |
| 22 | US | NA | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 2117 | 6 | 19.5 |
| 23 | US | NA | University of Texas at Dallas (C) | 1991 | 5.5 | 22.5 |
| 24 | PL | EU | Krakow University of Technology | 2187 | 5.5 | 21.5 |
| 25 | SI | EU | Univerza v Mariboru | 2121 | 5.5 | 21.5 |
| 26 | ZA | AF | University of Stellenbosch (A) | 2071 | 5.5 | 21 |
| 27 | CU | SA | Manuel Fajardo University of Sciences | 2199 | 5.5 | 20.5 |
| 28 | CO | SA | Universidad de Antioquia (A) | 2038 | 5.5 | 20.5 |
| 29 | IN | AS | Netaji Subhas University of Technology (B) | 1366 | 5.5 | 19 |
The UTRGV students' effort paid off as their dream came true. A fascinating training session with Garry Kasparov, containing the legend's feedback on the students' games, general hints and advice, and even a summary of the key moments of the Candidates Tournament with explanation of possible improvements took place in the Kasparov Chess Foundation's headquarters in Manhattan.
Garry Kasparov awards the cup to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - first row (left to right): Ekin Baris Ozenir, Garry Kasparov, Bartlomiej Macieja (UTRGV Chess Coach); second row (left to right): Colt Smitz-Munoz (UTRGV Program Manager), Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Ana Shamatava, Gleb Dudin
Training session of UTRGV students with Garry Kasparov - (from left around the table) Ana Shamatava, Michael Khodarkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Gleb Dudin, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Ekin Ozenir, Bartlomiej Macieja
(Left to right) Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Garry Kasparov, Michael Khodarkovsky
(Left to right) Gleb Dudin, Garry Kasparov, Michael Khodarkovsky
After the conclusion of the training session, feedback was gathered from the students. This is what they had to say:
GM Gleb Dudin: Meeting with Garry was an exceptional experience to communicate and learn from the greatest. I enjoyed the process a lot, and if I had a chance, I would like to repeat this energizing interaction in the future.
GM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux: I truly enjoyed having the chance to meet, discuss and analyse chess with one of the greatest players of all time. Learning about his perspective on chess was an incredible opportunity.
IM Ekin Ozenir: I am truly grateful for the opportunity to train and learn from one of the greatest players of all time. It was a unique experience to meet one of my childhood heroes in person and learn from him. The training was very enjoyable, and I am truly thankful for this incredible opportunity.
WIM Ana Shamatava: The meeting with the world legend is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I never imagined I would get a chance to ask him questions and hear his thoughts and experiences about his chess career. I am pleased that I was a part of this exciting and incredible training.
The fifth edition of the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup will take place on February 1-2, 2025 on the Lichess platform. The registration has already started.
The organisers expect a successful event again. Well, who wouldn't like to try to win such a dream award as training with Garry Kasparov?
