Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
The UTRGV Chess Team secured a return trip to the President’s Cup after placing second at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship, which took place from Jan. 2 to 5 in Oak Brook, Illinois.
UTRGV Team A finished with 10 points out of a possible 12, earning one of four qualifying spots for the national championship. The team secured its position by defeating Harvard University in the final round.
Coach Bartek Macieja said the team’s main goal at the tournament was to finish among the top four, which automatically qualifies teams for the President’s Cup.
“The final round against Harvard University was the key,” Macieja said. “Harvard had a strong team, and we knew they were capable of causing us problems. We had to win that match in order to be completely sure we would make it to the President’s Cup, and we succeeded.”
The team’s roster includes Grandmasters Gleb Dudin, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso and Santiago Avila Pavas, along with International Masters Jakub Fus and Ekin Baris Ozenir.
Preparation played a major role in the team’s success. According to Macieja, two of the team’s players traveled to Doha, Qatar, to compete in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship, a competition which tests a player’s calculation speed in fast-paced matches.
“It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world with all of the best players,” Rodrigue-Lemieux said. “We play dozens of games. It’s really good practice and the best warm up you can have for the Pan-American [Intercollegiate] Championship.”
The UTRGV Chess Team has claimed the title of national champions in 2018, 2019, 2021, and most recently earned a co-championship in 2025. According to Dudin, competing at the national level has become routine for the program.
“It felt like a continuation of a great tradition to secure the spot in the most prestigious tournament,” he said. “It’s sort of an expectation that we go there.”
Looking ahead to the President’s Cup, the team members said they have one goal in mind.
“It’s either win or nothing,” Rodrigue-Lemieux said. “There’s only four teams [competing] so … you’re either the national champion, or you fail. We want to leave that place as champions.”
UTRGV will compete against Webster University, Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri at the President’s Cup, scheduled for March 21 and 22 in Missouri.
“Last year, we had a great performance,” Dudin said. “It’d be nice to prove it wasn’t a coincidence.”
PHOTO COURTESY BARTEK MACIEJA
