PHOTO COURTESY BARTEK MACIEJA
After seven rounds of rapid online play, UTRGV Grandmaster Gleb Dudin once again finished at the top of Texas collegiate chess.
On Feb. 7, the 2025/2026 Texas State Collegiate Chess Championship was held online, through lichess.org, bringing together 48 students from nine universities, according to UTRGV chess coach Bartek Macieja.
After seven rounds, Dudin and Texas Tech University’s Roman Pyrih each scored six points, tying for first place.
In the playoff round, Dudin won “convincingly,” earning the title of 2025/2026 Texas State Collegiate Chess Champion and repeating his success from the 2023/2024 academic year, Macieja said.
Dudin, a psychology junior, said the rapid format shaped the intensity of the tournament. Each game was played with 10 minutes per player and a two-second increment per move, creating frequent time scrambles.
“You don’t have time to think,” he said. “When it comes to the seconds, I lose control. My hands are shaking every time … every millisecond matters.”
While Dudin considers in-person classical tournaments more important due to the level of responsibility and preparation involved, he said the online format presents its own challenges.
“You don’t feel like you have control over the board,” he said. “[Online] connection can stop anytime. If the connection stops, you lose the game.”
Dudin finished the seven-round event with one loss in the third round. Although a setback, he said that moment helped him reset.
“I thought ‘It’s kind of over,’” he said. “All the pressure was gone and I was just playing.”
The grandmaster said rapid formats often encourage risk-taking because opponents have limited time to calculate precise responses. He added the dynamic worked in his favor.
“You can risk more, anticipating that your opponent will not find the best reply,” Dudin said. “If the opponent makes a mistake, you can profit from that.”
He added preparation for online events largely comes down to repetition.
“There’s no real training, only practice,” Dudin said. “The more you play, the better you play.”
He credited Macieja and the support system behind UTRGV’s program following the win.
“Thanks to my coach and everybody who supports the chess program at UTRGV,” Dudin said.
