In it to win it

Chess is traditionally a quiet game, but for UTRGV accounting senior Vladimir Belous channeling his inner anger and using it on the board is what has helped him get on a winning streak.

Belous learned to play chess at age 7, when his neighbor introduced him to his first chess coach on the local team.

The chess player was born in Ukraine and later moved to Russia, where he has won four individual championships. When it came time to further pursue his education, Belous said he chose UTRGV because he hit it off with Chess Coach Bartek Macieja, who speaks his native tongue, Russian.

“When I was decided to come to the United States, I couldn’t speak English and our chess coach actually is from Poland, but he speaks Russian,” Belous said. “So, it was kind of comfortable for me to talk about [the] condition about university with him in Russian.”

Macieja said Belous is an extremely talented chess player and told The Rider about a discussion he had with him at the beginning of the semester.

He said he felt Belous was underperforming and that ever since their conversation, he has been playing much better.

Belous has won the Russian championship under his age group four times and was on the UTRGV team when it won back-to-back national championships (the President’s Cup) in 2018 and 2019.

He became a grandmaster, the highest title attainable in chess, in 2013 at 20 years old. He has been playing for the team for 3½ years.

He has been on a winning streak since December.

“I don’t know what, but something changed in my life,” Belous said. “I [had a] super bad year, so I didn’t win, like, almost anything except in individual tournaments, but for UTRGV I played very well. So, this losing streak ended, thank God, and I started to study more and to spend more time playing chess and, yes, I managed to, like, from December to February, I won almost all my tournaments.”

During this period, Belous played in five tournaments and placed first in four: the Cardinal Open in Columbus, Ohio; the Golden State Open in Concord, California;  the ACC Club Championship in Austin; and the Los Angeles City College Winter Norm.

Asked what his mentality is like while playing chess Belous replied, “Usually I try to maybe even, like, kind of, get myself a little bit angry and aggressive, so it’s kind of opposite like in real life. It’s better if you are [a] nice person, you are friendly, but on the board, you have to behave different, like it’s a game. You have to trick your opponents. So, it’s not the right place to be nice.”

Belous said he practices at least two hours each day to get to the level that he is at. To be elite, he said, it is ideal to play eight hours a day. However, too much practice can be harmful as well, according to Belous.

“Vladimir is a player who is able to trick opponents, set traps, but not simple traps, invisible traps,” Macieja said. “He plays very dynamic chess, which I like. He’s self-confident making moves and he has very good fighting spirit, so he always wants to perform at his best and I think these are some of his best characteristics.”

Macieja describes Belous as an offensive player who gains confidence through his momentum.

“I think what Vladimir does is he fully concentrates on tournaments, especially if he plays well,” he said. “So, with every won game, he becomes more and more dangerous.”

Asked if he had a lucky charm or ritual that he performs before games, Belous replied that he prepares by scoping out the competition ahead of time to become more confident.

Belous has some advice for players who are starting their chess careers.

“Play chess and enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a very good game. Maybe not, like not in [a] professional way because it is very difficult and it’s more difficult than it seems. … But, just to play for fun, it’s a very good game and it’s like gymnastics for your brain.”

Belous said chess is a small representation of real life and has taught him many lessons that he can apply both on and off the board.

“I mean, there are some pluses and minuses,” he said. “But, there are many pluses. For instance, chess is like a small representation of real life, so if I made a mistake in chess and I analyze my game … I will try not to repeat the same mistake again.”

In Fall 2020, Belous plans to graduate and then pursue a master’s degree in accounting.