The Saint Louis and Webster College groups ascended to the highest of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) leaderboard after successful their second-week matchups in contrasting types. SLU relished a landslide 15-1 victory over the Prague College of Economics and Enterprise (PUEB) through which three gamers, GMs Nikolas Theodorou, Benjamin Bok, and Dambasuren Batsuren all scored 4/4.

Webster, who is taken into account one of many favorites to complete first this season, required additional time to knock over the College of Texas Rio Grande Valley and gained 10.5-9.5, courtesy of a 4.5/5 efficiency from GM Yasser Quesada Perez.

The CCL will take a one-week break subsequent week earlier than persevering with on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.

Collegiate Chess League – Week 2 Standings

File-Breaking Riot: SLU 15-1 PUEB

SLU picked up proper the place they left off in week one with one other commanding match win, this time serving up a near-perfect efficiency in opposition to their European opponents, PUEB. Commentator WFM Anna Cramling steered after the 15-1 drubbing that SLU is perhaps on observe to defend their 2023 crown, labeling them as “future winners”.

Boasting a crew of 4 GMs, the largest shock within the first spherical was not the three.5-0.5 scoreline, however the Herculean effort by PUEB’s FM Marek Karas to carry GM Robby Kevlishvili to a draw whereas below severe time stress.

Mutual middlegame magic by Kevlishvili and his second-round opponent FM Petr Hollan led to the one different blip on SLU’s scorecard as they nearly wrapped up the match after two rounds.

For SLU’s prime two gamers, Theodorou and Bok, the match virtually appeared like a contest between the 2 to see who may rack up essentially the most sensible strikes. Deciding on a pièce de résistance among the many finest strikes was a tough activity and so, we might love to listen to which transfer you loved essentially the most out of the next two…

Whereas SLU’s best challenges are in entrance of them, particularly the well-known Webster chess crew and UTRGV, they’ve actually introduced their title protection in type. Cramling additional highlighted this, stating: “The entire crew simply seems to be so organized, so coordinated and so sturdy, each single one among them.”

Shut Name: Webster 10.5-9.5 UTRGV

The second match of the day panned out utterly in another way from the primary, coming proper right down to the wire. That includes GMs Aram Hakobyan, Harsha Bharathakoti, Perez, and IM Anna Sargsyan, Webster’s crew is among the strongest on paper nevertheless subsequent to UTRGV’s two GM and two IM lineup, additional time being required to supply a winner was not shocking.

A 2-2 attract spherical one kicked off the match, with Perez and GM Viktor Gazik main the way in which with easy wins for his or her respective groups. Gazik, who had a tough begin to the season, seemed proper at dwelling on the black facet of an Alekhine’s Protection: Change Variation and outplayed Webster’s board 4.

2-2 was the rating as soon as once more within the second spherical and this time 4 decisive outcomes occurred. The important thing sport for UTRGV was on board one, the place IM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux upset Hakobyan in a wild Caro-Kann Protection.

Because the rounds flew by, the gamers turned extra determined to struggle for wins and the chess, in flip, took an uncommon flip. Perez benefitted essentially the most from the unorthodox positions that arose and even managed to defeat Gazik after putting his king on d7 within the opening.

Anna: “What is that this king doing on d7? That’s the query of the yr!”#CCL pic.twitter.com/2AGR5T6JJD

— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) January 27, 2024

Webster and UTRGV fought tooth and nail in rounds three and 4 however each wound up on 8-8 on the finish of the regulation rounds. With Perez firing on all cylinders for Webster and Rodrigue-Lemieux holding tempo, the match ultimately got here right down to the showdown between Gazik and Hakobyan on board one.

Whereas Gazik was in a position to construct an early benefit with White within the Scotch Recreation: Schmidt Variation, Hakobyan muddied the waters and ultimately got here out on prime. Our Recreation of the Day, analyzed by GM Dejan Bojkov, will probably be added shortly.

After two weeks of play, solely three groups stay unbeaten; SLU, Webster, and the College of Missouri. With a $25,000 prize fund bragging rights on the road, anticipate to see a few of the highest high quality school chess performed over the subsequent few months.

The Collegiate Chess League is the premier on-line chess competitors for school college students. The 2024 CCL Spring Season is a crew occasion beginning January 20 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST and that includes a $25,000 prize fund.

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