The semifinalists for the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) have been determined after The College of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) staved off a late comeback towards the Nationwide Technical College of Athens, whereas The College of Missouri (Mizzou) stormed to a 10-6 victory over the College of Texas Dallas (UT Dallas).
GMs Gleb Dudin (3/4) and Raja Harshit (3.5/4) have been the heroes for his or her respective groups and with these outcomes, UTRGV will conflict with Webster College and Mizzou will face Saint Louis College (SLU) to determine who will undergo to the grand closing.
The CCL semifinals will happen on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.
Collegiate Chess League Playoffs – Standings
Comeback Falls Quick: UTRGV 8.5-7.5 Athens
UTRGV, who had a mediocre displaying within the common season relative to their lofty requirements started their finals marketing campaign in type with a 4-0 match-one victory over Athens. Exhibiting indicators of nice kind, UTRGV’s board two Dudin capped off the spherical with a puzzle-worthy end for the followers!
With GMs Dudin and Viktor Gazik choosing up wins shortly within the second spherical, Athens’s hopes of enjoying within the semifinals of their first CCL season appeared to be happening in flames. This match would have just a few twists but although as Athens managed to attain 1.5/2 on the remaining boards, courtesy of a Dimitris Alexakis IM win over IM Ekin Ozenir and a draw between GM Andreas Kelires and IM Juraj Druska.
Already inside two factors of claiming the match, UTRGV have been nonetheless the agency favorites going into spherical three however then, the unthinkable occurred. With their backs towards the wall, Athens mounted a comeback of epic proportions. Splitting the factors 1.5-1.5 in spherical three, the ultimate recreation between Gazik and Alexakis would decide Athens’s destiny.Â
Up the change, UTRGV’s board one opted to play for the win, a call he would later rue following a blunder in time strain on the forty eighth transfer. Assured that he might nonetheless draw the knight and pawn vs. two-pawn ending, Gazik blitzed out strikes together with the faulty 59…Ke5??, which gifted the Athens board two the win.
this was completely insane pic.twitter.com/pkjE2IhhZX
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) March 16, 2024
With the scores poised at 8-4, Athens would have wanted a 4-0 miracle to tie up the match and although they finally got here up one level brief, the comeback was virtually “essentially the most historic” within the historical past of the league. Ultimately, a board one draw between Gazik and Kelires proved decisive within the match, with Kelires taking a repetition maybe doubting that his staff could be able to a sweep.
For UTRGV, whom Bok sees as one of many high contenders for the 2024 CCL season the match was a blended bag. Whereas Dudin’s efficiency was a spotlight, consistency throughout all 4 rounds might be a necessity in the event that they need to overcome their powerhouse semifinal opponent, Webster College.
Harshit Stars: Mizzou 10-6 UT Dallas
Workforce Mizzou has had a gold-or-nothing strategy this season and the prospect of a matchup with their state rivals SLU within the semifinals appeared to spur on the four-GM staff on Saturday. For UT Dallas, who have been the runners-up within the 2023 season, this was a possibility to avenge their 11-5 loss by the hands of Mizzou in week two of the common season.
A 2-2 tie to kick off the match was the right curtain-raiser for the conflict and the brutal nature of chess was on full show as UT Dallas’ GM Ivan Schitco performed with 92.6% accuracy but nonetheless managed to lose after a single mistake.
The dynamic duo of Oparin and Antipov helped Mizzou draw back within the second spherical, the latter’s win over IM Andrei Macovei got here after Black allowed White to seize en passant, leaving too many weaknesses for Antipov to focus on.
A testomony to the depth of Mizzou’s CCL staff this 12 months, Harshit, who in a post-match interview advised Lee and Bok that “the King’s Gambit” is one among his favourite openings, completed on 3.5/4, the very best on his staff.
you already know we’re anticipating to see this from you now, proper, Harshit? pic.twitter.com/vz2MX1d0Gu
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) March 16, 2024
With the scores matching the day’s earlier match after two rounds, UT Dallas felt bullish about their possibilities of a comeback nonetheless Mizzou continued to play persistently in rounds three and 4, quashing any hope of a Texan resurgence.
10-6 was the ultimate rating between the 2 groups and when all was stated and achieved, one recreation stood tall above the remaining. Our Recreation of the Day, which was a Sicilian Protection: Freak Assault that featured two good strikes, has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao and might be added quickly.
Due to their victory, Mizzou will go on to face SLU in a grudge match between the groups. Bok vehemently backs his Saint Louis comrades as “the favorites” though a Mizzou staff stacked with gamers like Harshit, Oparin, and Antipov, who’re firing on all cylinders, ought to come right down to the wire.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier on-line chess competitors for faculty college students. The 2024 CCL Spring Season is a staff 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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