The UTD Chess A Team secured first place at the fifth annual Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup on Feb. 1, beating 110 other teams across 25 different countries in the tournament.
The team consisted of four players: Grandmaster Ivan Schitco, GM Aditya Samant, GM Rahul Srivastava Peddi and Vignesh Anand. Each dominated their respective matches and contributed to UTD’s stellar performance in the nine-round rapid-style event. The prize for first place is spending a day with former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov.
The team spent about two weeks preparing for the tournament. While the players had already been training for their other spring tournaments, such as the Pan-American Collegiate Championship they played in early January, they spent the time leading up to KCF tailoring their practice to the fast-paced online format of the event. Schitco and Peddi said that online chess introduces different variables to the game that players must account for. Playing over a screen removes the physiological aspects of a chess game; factors like mouse speed can impact the game and shake up the playing field for even the most seasoned players.
“Getting better and better, you have to be addicted to that,” Schitco said. “It’s good to be competitive in life.”
The first time this team participated in the Kasparov Chess Foundation cup, they reached the finals but ended up in second place following the tiebreaker. This year, they found themselves in a similar position, facing off in the finals against the team from Gunadarma University in Indonesia. The event came down to third board player Peddi, who was the one to play in the tiebreaker. Throughout the two-day tournament, Peddi had won in every one of his matches, apart from two draws. He continued that streak into the finals, playing a stellar game with no mistakes and bringing home the first-place title.
“I pretty much crushed him,” Peddi said. “It turned out to be a good day.”
UTD’s win streak at the event did not stop with Team A’s first-place win. Teams B and C finished second place in their respective categories, showcasing the university’s chess excellence across the board. The layers were extremely excited about the opportunity to meet and learn from Kasparov, the tournament’s founder.
“I’m so excited to have a conversation with Garry Kasparov,” Peddi said. “He’s one of the greatest [players] ever, and with this event prize, that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to.”
With this win, UTD continues to dominate the collegiate chess world as one of the best schools in the country. According to Schitco, part of that success comes from all the players working well together.
“I would like to give a huge shoutout to my team, they did an amazing job this year,” Schitco said. “We had great team chemistry, and everyone did great.”