Saint Louis B Team Stages Last-Round Comeback, Arizona State Outscores Northwestern
Saint Louis B and Arizona State were victorious in week six of Division II of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) Fall Season. Trailing by a point as they entered the final round, the SLU B team struck back with three critical victories. Perfect scores by Paris Prestia and Asish Panda carried Arizona State to outscore Northwestern by nearly double the points.
The CCL regular season concludes with week seven on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/12:30 a.m. IST.
Division II - Week 6 Standings
In the penultimate week of the regular season, we take a glimpse into the heated competition between four teams in Division II.
- Dual Perfect Streaks by Prestia, Panda: Northwestern 5.5-10.5 Arizona State
- SLU B Comes Back in Last Round: Florida 7.5-8.5 Saint Louis
Dual Perfect Streaks by Prestia, Panda: Northwestern 5.5-10.5 Arizona State
With the rating edge on every board―often by over 200 points―Arizona State was the heavy favorite.
Midway through round one, the underdogs took the lead with wins for Northwestern by FM Milind Maiti and Elijah Platnick. With the pressure on, Arizona State's top boards, Prestia and Panda, leveled out the score to 2-2. Panda fought back from a worse position by sacrificing a pawn to activate his bishop.
Arizona State took over a two-point lead in the next round. Prestia came through vs. Nicholas Bruha in a time-scramble knight ending.
In round three, Arizona State increased their lead to four points with wins by their top-three boards. Panda came back in a pawn-down ending by weaving a mating net around the unsuspecting enemy king.
Entering the final round, Arizona State was just a half point from winning the match, putting Northwestern in a must-win position on every single board. Early in the round, Prestia gained the upper hand by snatching a pawn with an opening trap vs. Maiti.
Prestia's win sealed victory for Arizona State. With a win by Panda and draw for Liam Sauve, they achieved a 10.5-5.5 final score.
SLU B Comes Back in Last Round: Florida 7.5-8.5 Saint Louis
While the Saint Louis A Team are the CCL reigning champions, this match was an opportunity to see their B team in action. With a close matchup in ratings, this duel could go either way.
Saint Louis began by gaining a 3-1 lead. Hemachandra Rambha gained a commanding position vs. Vincent Stone by setting up an intrusive knight on the d6-outpost and then swung his queen in for the kill.
In round two, Florida fought back with blood in their eyes, scoring a 3-1 comeback to tie up the match. Ralph Tan was the only victor for SLU, spotting a satisfying tactical sequence vs. Sherwood Dong. Can you find it?
White to move.
Florida seized a one-point lead in round three. Marvin Gao gradually outplayed Tan in the ending, winning after 82 moves.
Trailing by a point in the final round, Saint Louis gave it their all. Nicholas Ladan and Rambha each won in 25 moves, bringing the score to 7.5―one point away from victory. It was SLU's fourth board, Matthew Pikus, who clinched the match with a mating attack vs. Dong. Pikus's victory is our Game of the Day, with analysis by GM Rafael Leitao below.
After hearing that SLU B could still make the playoffs if they won their last match, Pikus predicted: "Oh dear god, we’re doing it. We’re going to go 16-0, murder them."
We’re going to go 16-0, murder them.
—Matthew Pikus
In week seven, we will see Division I close out the regular season. The Saint Louis A team will face top-rated Missouri. Virginia will get their chance to mar SRM's lead on the field.
You can watch the 2024 Collegiate Chess League presented by Susquehanna on Chess.com/TV. You can also enjoy the show on our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/ChesscomLive. Games from the event can be viewed on our events page.
The live broadcast was hosted by GM Benjamin Bok and Jules Gambit.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. The 2024 CCL Fall Season is a team event that started September 28 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST and features a $25,000 prize fund.
Freshman and Sophomores, Susquehanna's 'Discovery Days' could be your chance to explore what a career in quantitative trading and finance looks like! Apply now for virtual and Philly spots (travel included): https://careers.sig.com/us-discovery-days
Previous reports:
- Saint Louis Overcomes Yale in Shocking Finish, SRM Still Perfect
- SRM Reaches Perfect 4/4, Saint Louis Bounces Back
- Newcomers Take Down 4-Time Champions, Team Spirit Carries Athens To Victory
- Missouri Unleashes 'Star Recruit' Tari In Win Over Athens
- Virginia Upsets Top-Seeded Missouri, Saint Louis Defeats Athens
- Registrations Are Open For The Collegiate Chess League Fall 2024 Season
Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
