
SLU, Mizzou Win To Set Up Rematch In Finals
In last season's Collegiate Chess League (CCL) finals, the University of Missouri (Mizzou) defeated St. Louis University (SLU) in a tight match. There were some adventures along the way, but both teams have worked their way back to the Collegiate Chess League Spring 2025 Finals, setting up a big match next week.
The Finals take place on Saturday, March 29, starting at 2:00 p.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 11:30 p.m. IST.
Collegiate Chess League Division 1 — Spring 2025 Playoff Bracket

SLU Escapes Against UTRGV 11-9
SLU has a perfect score this season and most commentators expected them to reach the finals without difficulty. SLU has an all-GM lineup of of GMs Aryan Chopra, Viktor Gazik, Robby Kevlishvili, and Emin Ohanyan. UTRGV brought a strong lineup as well, with GMs Jose Cardoso, Gleb Dudin, and Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, as well as IM Ekin Baris Ozenir.
UTRGV got off to a good start, winning the first round by a point, thanks to a tactical win by Dudin. In the next two rounds, both teams traded blows, and they reached the final round tied at 6 points each. That round saw a massive struggle, with a shot at the Finals on the line. Kevlishvili won to give SLU a lead, but Rodrigue-Lemieux helped UTRGV strike back to force a playoff!
The 8-8 tie in regulation set up a four-game sudden-death playoff. Ohanyan won to give SLU the lead and then the critical game was a wild time scramble between Dudin and Chopra.
Mizzou advances against Lviv: 12.5 - 3.5
The University of Missouri - Columbia, didn't have the same stress as SLU on their way to a finals rematch. Their all-GM lineup of Aryan Tari, Mikhail Antipov, Luka Budisavljevic, and Isik Can had no trouble with their lower-rated opponents from the Lviv State University Of Physical Culture. Lviv ran their normal lineup of two GMs, Igor Kovalenko and Martyn Kravtsiv, along with the untitled players Svyatoslav Voloshchuk and Rotislav Goncharenko.
Last week Goncharenko scored a key upset to help the team advance, but against four grandmasters, the untitled players from Lviv were unable to score. That put a lot of pressure on Kovalenko and Kravtsiv to play perfectly. Kovalenko responded with strong games like this attacking masterpiece against Tari.
The star of the match was Mikhail Antipov, who scored a perfect 4-0. Against Lviv's GMs he came back from dubious positions in both games. His escape against Kravtsiv was particularly shocking. White dominated the whole game, but couldn't find the killer blow in time pressure.
Tune back in next Saturday for the Finals!
You can check out the match between SLU and UTRGV along with a battle between Yale and Clemson here:
The live broadcast was hosted by GM Benjamin Bok and JulesGambit.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students.
Previous coverage:
- Quarterfinals: Texas And Lviv Advance To The Semifinals
- Week 7: Rio Grand Valley Edges Lviv State University In Tense Match
- Week 6: SLU Defeats Mizzou To Remain Unbeaten
- Week 5: SLU Handles Yale
- Week 4: Mizzou Sweeps First Round On Way To Victory: CCL Week 4
- Week 3: Saint Louis Wins Clash Of Leaders To Reach 3/3
- Week 2: Saint Louis Leads With SRM On 2/2, Athens Scores 1st Win
- Week 1: Missouri Settles the Score vs. Virginia, SLU Inches Ahead of Athens
- Collegiate Chess League Spring 2025 Registration