Collegiate Chess League: Spring 2023 Midseason Recap
March Madness is here! Did you miss the start of the Collegiate Chess League (CCL), or want to relive the best moments so far? We’ve got you covered with this CCL mid-season recap:
- Don’t Mess With Texas
- Deep Dish Pizza Powers UChicago
- Buzzer Beaters In The Valley
- Big Man On Campus??
- Awonder Does A Triple Lindy
Don't Mess With Texas
Here’s something really cool you didn’t even know about. The Lonestar state is a chess hotbed.
Defending champions UT Rio Grande Valley are looking to go back-to-back. They haven’t missed a beat handing the University of Windsor a sobering defeat (12.5-3.5) in round one.
But hold your horses! UT Dallas joins the CCL for the first time this year. Their sponsorship team has a line-up full of studs. In Round 1, they smoked the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9.5-6.5. And in Round 3, they put down the Yale Bulldogs 9.5-6.5.
Both teams remain undefeated through 5 rounds. On March 18, they drew each other in a duel of potential unbeatens in the final round of the regular season. We'll find out which team has the quicker mouse.
Deep Dish Pizza Powers UChicago
Which pizza is better: Chicago deep dish or New York style? Like 1.e4 and 1.d4, each has its ardent supporters. For chess enthusiasts, CCL may have tipped the scales.
UChicago remains undefeated, but it hasn’t been easy. In round one, they defeated crosstown rivals Northwestern 9-7. In Round 3, they managed to tame the Mizzou Tigers in a tense 8.5-7.5 finish.
It’s a good thing UChicago was packing extra carbs from the deep dish pizza. They needed every calorie of energy to propel them in these hard-fought matches. In round six this weekend, UChicago has a big match against undefeated Saint Louis.
Buzzer Beaters In The Valley
Fortunately, the Mayo Clinic is close to Tempe because ASU loves giving their fans a heart attack. First, ASU chess won an overtime thriller 11-9 against UC San Diego in round one.
Then last week, ASU men’s basketball tried to one-up the chess team by draining a 60-foot buzzer-beater to beat archrival Arizona. It’s good to know that both teams can handle the heat!
Big Man On Campus??
Brodie McIntyre, SIUE captain and top board, has swag. After all, Brodie represents his school in Chess.com’s College Ambassador Program.
I fully and completely intend on going undefeated as an individual in the Collegiate Chess spring 2023 season.
— Brodie McIntyre (January 17, 2023)
Unfortunately for Brodie, he wiped out in game one before he even caught a wave.
Awonder Does A Triple Lindy
Rodney Dangerfield didn’t get no respect, but at least his character Thornton Mellon did in the final scene of Back to School. See his brilliant dive, the Triple Lindy, as you've never seen it before (or for the first time if you're still in college):
Everyone respects GM Awonder Liang. The American prodigy won the 2017 U.S. Junior Closed Chess Championship and is the top board for UChicago. Can you find Awonder's brilliant dive move against GM Grigoriy Oparin that earned him the game of the year so far?
The Collegiate Chess League (CCL) returned for the 2022-2023 academic year in partnership with NACE Starleague, the largest collegiate esports league in North America. The Spring 2023 season features a $30,000 prize pool and gives college students of all skill levels the opportunity to participate and represent their schools in the ultimate chess competition for college students.
Visit NACE's official website for the complete list of teams, pairings, results, and standings.
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