Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers Packed With Black And Gold Pride
What’s black and yellow and going to the postseason? The Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers, of course! The PRO Chess League is proud to welcome with this introduction to the team from manager, Isaac Steincamp.
Home to one of the oldest chess leagues in the United States, Pittsburgh is loaded with a mix of young talent and experienced players and is ready to show that it fields not just the best team in Pennsylvania, but the most underrated team going into the 2017 PRO Chess League season.
In a city that features an active chess rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers will see these two schools come together, putting together the strongest ever line-up fielded by the Steel City.
Alongside the city’s best collegiate players, U.S. Chess Hall of Famer and four-time U.S. Chess Champion GM Alexander Shabalov will be a regularly featured weapon in the Pawngrabbers’ line-up. Backed by free agent and famous video author GM Eugene Perelshteyn, as well as local talent FM Gabriel Petesch, Pittsburgh is primed to make some noise this season.
Having Shabalov on roster makes Pittsburgh a formidable opponent in the Red Division.
To be a Pawngrabber, one must have nerves of steel, and that’s exactly what the heart of this team offers in NMs Grant Xu, Alex Heimann, Hibiki Sakai, and Tom Riccardi. Grant is the reigning two-time Pennsylvania state champion, and at a near 2400 USCF rating, his unpredictable opening repertoire can catch anyone off guard! Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh senior Hibiki recently just upset his first grandmaster in the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships in New Orleans in just 30 moves!
General managers and experts Beilin Li and Isaac Steincamp close out the team. Those names ring a bell? Isaac and Beilin (and Grant!) are regular contributors for Chess^Summit, the official sponsor of the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers. Chess^Summit will be sharing articles and games from Pittsburgh players throughout the season, so make sure to keep up at chesssummit.com!
If you’re looking for a team that loves its fans, the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers are the team for you! Make sure to use the hashtag #nervesofsteel on Twitter to show your support for the black and gold.
Looking for a @PROChessLeague team? Tweet at us using #nervesofsteel to nominate yourself as a FA for our next match! We might pick you!
— PGH Pawngrabbers (@pghpawngrabbers) December 25, 2016
Here’s to a great PRO Chess League season, and to an even better one for the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers.
The PRO Chess League welcomes the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers!
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