GM-Elect Rodrigue-Lemieux Leads UTRGV To Victory, SLU Progresses To Semifinals

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and Saint Louis University (SLU) both won their quarterfinal playoff matches in the 2023 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) fall season on Saturday by hefty margins, owing to standout performances by GM-elect Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, as well as GMs Benjamin Bok and Robby Kevlishvili.

UTRGV overcame a GM Nicholas Checa-led Yale University team by a margin of 12-4 while SLU scored half a point better against Columbia University (CU).

The top four teams in the competition will play for a grand final spot and a shot at the $5,000 first place prize on November 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 19:00 CET / 11.30 p.m. IST. 

• UTRGV 12 - 4 Yale
• SLU 12.5 - 3.5 CU

Following the seven-week single round-robin that determined the top six finalists in division one, the top two teams—The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) and the University of Missouri (Mizzou)—received a rest week as the remaining four duked it out for a semifinals spot.

With all four teams fielding full-strength lineups, SLU's team looked the surest on paper to confirm their qualification. Benefitting from Bok's return, the powerhouse team had four GMs on their squad on Saturday compared to CU's one (GM Brandon Jacobson).

UTRGV 12 - 4 Yale

UTRGV's team is the most balanced on paper in the CCL this season and with only 70 rating points separating their boards one and four, every member is a dangerous one.

Yale, on the other hand, is spearheaded by Checa on board one and has NMs Linden Lee and Siddharth Arun flanking the dangerous Maxim Yaskolko on board three.

A 2-2 draw out of the gates transpired between the two teams and, notably, it was a 4-0 sweep for the black pieces. IM Gleb Dudin's victory over Yaskolko was perhaps the most impressive as he carved a hole in his opponent's kingside in a Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation.

Our Game of the Day has been annotated by GM Rafael Leitao.

Round two is where the match opened up, and a 4-0 demolition by UTRGV placed Yale on the cusp of elimination. Even Yale's board-one Checa, who possesses a FIDE rating of 2517, was dispatched by IM Jakub Fus after trying to set up an endgame fortress.

The top scorer for UTRGV, though, was Rodrigue-Lemieux, who registered a 3.5/4 score on Saturday. As one of the standouts for his team in the round-robin stage (9/12), the Canadian was able to outplay each of his opponents in the quarterfinals and guide his team to victory.

Dual 3-1 wins in the third and fourth rounds secured UTRGV's spot in the semifinals where they will face UT Dallas in a state derby. 

SLU 12.5 - 3.5 CU

Hoping to forget their round-seven drubbing at the hands of Mizzou, SLU started cautiously and won their opening round by a score of 2.5-1.5.

In ominous signs, SLU's GM Nikolas Theodorou was shockingly upset by the untitled Ze Wang, who walked his a-pawn up the board and punished his opponent for taking a laissez-faire approach to the game.

CU's board two, FM Aristo Liu, has played an important role in his university's team throughout the season; however, in the quarterfinals, he experienced the full force of SLU's lineup and lost each of his games.

In round two, it was GM Batsuren Dambasuren who dished out a stark reminder of why SLU is one of the favorites to win the whole tournament.

Having scored 3.5-0.5 in this round, SLU found themselves firmly in the box seat with a 6-2 margin and kept the momentum rolling into round three. A 3-1 score consisting of two wins and two draws was enough to get the job done for SLU, and sadly Jacobson was unable to crack Bok and mount a comeback after winning an exchange for a pawn.

Flexing their borderline impervious squad, SLU rubbed salt into the wounds of CU's team in the final round, notching a 3.5-0.5 score with only Jacobson able to hold out Theodorou. For SLU, the 12.5-3.5 result was a welcome return to the form that had seen them ascend to the top of the competition standings early in the season. 

Bok holds his team to a high standard: "We will have to play better next week." 

Their greatest test yet, though, will come in next week's semifinals, where a rematch with Mizzou will ultimately determine their fate in the competition. 

Interestingly, both semifinal matchups in the CCL will see teams from the same states (Texas and Missouri) play against each other meaning that a Texas-Missouri grand final is guaranteed.

Games from the CCL quarterfinals can be found here.

The CCL is the world's premier online chess competition for college students and this season, it is a team event that features a $25,000 prize fund thanks to tournament sponsor SIG. With 5+2 games making up the bulk of the season, expect to see plenty of excitement on the board.

Previous reports:

• Mizzou, UT Dallas Lead Ahead Of Playoffs & SIG Predictions Challenge Is Here
• SLU Defeat UT Dallas In Triple Overtime
• GM-Slayer Lee Leads Yale To Upset Over Mizzou
• Faultless Theodorou Cements Top Spot For SLU, UTRGV Conquers Yale
• UTD Defeats Mizzou In Top-Of-Table Clash, Liang Thrills For UChicago
• Antipov Perfect In Mizzou's Dominant Victory Over UChicago
• Bok, Oparin Star As 2023 Collegiate Chess League Launches
• Major Boost For Collegiate Chess League As SIG Signs For New Season
• Register For The Collegiate Chess League Fall 2023 Season