Exciting Results from the Collegiate Chess League (CCL) Playoffs: UTRGV Dominates, Lviv Advances

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) made a strong statement in the Collegiate Chess League (CCL) playoffs as they dominated against the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) with a score of 10.5-1.5. Despite Athens entering the playoffs with a better regular season record, UTRGV showed their prowess by reaching the 8.5 points needed for victory in just three rounds of matches.

UTRGV, the reigning champions from the spring of 2022, faced a tough regular season this year after losing GM Viktor Gazik to Saint Louis University in the offseason. However, they managed to secure a spot in the playoffs with a must-win performance last week. Led by GM Jose Cardoso and GM Gleb Dudin, UTRGV showcased their strength with perfect 3-0 scores from Dudin and IM Jakub Fus.

On the other side, Lviv State University of Physical Culture advanced past the SRM Institute Of Science And Technology with a score of 9.5-6.5. Despite SRM’s strong regular season performance, Lviv’s lineup of GMs Igor Kovalenko and Martyn Kravtsiv, along with untitled players Svyatoslav Voloshchuk and Rotislav Goncharenko, proved to be a formidable opponent.

UTRGV and Lviv will now advance to the semifinals of the CCL playoffs, where they will face tough competition against Saint Louis University and University of Missouri-Columbia, respectively. The playoffs will continue on Friday, March 21, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. (Saturday) IST.

The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students, featuring top talents from universities around the world. Stay tuned for more exciting matches and updates as the playoffs progress.