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About Chess Program
3-time National Champions
Chess has been an important part of our university, and has acted as a metaphor of the vast human potential that our region holds. Chess Team successfully competes in tournaments at the state, national and international level, under the leadership of Chess Coach (Grandmaster) Bartek Macieja with support of Program Manager Colt Smith-Munoz.
UTRGV won three US National Collegiate Chess Championships (Final Four Tournaments), in 2018, 2019, and 2021. In 2018 and 2019, UTRGV was named "The Chess College of the Year" by the US Chess Federation. In recognition of the success, Chess Team was invited to the Texas Capitol in Austin, and honored by the State Governor, the Senate, and the House of Representatives: Watch the video .
Not only did UTRGV succeeded nationally, but it also dominated world collegiate chess. In 2021, UTRGV finished first in team classification of the World University Blitz Chess Championship. In 2021, 2022, and 2024 UTRGV won the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup (the most prestigious worldwide collegiate tournament). In Spring 2022, UTRGV won the Collegiate Chess League (the biggest collegiate tournament in the world).
Chess Program organizes local and international tournaments, holds camps, trains area coaches, and presents community outreach chess classes for local community members on a regular basis, particularly through Chess Academy. Finally, Chess Program supports Chess Club - a student organization serving dozens of chess enthusiasts.