Fall 2026 UTRGV Chess Team Roster

• Curriculum Vitae

---

Head Coach & Director of Chess Grandmaster
Chess Program
Email: bartek.macieja@utrgv.edu
Casa Bella 633
Phone: (956) 882-5761

Hiring now

---

Program Manager - hiring now
Chess Program
Casa Bella 633

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Junior
• Program: Psychology
• College: Liberal Arts
• Department: Psychological Science
• Major: Psychology
  
• USCF: 2646
• FIDE: 2574
• Title: Grandmaster
• Hometown: Moscow, Russia

---

Grandmaster
Email: gleb.dudin01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Senior
• Program: Biomedical Sciences
• College: Health Professions
• Department: Health and Biomedical Sciences
• Major: Biomedical Sciences
• USCF: 2529
• FIDE: 2516
• Title: Grandmaster
• Hometown: Montreal, Canada

---

Grandmaster
Email: shawn.rodriguelemieux01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Freshman
• Program: Business Administration
• College: Business and Entrepreneurship
• Department: Marketing
• Major: Marketing
• USCF: 2578
• FIDE: 2524
• Title: Grandmaster
• Hometown: Cali, Colombia

---

Grandmaster
Email: jose.cardoso01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Freshman
• Program: Computer Engineering
• College: Engineering and Computer Science
• Department: Electrical Engineering
• Major: Computer Engineering
• USCF: N/A
• FIDE: 2490
• Title: Grandmaster
• Hometown: Palmira, Colombia

---

Grandmaster
Email: santiago.avilapavas01@utrgv.edu

Freshman

---

International Master

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Senior
• Program: Psychology
• College: Liberal Arts
• Department: Psychological Science
• Major: Psychology
• USCF: 2514
• FIDE: 2442
• Title: International Master
• Hometown: Warsaw, Poland

---

International Master
Email: jakub.fus01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Senior
• Program: Computer Engineering
• College: Engineering and Computer Science
• Department: Electrical Engineering
• Major: Computer Engineering
• Minor: Applied Statistics and Data Science
• USCF: 2494
• FIDE: 2426
• Title: International Master
• Hometown: Mersin, Turkey

---

International Master
Email: ekinbaris.ozenir01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Junior
• Program: N/A
• College: N/A
• Department: N/A
• Major: N/A
• USCF: 2390
• FIDE: 2291
• Title: FIDE Master
• Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia

---

FIDE Master
Email: aziz.degenbaev01@utrgv.edu

---

Email: chess@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 882-5761

Senior

---

Email: maria.malicka01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Freshman
• Program: Pre Bachelors of Business Administration in Economics
• College: Business and Entrepreneurship
• Department: Department of Economics
• Major: Economics
• USCF: N/A
• FIDE: 2185
• Title: Woman FIDE Master
• Hometown: Jejkowice, Poland

---

Woman International Master
Email: martyna.starosta01@utrgv.edu

Freshman

---

Woman FIDE Master
Email: klara.szczotka01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Undergraduate
• Classification: Freshman
• Program: Business Administration
• College: Business and Entrepreneurship
• Department: Marketing
• Major: Marketing
• USCF: 2043
• FIDE: 1941
• Title: Woman FIDE Master
• Hometown: Tulua, Colombia

---

Woman FIDE Master
Email: manuela.hernandez01@utrgv.edu

• Level: Post Baccalaureate Undergrad
• Classification: Post Baccalaureate Undergrad
• Program: Mass Communication
  
• College: Liberal Arts 
• Department: Communication
  
• Major: Mass Communication
  
• Concentration: Broadcast
• USCF: 1979
• FIDE: 1903
• Title: Woman FIDE Master
• Hometown: Havana, Cuba

---

Woman FIDE Master
Email: rachel.palmeromartinez01@utrgv.edu