Chess Team’s Season Ends in Close President’s Cup Competition

The University of Texas at Dallas hosted a remarkably close President’s Cup on April 5 and 6 that featured tense matchups among the four top collegiate chess programs in the nation. In the end, the UT Dallas chess team could not quite overcome its opponents and finished in fourth place.

UT Dallas accumulated four points from two wins — one each for graduate student Andrei Macovei and freshman Aditya Samant — and four draws. Webster University and UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) each earned seven points, while Saint Louis University scored six.

Webster and UTRGV were named co-champions, although Webster took home the first-place trophy by virtue of the first tiebreaker — having won two team matches compared to UTRGV’s one.

“I knew this would be a tough field, but I really believed in our team and hoped for a top-two finish,” said Grandmaster Julio Catalino Sadorra BS’13, chess program director and a former player at UTD. “We’ve had promising results at team events throughout the season, and we did our best to prepare them for this event. I’m really proud of our players’ efforts, and I’m excited to write the next chapter of our program.”

The seven points out of a possible 12 earned by the champions equals the lowest winning score in President’s Cup history, and the margin of three points from first to fourth is the second-smallest ever in the competition.

“One factor that makes this tournament different from others is that game points, not match points, matter,” Sadorra said. “Game points mean that every board matters at every moment. In that way, it’s more like an individual tournament, though you’re still playing alongside your teammates. Also, it’s only three rounds, shorter than any other tournament we play in. There’s no opportunity to warm up — you’re straight into the deep end, and every moment is high pressure.”

The UT Dallas roster will undergo significant turnover this summer, with Macovei and senior Ivan Schitco among the departures. Sadorra is optimistic that the program can build future lineups around Samant and fellow freshman Yair Parkhov. Now serving as the chess program director after Jim Stallings’ retirement, Sadorra said he is working urgently to position the team well for next season.

“Despite the tough result at this tournament, I’m grateful for the support of our leadership and people in this university who respect our chess culture. I’m invigorated and looking forward to planning for the next season,” Sadorra said. “My team and I are willing and ready to spread the word about the opportunity we offer to young, strong grandmasters willing to combine academics and chess.”

The team’s highlights this season included first-place finishes at the 2024 Southwest Open for Parkhov, Samant, junior Karolis Juksta and David Brodsky BS’24; a team victory at the 2025 Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup against an international online field; and January’s second-place finish at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship that earned the Comets a record 20th appearance in the President’s Cup.