The UT Dallas Chess Team captured first place in both the team and individual categories in the 14th Annual Texas State College Championship at UT Brownsville last weekend.
The competition featured 36 players, including individuals from UT Brownsville (UTB), UT Dallas and Texas Tech University. The field included five Grandmasters (GM), seven International Masters (IM), one Woman Grandmaster and one Woman International Master.
In the closing round, UT Dallas edged out UTB to win by half a point. The final team standings were:
- UT Dallas (12 points).
- UT Brownsville (11 ½ points).
- Texas Tech (11 points).
“Our team showed great fighting spirit in the last round for a come-from-behind victory,” said Chess Program Director Jim Stallings. “Going into that round, UTB led with 10 points; UT Dallas was tied with Tech at 9 points each. Our top players all won their games to bring us into first place.”
In his first appearance at the state championship, IM Sal Bercys took first place individually with four wins and one draw. He played two grandmasters during the contest and beat both.
“My individual win became apparent during my last game against UTB,” said Bercys. “I saw my opponent overlook some things, turning a potential loss to a win in what we call a ‘swindle.’ ”
UT Dallas has taken first place in eight of its 12 appearances at the Texas State College Championship.
“It was good to see our in-state rivals,” said Bercys. “It’s always nice to see how the competition is playing.”
The team’s next competitive outing will be at the 2010 Grandmaster Invitational, Dec. 16-21, at the Hyatt Regency in Richardson.