UTRGV Chess
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Chess Program [1] is one of the major chess organizations in the Rio Grande Valley and an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation (USCF). It consists of the Chess Team and Chess Club. The UTRGV Chess Club has approximately 100 members, which include grandmaster Anton Kovalyov, Andrey Stukopin, Carlos Hevia, Vladimir Belous, International Masters Felix Ynojosa, Guillermo Vazquez, Joshua Ruiz and Yannick Kambrath. The UTRGV Chess Team is coached by Polish grandmaster Bartłomiej Macieja. The Chess Club provides students ranging from beginner to expert a place for them to improve their game. UTRGV Chess competes at the state, national and international levels. They also help promote chess around local communities.
Organization
The UTRGV Chess Team faculty consist of Head Coach grandmaster Bartłomiej Macieja, Program Coordinator grandmaster Aleksander Miśta, and Dr. Douglas Stoves. The UTRGV Chess Club faculty consists of Dr. Nancy Razo and President Manuel Gonzalez.
History
UTRGV Chess was established August 31, 2015.
National championships

In 2018 the UTRGV Chess Team won its first national championship[2] defeating the 5-time reigning national champs Webster University.[3] In 2019, the UTRGV Chess Team successfully defended[4] its title to win once again.[5] In 2019, they also won the 2019 National Collegiate Rapid Chess Championship[6]
Awards and honors
Proclamation of the City of Brownsville, Texas	November, 2019[7]
 Chess College of the Year August, 2019
 The State of Texas Governor Recognition	May, 2019[8]
 The Texas State Senate Resolution	May, 2019[9]
 The Texas House of Representatives Resolution	May, 2019[10][11]
 UT Board of Regents Recognition	May, 2019
 Chess College of the Year	August, 2018
 Proclamation of the Hidalgo County	May, 2018
 Proclamation of the City of Brownsville, Texas	May, 2018
 Proclamation by City of Edinburg, Texas	April, 2018[12]
 Letter from Senator Ted Cruz	March, 2018[13]
 Letter from Congressman Vicente Gonzalez	January, 2018[14]
 Proclamation of The City Commission of Brownsville TX	Spring, 2016[15]
 The Texas House of Representatives Resolution	Fall, 2015[16]
 The Texas State Senate Proclamation 	Fall, 2015[17]
 The US Chess Federation named Brownsville as the 2014 Chess City of the Year	2014
 Accomplishments UTB - Legacy Institution	2002-2015[18] 
Team tournaments
| Name | Location | Date | Result | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Collegiate Super Finals | Richardson, TX | Oct 19–20, 2019 | 1st | 
| Chess President's Cup (Final Four) | New York, NY | Apr 6–7, 2019 | 1st | 
| U.S. Collegiate Blitz Chess Championship | St. Louis, MO | Mar 17, 2019 | 2nd | 
| U.S. Collegiate Rapid Chess Championship | St. Louis, MO | Mar 16, 2019 | 1st | 
| Southwest Collegiate Chess Championship | Plano, TX | Feb 23, 2019 | 1st | 
References
- ^ "UTRGV | Chess Program". Utrgv.edu. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ Kannappan, Priyadharshan. "US college chess: UTRGV ends Webster's reign". Chess Base. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ Garcia, Raul. "UTRGV celebrates its first national chess championship". Valley Star. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
- ^ Lucas, Daniel. "UTRGV Repeats as President's Cup Champions". US Chess Federation. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ Rodriguez, Marlane. "UTRGV Brings Home National Chess Title". KVEO. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ Hoang, John (2019-03-23). "Making the right moves: Backed by tradition, UTRGV chess team, players take collegiate chess titles". The Monitor. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "City of Brownsville" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Governor" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Senate resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "House resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "House resolution". capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Proclamation" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Letter" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Letter" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Proclamation". www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "House resolution" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Proclamation" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Accomplishments" (PDF). www.utrgv.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-07.