Saint Louis Breaks Webster's Winning Streak, Missouri Defeats Rio Grande

Saint Louis and Missouri defeated major rivals in week six of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL). 

The unstoppable GM Mikhail Antipov led Missouri to victory vs. Rio Grande, scoring 3.5/4. For Saint Louis, GMs Benjamin Bok and Dambasuren Batsuren came through to steal back the lead in the final moments vs. Webster.   

The CCL will continue on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.

Collegiate Chess League - Week 6 Standings

This week featured two important matchups: Rio Grande vs. Missouri and the much-anticipated duel between Saint Louis and Webster. Would the reigning champions prevail? Or would the six-time President's Cup Champions continue their winning streak in their first CCL season?

• Defeating Last Week's Heroes: Rio Grande 6.5-9.5 Missouri
• The Battle for America's Chess Capital: Saint Louis 8.5-7.5 Webster

Defeating Last Week's Heroes: Rio Grande 6.5-9.5 Missouri

Though Missouri would look to be the favorites from their all-GM lineup, with Rio Grande riding high from their upset victory over Saint Louis the week before, this could be anyone's match. 

Missouri kicked off the match with a shocking 3.5/4. Missouri’s board four, GM Raja Harshit, gained an upset victory vs. Rio Grande’s board one, GM Viktor Gazik, in a wild queenless ending. Meanwhile, Antipov wrecked IM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux's kingside with a timely sacrifice.

In round two, GM Gleb Dudin's victory extended Rio Grande's deficit to two points. Dudin gained the initiative in the ending with an operation that landed his rook on the seventh. 

Missouri all but sealed the match in round three. Raja repelled Rodrigue-Lemieux's kingside pressure with a dynamic counterattack. In addition, Antipov struck again, uncorking a shocking line against Alekhine's Defense vs. Gazik. By move 11, Antipov had made nine pawn moves and developed just one rook. In the middlegame, his king went on a walk through the center. Yet, for most of the game, he had the upper hand.

Commentator WFM Anna Cramling remarked: "Only Antipov can do this. I don’t know if it’s through his chess. I don’t know if it’s through his mind tricks, but I know that only Antipov can do it."

Even before his nearly perfect performance in this match, Antipov was tied for the top stats of the season in both win percentage and number of brilliancies.

Missouri clinched the match early in the round, yet Rio Grande fought on. After barely defending against Raja's king attack, IM Ekin Ozenik flipped the script on his opponent, taking over in the ending and navigating safely through Raja's rogue rook stalemate trick.

By defeating the heroes of last week, Missouri moves into clear third place. 

The Battle for America's Chess Capital: Saint Louis 8.5-7.5 Webster

Just 7.6 miles across town in St. Louis, the two top teams of the CCL finally met―each fielding all of their top grandmasters.

These closely-matched teams started with a fitting deadlocked first round. Despite its peaceful ending, GM Nikolas Theodorou vs. GM Gergely Kantor was a rollercoaster with both sides on the verge of victory in the time-scramble finish.

Bok scored the first win of the match while finding five brilliant moves in round two. Can you find one of his startling tactical ideas?

White to move.

Bok's win is our Game of the Day. Enjoy analysis by GM Rafael Leitao below.

Halfway through the match, Saint Louis edged ahead with a one-point lead. In round three, every game was decisive. For Webster, GM Aram Hakobyan defeated Bok, temporarily tying up the match. Yet, Theodorou and GM Robby Kevlishvili struck back for SLU. With the kingside structure locked up, Kevlishvili expanded in the center to open avenues of attack.

Just as the match seemed to be slipping comfortably into Saint Louis's hands, GM Harsha Bharathakoti won, bringing the score back within one point as the teams headed into the last round. 

After a blunder by Theodorou and another win by Harsha, Webster took the lead with just two games still going. As the seconds ticked down, Bok continued to fight with the fate of the match hanging in the balance. 

With the score now tied, one game remained: Batsuren vs. Kantor. The Mongolian grandmaster had an extra bishop but still had to navigate carefully through time trouble in a queen ending. 

Webster had the two highest scorers of the match, Harsha with 3.5/4 and Hakobyan with 3/4. Yet, Saint Louis sealed the match with a balanced team performance and well-timed wins under pressure. 

After the match, the commentators remembered Hakobyan's claim at the beginning of the season: Webster is the favorite.

Bok shared his feelings on his rival's remark: “We don’t tolerate any disrespect. Today, we showed that we are the best team. That’s all I can say.”

Today, we showed that we are the best team. 

―Benjamin Bok

In week seven, Saturday's victors, Saint Louis and Missouri, face each other. As it's the last week of the regular season, the leading teams will vie for a spot in the top two, guaranteeing themselves a place in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the bottom teams will fight to avoid elimination as the playoffs loom. 

The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. The 2024 CCL Spring Season is a team event starting January 20 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST and featuring a $25,000 prize fund.

Previous reports:

• Webster Reaches 5-0, Rio Grande Beats Reigning Champions
• Webster Extends Winning Streak, Dallas Grows Comeback
• Perfect Scores By Harsha, Bok Lead Webster, Saint Louis To The Top
• Saint Louis University Records 15-1 Win Over Prague; Webster Rules In Overtime
• Webster Scores Debut Victory vs. Athens As 2024 Collegiate Chess League Begins
• Registrations Open For The Collegiate Chess League Spring 2024 Season