Perfect Scores By Harsha, Bok Lead Webster, Saint Louis To The Top
The top of the scoreboard has narrowed to just two teams, Webster and Saint Louis, in week three of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL).
GM Benjamin Bok turned in his second 4/4 score of the season to lead Saint Louis University to another victory. Meanwhile, Webster's GM Harsha Bharathakoti scored 4/4 vs. a lineup of four fellow grandmasters.
The CCL will continue on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.
Collegiate Chess League - Week 3 Standings
Reigning Champions Unstoppable: Saint Louis 11.5-4.5 Athens
Entering the match, Saint Louis was the favorite with three grandmasters compared to just one for Athens. Their convincing overall result was supported by every board scoring at least 50 percent, a perfect 4-0 from Bok, and a nearly perfect 3.5 score from GM Nikolas Theodorou.
In round one, Theodorou smashed through FM Vasilios Kasioumis' defenses to lead Saint Louis to a 3.5-0.5 start.
Saint Louis' not-so-secret weapon, Bok, racked up one win after another. Commentator WFM Anna Cramling shared her perspective on the match MVP:
Benjamin Bok makes chess look easy. It feels like every time we watch him play, he just plays fast, plays some of the best moves, comes up with very understandable plans... I think that is really fun to see.
Benjamin Bok makes chess look easy.
-Anna Cramling
He closed out round two with a startling attacking shot. The defense of his opponent's h7-pawn turns out to be an illusion.
No mercy from @GMBenjaminBok!#CCL pic.twitter.com/JQlBsvNyAi
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) February 10, 2024
In round three, Saint Louis reached nine points, sealing the match victory with a round to spare. Despite being underdogs, Athens put up a fight, gaining a few significant victories. Their third board, FM Petros Rahmanidis, finished 2-0 with attacking wins vs. Nicholas Ladan and GM Dambasuren Batsuren.
Fight to Stay Perfect: Webster 9-7 Missouri
Entering the match, both Webster and Missouri were tied at the top of the scoreboard with victories in their first two matches. Further adding to the rivalry between the teams, this matchup was a GM-fest with both sides fielding grandmasters on every single board.
The match began with a 2-2 draw. Yet, Harsha achieved a key strike by serving GM Mikhail Antipov his first loss of the season.
In round two, Missouri seized the lead largely due to an upset victory by their board four, GM Luka Budisavljevic, vs. Webster's board two, GM Yasser Perez. When Perez offered a bishop sacrifice to ignite attacking chances, Budisavljevic ignored the hanging piece to drum up counterplay. This thrilling victory is our Game of the Day with analysis by GM Rafael Leitao below.
"If he goes Rh1, I'm going to give him a standing ovation!" -@AnnaCramling #CCL pic.twitter.com/c8QLEU382R
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) February 10, 2024
In an all-decisive round three, Webster took over the lead with three victories. GM Gergely Kantor scored his win with a picturesque tactical finish. Can you find it?
White to move and win.
Shockingly, this very close all-GM matchup was decided by a blunder in the final moments. In a must-win position with an extra pawn, Budisavljevic dropped his rook, missing the chance to push the close match into overtime.
When asked what the key was to his 4/4 performance against a slew of fellow GMs, Harsha shared: “A good rest, that is the thing.”
A good rest, that is the thing.
-Harsha Bharathakoti
You can watch the 2024 Collegiate Chess League presented by SIG on Chess.com/TV. You can also enjoy the show on our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/ChesscomLive. Games from the event can be viewed on our events page.
The live broadcast was hosted by WFM Anna Cramling and Joe Lee.
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.
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Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
