WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — For the sixth time since 2013, Webster University's chess team is the national champion.
Webster University came out on top in the President's Cup national collegiate chess championship Sunday, beating Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The round-robin tournament, known as the final four of college chess, was held at Webster University for the first time in the tournament's history.
At the end of the two-day tournament, Webster finished in first with eight points, SLU was second with six, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was third with five-and-a-half and Mizzou was fourth with four-and-a-half.
Teams earn a point for each win and half a point for each draw, which is when both players concluded that they could not earn a decisive victory in the allotted time for each round.
The title is Webster University's first since the team won five in a row from 2013-2017.
“We faced some very skilled opponents this year, including two teams that are previous President’s Cup winners, but our strategy and fortitude led us to victory," Webster chess coach Liem Le told 5 On Your Side.
SLU won the title in 2022 and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley won in 2021, 2019 and 2018. No tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Webster University President Julian Schuster is proud of the win, but tells 5 On Your Side he cheers on all Missouri Teams, "Last year as you know St. Louis University team won the Presidents Cup and I hope in the near future that the Mizzou team will do it as well."
Chess extends beyond the team at Webster University. The university became the first in the United States to offer a Chess in Education minor starting this fall. The 18-credit minor develops chess educators to "bridge the access gap between K-12 chess education and professional pursuits," Schuster explains.
Senior English Major John Burke won all three of his tournament games this weekend. He's from New Jersey, but says St. Louis is where to play the game, "Some of the best players in the world, they're all coming to St. Louis because it's the place to be right now for chess."
If you are new to the game and looking for a starter move, Aram Hakobyan a Senior Management Major and member of the Webster University Chess Team says, "Usually I like E4 and D4." Hakobyan and Burke agree that putting a pawn in the center to start is bold and meant to intimidate the other player.