After this past weekend at the St. Louis Open, 3 members of the Webster University Final Four Championship team are now above 2700 (USCF) at the same time. This is the first for any American collegiate chess team.
GM Wesley So is now at 2728 USCF. His LIVE FIDE rating is 2705, which makes him the 40th ranked player in the world. He is also the #2 junior in the world, and #1 in the Philippines.
GM Georg Meier is now at 2702 USCF and ranked among the top 100 in the world. He is the top German born player and a key member of the German European Championship team last year.
GM Ray Robson’s latest USCF rating is 2700 after the Final Four. He is currently the #1 American born (representing the US) player on both the USCF and FIDE list. He is also the #9 junior in the world.
All three are members of their national teams at the Olympiad.
Incoming Webster U freshman GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam is rated 2802 USCF and 2717 FIDE. He will be the first American collegiate player to be above 2800 in USCF rating. Liem is also the former #1 junior in the world and the #1 rated player from Vietnam.
There are at least 3 requirements for any SPICE team members:
1. They must focus in their school work to maintain good grades.
My standard is much higher than the standard required by the College Chess Committee. The grade point average of the team is around 3.6 / 4.0 and all students are taking full loads.
2. They must be willing to work hard on their chess to improve.
So far, players from SPICE have all reached their peak ratings during their tenure with the program.
3. They must conduct themselves in a professional manner to represent themselves, Webster University, SPICE, their families, and their countries well. Another word, stay out of trouble 🙂
CHESS TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Webster University chess team has been ranked #1 in Division I College Chess since its inception in August 2012. The team has never relinquished the top ranking.
National Championships
August 2012
– 2012 U.S. Open Championship: 1st place (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)
– 2012 U.S. Open Rapid (g/15) Championship: 1st place (GM Andre Diamant and IM Vitaly Neimer)
– 2012 U.S. Open Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Andre Diamant), 2nd place (GM Anatoly Bykhovsky)
December 2012
– 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Both A and B team tied for 1st place
– 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top reserve player (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)
April 2013
– 2013 College Chess Final Four: 1st place (GMs Georg Meier, Wesley So, Ray Robson, Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Manuel Leon Hoyos, and Anatoly Bykhovsky)
State Championships
September 2012
– 2012 Missouri State Championship: 1st place (GM Denes Boros and GM Anatoly Bykhovsky)
– 2012 Missouri State Rapid Championship: 1st place (GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez)
– 2012 Missouri State Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez)
Major International Events
August 2012
– 2012 World Chess Olympiad (Istanbul, Turkey): Team Silver in Group A (GM Ray Robson – USA)
– 2012 World Chess Olympiad (Istanbul, Turkey): Team Bronze in Group B (GM Wesley So – Philippines)
January 2013
– 2013 World Cup Qualifier: GM Wesley So qualified for the 2013 World Cup which will take place in Tromsø, Norway in August 2013
February 2013
– 2013 Reykjavik Open: Co-champion (GM Wesley So)
– 2013 Grenke Baden Baden Chess Classis: Webster GM Georg Meier drew the reigning World Champion Anand both games in their 2-game encounter
Major U.S. Events
October 2012
– 2012 SPICE Cup Open: 1st place (GM Ray Robson), 2nd place (GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez), 3rd place (IM Vitaly Neimer)
November 2012
– 2012 Thanksgiving Open in St. Louis: 1st place (GMs Georg Meier, Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Denes Boros)
– 2012 SLCC GM Invitational: 1st place (IM Vitaly Neimer)
January 2013
– 2013 Cardinal Open: 1st place (GM Andre Diamant)
March 2013
– 2013 Philadelphia Open: 1st place (GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez)
April 2013
– 2013 St. Louis Open Championship: 1st place (GMs Wesley So, Georg Meier, and Manuel Leon Hoyos)
Additional collegiate milestone
• 1st team in history (Webster University) to be ranked #1 in the nation in the first year of forming a team (August 2012 – now)
• 1st team in history (Webster University) to qualify for the Final Four in the first year of forming a team (December 2012)
• 1st team in history (Webster University) to be seeded #1 in the Final Four in the first year of forming a team (April 2013)
• 1st female (Susan Polgar) to coach a men’s team to the National Championship (2011)
• 1st female (Susan Polgar) to coach a men’s team to back to back National Championships (2011-2012)
• 1st female (Susan Polgar) to coach a men’s team to 3 straight National Championships (2011-2013)
• 1st coach, male or female, to win National Championships with 2 different schools (TTU 2011-2012, and Webster U 2013)
• 1st college team with 4 GMs (Fall 2011)
• 1st college team with 5 GMs (Spring 2012)
• 1st college team with 8 GMs (Fall 2012)
• Most points scored in the Final Four (April 2013 – Webster University finished with 9.5 points)
• Largest margin of victory in the Final Four (April 2013 – Webster University finished 2.5 points ahead of 2nd place UTD)
• 1st person (Susan Polgar) to be named College Chess Coach of the Year (April 2013)
Of course the USCF won’t mention a word about this. Jeje
Webster U line-up can potentially be a Top 10 finisher in a given Chess Olympiad.
Your standard is too strict. You need to recruit 45 year old drunk grandmasters like UMBC did. That’s the way to go. It’s more fun on Friday night with those guys.
Jaime, I wish FIDE would allow it 🙂