UT Dallas Chess Team

June 10–11, 2026 — Huge congrats to our own Munkhzul for taking 1st place (on tiebreaks!) in Las Vegas at the US Women's Open with a strong 4.5/5 finish. What a run! 🔥♟️

https://www.vegaschess.com/2026/congrats-to-our-first-champions/

https://www.vegaschess.com/live/results/?section=Womens&YEAR=2026

We had an incredible time connecting with students and community partners on June 6 at our recent MathComp / MathFun event in JSOM at UT Dallas! 🎉

A special thank you to the UTD Chess Club, whose ongoing support and participation continue to make a meaningful impact year after year. Their booth was once again a highlight of the event—students were fully engaged, challenged, and inspired through interactive chess games that brought problem-solving and strategy to life. We received so much positive feedback about the experience and the welcoming energy their team brought to the event.

Events like MathFun are all about sparking curiosity, building confidence, and showing students that learning can be both fun and impactful—and partners like UTD Chess Club help make that vision a reality.

We’re already looking ahead with excitement and hope to continue collaborating to inspire even more young minds through chess, math, and creative thinking. Thank you again to everyone who helped make this event such a success! ♟️✨

Building a true “chess culture” takes more than interest—it takes community, advocacy, and persistence. Great reflection from Brandon Barnes that connects directly to what we’re working to grow at UT Dallas. ♟️

How I Gained a Chess Culture … And Fight for One Everywhere A Reflective Personal Essay, Part 4 of 4

The team is getting prepared. Mark your calendars.

https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-university-team-championship-2026-first-stage

🏆 Champions & Prize Winners
81st Texas State & Amateur Championship
(In Memory of Luis Salinas)
Today, we recognize the champions and prize winners of the 81st Texas State & Amateur Championship, held over Memorial Day Weekend in memory of Luis Salinas.

Luis was instrumental in shaping many of the policies, programs, and traditions that continue to guide Texas chess today. Through decades of service and leadership, he helped create opportunities for players across Texas and left a lasting impact on our chess community.

👑 Championship Section
🏆 Co-Champions
GM Joshua D. Ruiz Castillo (5.5/7) – $2,250
GM Mikhail Antipov (5.5/7) – $2,250

credit text and photo to TCA

Texas State Championship Highlights ♟

UTD Chess Coach, GM Mikhail Antipov, delivered a dominant performance to share 1st place and be co-Champion of Texas State, showcasing elite precision and consistency throughout the event.

Rising talent Minh Tran from the Reserve team also made a strong statement, battling through a tough field and earning a well‑deserved spot among the top finishers.

Shout out to GM Joshua Ruiz who he tied with and is also a UTD Alumnus.

A fantastic showing from both players at the 81st Texas State & Amateur Championship taking place in Houston, TX, May 22-25—Texas chess continues to shine. 🔥♟️

As a reminder, this event is now dedicated to Luis Salinas, who passed a few years ago and was a 20 year assistant director of the UTD Chess program. We salute you Luis!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pIySQhqf3ogGfo8IXi_HuYxFZQe_m18ci3NgAiUlvgA/edit?gid=0 =0

https://www.chess.com/events/81st-texas-state-amateur-championship

Exciting summary of the most recent acheivements by the UTD Chess Team.

https://news.utdallas.edu/campus-community/chess-team-update-may-2026/

🔥 CHECKMATE! 🔥

UT Dallas defeats BITS India, May 16–17, 2026, and advances to the final stage of the 2026 FIDE World University Team Championship!

Next stop ➡️ Astana, Kazakhstan (Aug 3–10) for the inaugural in-person finals 🏆♟️
We’re proud to stand among the world’s top 8 university chess teams.

This rounds games:
https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-university-team-chess-championship-2026-ko-q2texas-dallas-pilani/match-1/diorwsLi

Let’s go, Comets! 💫
🔗 https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/

Congratulations to our UTD team on an incredible achievement. After a thrilling online qualifier, they've secured a spot in the knockout stage of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship 2026.

This past weekend, our team participated in the year-old eSports arena - a beautiful location that provided the perfect backdrop for their impressive performance. Their skills, strategy, and teamwork have paid off, and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishment.

Relive the action from the online qualifier: https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-university-team-chess-championship-2026--online-qualifier-1/round-7/eDSkxp0r

A huge thank you to our players, coaches, and supporters who've made this journey possible. Let's keep the momentum going and cheer them on as they move forward to the knockout stage. Stay tuned for more updates on their journey to the top. Join us on May 16 or 17 for the knockout qualifier.

https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/
https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/online-swiss-qualifiers #!/tab/2230432023-6

Congrats to our Women's Team who participated in the 1st Annual Texas Collegiate Women's Super Finals on April 25, 2026. This particular event was played online. They were matched up with the UTRGV program and it was a convincing win in our favor. 🎺

UTD - UTRGV
22 - 10

The Women's Team continues their hot streak this year.🔥

Standings
https://www.chessmanager.com/en-us/tournaments/4878493909385216

Games
https://lichess.org/broadcast/2026-texas-collegiate-womens-super-finals/round-1/GVfQ4hVL?fbclid=IwdGRleARaBrlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeqMVRWuOybwy7h_nLvrgL7RzKODeOFy4s3Nd_dCYa9u_8Qs0PWqNl8z4mo-g_aem_pgv0BxuwO3t-YVFaK0UZQA