Grandmaster Susan Polgar watches on as Grandmaster Yuniesky Quesada (left), from Cuba, and Grandmaster Emilio Cordova, from Peru, work on their chess skills in this snapshot of pre-pandemic training. Quesada and Cordova are members of the Webster University chess team, which has been ranked number one in Division 1 College Chess since its inception.
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| photo courtesy of Webster University
Since its inception in August 2012, the Webster University chess team has ranked number one in Division I college chess. Earlier this year, the team won the 2021 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, the foremost college chess tournament in the Americas.Â
Though the team is no stranger to that competition â of the nine years theyâve entered, theyâve won eight â 2021 presented its own challenges. With the coronavirus pandemic still raging across the country, this yearâs training and tournament were conducted entirely online.