HARLINGEN — The Vaqueros have punched their ticket to the big show.
The UTRGV team has advanced to compete for the President’s Cup in the college chess Final Four as the number three seed in the country.
The trounament will be held in March at the Marshall Chess Club located in New York City.
It is UTRGV’s second appearance to the Final Four of College Chess.
On their way to the 2018 Final Four at the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Chess Championship, the Vaqueros competed against more than 50 schools, 200 players, 15 grandmasters and 29 international masters.
The top four schools at the Pan-Am meet advanced to the national championship competition.
UTRVG beat the University of Michigan, Rutgers, UT-Dallas and Princeton to advance to the Final Four.
Final Four field of teams competing for the President’s Cup on March 29
UTRGV
Texas Tech University
Webster University
St. Louis University
UTRGV Chess Team’s first appearance to the national Final Four
In 2016, the team finished in second place, just one point behind Webster University.
UTRGV’s Team A
• Kamil Dragun, grandmaster
• Andry Stukopin, grandmaster
• Vladimir Belous, grandmaster
• Carlos Hevia Alejano, grandmaster
UTRGV’s Team B
• Guillermo Vazquez, international master
• Felix Ynojosa Aponte, international master
• Joshua D. Ruiz, international master
• Yannick Kambrath, FIDE master