The UTB/TSC Chess Team is leading in the U.S. Chess Federation [USCF] Online Team Championship.

“[It  is a] five-week tournament,” said Russell Harwood, chess program director.

“We’ve played two matches, so far. The first match was against Texas Tech [University] Feb. 3, and we won 4-0.” The team also won 4-0 against the University of Utah’s B Team on Feb. 10.

Eighteen collegiate teams from throughout the United States are vying for the championship, including Harvard University and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Representing UTB/TSC in the tournament are grand master Axel Bachmann and international masters Daniel Fernandez, Nadya Ortiz and Luciana Morales. Alternates for the team are freshman Jesse Lozano, junior biology major Vince Flores, junior computer science major Javier Alejandro Nieto and freshman biology major Alan Gracia.

Round 3 of the Online Team Championship was played on Sunday. Results were not available at press time. Round 4 is scheduled Feb. 24.

Five members of the chess team competed in the Region VIII Championship on Saturday and Sunday at Homer Hanna High School: sophomore biology major Arturo Gracia, freshman biology major Alan Gracia, senior management major Joseph Molina, junior biology major Vicente Flores and freshman Jesse Lozano.

Asked what he was expecting to get out of the Region VIII tournament, Arturo Gracia replied,  “[We’re] expecting … maybe a couple of points … nothing special. Hopefully, one of us … will win regionals.”

In other chess news, Harwood and grand master Susan Polgar of Texas Tech University will be the keynote speakers at the Texas Chess Association Chess in Education Conference, to be held March 8-9 in Houston.