Lone Star College-Cyfair chess team places third at competition

Lone Star College-CyFair’s Chess Club team finished third in its first competition at the 15th Annual Texas Collegiate Chess Championships, held on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.

The team finished behind the University of Texas at Brownsville and the University of Texas at Dallas even though it formed as a team just a week before the tournament, according to a press release.

“Our top-rated player, Kavian Rowghani, soundly defeated San Jacinto College’s Nephtali Diaz in Round 3 to secure our final placing,” Todd Thomas, LSC-CyFair associate professor of mathematics and faculty advisor, said in the release. “Michael Cortez and Matthew Trujillo fought hard each and every round, culminating in their epic battle against each other in Round 5.”

According to the release, International Grandmasters and International Masters from around the world competed in the tournament. Among the Grandmasters in attendance were Loan Chirila, Julio Sadorra and Valentin Yotov, as well as Grandmaster Timur Gareyev, who is among the top 125 players in the world and is currently the highest-rated player in the United States, according to the release.

For information on the Chess Club, contact Thomas at todd.thomas@LoneStar.edu or 281-290-3504.