Webster, Saint Louis Reach Final, Missouri's Hope Vanishes With Botez Gambit

Webster and Saint Louis have eliminated all the other teams in their path to reach the Final of the 2024 Collegiate Chess League (CCL). Though the favorites ultimately prevailed, their rivals gave them a massive fight. A Botez Gambit in the last seconds kept Missouri from reaching overtime vs. SLU.

GM Aram Hakobyan led Webster to victory, scoring 3.5/4 while Saint Louis turned in another balanced victory with GMs Nikolas Theodorou, Benjamin Bok, and Robby Kevlishvili, all scoring 2.5/4. 

The CCL Final is on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST.

Collegiate Chess League | Semifinals Bracket

• Webster 9.5-6.5 Rio Grande
• Saint Louis 9-7 Missouri

Webster 9.5-6.5 Rio Grande

In the regular season, Webster vs. Rio Grande was the closest matchup, going into overtime when Webster inched ahead by one point. Would UTRGV be determined to gain vengeance? 

For the lineups, the top three boards on each team were the same while GM Gergely Kantor replaced IM Anna Sargsyan for Webster and IM Ekin Ozenir replaced IM Jakub Fus for Rio Grande.

The match started with a close 2.5-1.5 opening round where GM Gleb Dudin scored an upset vs. GM Harsha Bharathakoti by conjuring a potent attack with his queen and minor pieces.

Round two was even closer―the teams split the score 2-2. IM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux defeated GM Benjamin Gledura when Webster's board one hung his queen.

In the middle of round three, Rio Grande took the lead with two upset wins: Ozenir beat Harsha and Dudin defeated Gledura. Dudin discovered an unexpected way to trap his opponent's queen.

Hakobyan fought back for Webster with a sneaky checkmate in an equal position.

Entering round four, the teams were completely tied with much at stake: the chance to reach the Final or the end of their CCL Spring season.

Down two pawns, Hakobyan turned the tables on Dudin, fighting off his opponent's kingside pressure to generate his own attack. 

Kantor sealed victory for Webster by spotting a spectacular tactical sequence. 

In their debut season in the CCL, Webster has made it to the Final. Who would face them?

Saint Louis 9-7 Missouri

In the last week of the regular season, Saint Louis and Missouri crossed swords with the exact same eight grandmasters sitting across the boards from one another. In that match, SLU won by the vast margin of 11.5-4.5. How would Missouri try to strike back in this pivotal rematch?

In round one, Bok found himself down on both the board and the clock vs. GM Luka Budisavljevic, seen playing from bed with his head propped up by pillows. As Bok's clock ticked under five seconds, Budisavljevic tried a tactical idea. However, Bok survived the time scramble while capitalizing on his opponent's inaccuracies, slipping away into a winning ending. As commentator WFM Anna Cramling stated: "You don't flag Bok."

You don't flag Bok.

―Anna Cramling

In round two, Missouri stole the lead. GM Grigoriy Oparin defeated Kevlishvili with practical endgame play. Meanwhile, GM Dambasuren Batsuren blundered on move 10, and GM Mikhail Antipov found a clever response to take advantage.

Theodorou kept the match close with a startling tactical blast vs. Budisavljevic.

Returning from halftime, Saint Louis came alive, nearly shutting out their rivals: 3.5/4. Theodorou defeated Antipov. Kevlishvili won vs. GM Raja Harshit. Lastly, Bok took down Missouri's board one, Oparin.

Just like that, Saint Louis gained a two-point lead going into the last round, needing just 1.5 to clinch the match. 

Kevlishvili scored the first win of the round for SLU, defeating Budisavljevic in a dynamic battle with a picturesque finish. The Dutch grandmaster's critical victory is our Game of the Day. Enjoy the analysis by GM Rafael Leitao.

This put Missouri in a must-win position for all three of their remaining boards. Despite the odds against them, they nearly succeeded. Oparin gained a victory vs. Theodorou, narrowing the gap to two points.

As the final minutes of the Semifinals raged on, the fate of Missouri fell on the shoulders of Antipov and Raja. Could they both win to bring the match into overtime? What results is an absolutely thrilling finish as the top boards of each team duke it out.

In a lost position, Antipov found a crafty winning idea with just one second left on his clock. In the last game still going, Raja gained a decisive material advantage. With the chance at a playoff within his grasp, all hope disappeared with an inopportune Botez Gambit. See the action yourself in the clip below.

After the match, Bok shared:

This is probably going to be my last season, indeed. I’ve been on scholarship since 2018 and usually after six years, things come to an end…

I feel like the league is getting stronger and stronger every year. Mizzou always used to be our toughest competitor, and they also proved that today. Webster is also a very, very tough team. They brought in Gledura for the playoffs. So I think we’re a slight favorite, but not at all by a big margin."

This is probably going to be my last season, indeed.

―Benjamin Bok

For the third year in a row, Saint Louis has made it to the Final. Will they become three-time champions, or will the newcomer Webster team seize the title from the reigning champions?

The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. The 2024 CCL Spring Season is a team event starting January 20 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CET/0:30 a.m. IST and featuring a $25,000 prize fund.

Previous reports:

• Harshit Sets Up Mizzou-SLU Semifinal, UTRGV Eliminates Athens
• Saint Louis, Webster Leap Into Semifinals
• Saint Louis Breaks Webster's Winning Streak, Missouri Defeats Rio Grande
• Webster Reaches 5-0, Rio Grande Beats Reigning Champions
• Webster Extends Winning Streak, Dallas Grows Comeback
• Perfect Scores By Harsha, Bok Lead Webster, Saint Louis To The Top
• Saint Louis University Records 15-1 Win Over Prague; Webster Rules In Overtime
• Webster Scores Debut Victory vs. Athens As 2024 Collegiate Chess League Begins
• Registrations Open For The Collegiate Chess League Spring 2024 Season