2012 Pan-Am Intercollegiate (USA)
Princeton University – Frick Chemistry Laboratory
December 27-30, 2012
One of the joys of playing chess during one’s youth is certainly the camaraderie and friendships that are made during the formative years. Scholastic tournaments are always brimming with excitement and provides one with the joys of chess and pleasant memories to come.
What happens after scholastic chess in America? Generally, players abandon the game to focus on intense studies and college activities. Most colleges and universities do not have chess programs, but for those that do, the Pan-Am Intercollegiate tournament is the one activity that reignites the excitement.
Webster University, the subject of an interesting story!
Held in December during the school break, the Pan-Am tournament was founded in 1946 and features teams from North and South America and the Caribbean. In the past two decades, three teams have come to dominate the proceedings: defending champion Texas Tech, University of Maryland-Baltimore and University of Texas-Dallas. Princeton University will play host to this year’s event.
However, a new university will be making its debut. Since all players from Texas Tech transferred to Webster University this year, they will be the odds-on favorites at this year’s tournament. They boast eight Grandmasters including Georg Meier (Germany), Wesley So (Philippines), Manuel Leon-Hoyos (Mexico), Fidel Corrales-Jimenez (Cuba) and Ray Robson (USA). There are also teams from University of Toronto (an perennial participant), Jamaica’s University Technology (UTECH) and usually a team from Peru.
Organizers are expecting about 40 four-player teams for the six-round tournament. The field has approximately 20 GMs(!), a dozen IMs and a host of other titled players. The top four teams will advance to the President’s Cup which is to be held in April of next year.
Live commentary featuring GM Ronen Har-Zvi, in cooperation with the Internet Chess Club, and produced by Macauley Peterson, will be broadcasted on Livestream.com/PanAmChess. Results and pairings will be posted regularly on the tournament website: https://monroi.com/2012-pan-american-intercollegiate-chess-championship-home.html. Information about registration and housing is also posted on the website.
Advanced Entries & Rosters
Results, Photos
For further information contact Jack Hutton 914-216-9659 and chess@princeton.edu.
https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2012/12/25/u-west-indies-jamaica-at-pan-ams/
https://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2012/12/rules-who-cares.html
Wash U A (1.0,2192) 1-3 Webster A (1.0,2691)
UT Dallas A (1.0,2597) 4-0 UMCP A (1.0,2138)
NYU (1.0,2129) 0-4 Webster B (1.0,2545)
Texas Tech A (1.0,2517) 4-0 UT Brownsville B (1.0,2127)
Toronto A (1.0,2088) ½-3½ UMBC (1.0,2512)
UT Brownsville A (1.0,2488) 3½-½ Harvard A (1.0,2083)
UT Dallas C (1.0,2073) 1½-2½ Lindenwood A (1.0,2387)
UT Dallas B (1.0,2356) 2-2 ASU A (1.0,2040)
Cornell (1.0,2039) 2-2 Columbia (1.0,2353)
Princeton A (1.0,2243) 3½-½ UT Austin (1.0,2005)
U Chicago (1.0,1997) 2-2 Illinois A (1.0,2208)
Princeton B (0.0,1968) 2½-1½ Utah (0.0,1664)
Illinois B (0.0,1651) 0-4 Texas Tech B (0.0,1964)
Princeton C (0.0,1934) 3½-½ Penn State (0.0,1612)
Lindenwood B (0.0,1610) 2-2 University of West Indies (0.0,1932)
Webster C (0.0,1874) 2½-1½ ASU B (0.0,1514)
Toronto B (0.0,1429) 1½-2½ Miami-Dade (0.0,1859)
Wash U B (0.0,1815) 4-0 Colgate (0.0,1408)
UMCP B (0.0,1223) 0-4 Yale (0.0,1801)
Texas Tech C (0.0,1782) 4-0 RIT (0.0,1083)
Oberlin (0.0,1056) 0-4 U Technology, Jamaica (0.0,1767)
Princeton D (0.0,1730) 4-0 Ocean County College (0.0,608)
Webster A (2.0,2691) 2½-1½ UT Brownsville A
UMBC (2.0,2512) 1-3 UT Dallas A (2.0,2597)
Webster B (2.0,2545) 4-0 Princeton A (2.0,2243)
Lindenwood A (2.0,2387) 2½-1½ Texas Tech A (2.0,2517)
U Chicago (1.5,1997) 0-4 UT Dallas B (1.5,2356)
Columbia (1.5,2353) 3-1 ASU A (1.5,2148)
Illinois A (1.5,2208) 2-2 Cornell (1.5,2039)
Texas Tech B (1.0,1964) 1-3 Toronto A (1.0,2233)
Princeton C (1.0,1934) 1½-2½ Wash U A (1.0,2192)
UMCP A (1.0,2138) 3-1 Webster C (1.0,1856)
Miami-Dade (1.0,1859) 1½-2½ NYU (1.0,2129)
UT Brownsville B 2½-1½ Wash U B (1.0,1815)
Harvard A (1.0,2083) 4-0 Texas Tech C (1.0,1782)
Yale (1.0,1801) 1-3 UT Dallas C (1.0,2073)
UT Austin (1.0,2005) 3-1 Princeton D (1.0,1730)
U Technology, Jamaica 1-3 Princeton B (1.0,1968)
University of West Indies 1-3 Utah (0.0,1703)
ASU B (0.0,1638) 1½-2½ Lindenwood B
RIT (0.0,1083) 0-4 Illinois B (0.0,1651)20
Penn State (0.0,1612) 4-0 Oberlin (0.0,1056)
UMCP B (0.0,862) 0-4 Toronto B (0.0,1429)
Colgate (0.0,1408) 4-0 Ocean County College
Webster A, UT Dallas A, Webster B, Texas Tech A lead the field of 44 teams with 3/3. Marquee matchups:
UT Dallas A (2597) – Webster B (2545)
Wesley So (Webster A) – Hedinn Steingrimsson (Texas Tech A)
1 Texas Tech A (3.0,2517) 1-3 Webster A (3.0,2691)
2 UT Dallas A (3.0,2597) 2-2 Webster B (3.0,2545)
3 UT Dallas B (2.5,2356) 3-1 Columbia (2.5,2353)
4 UT Dallas C (2.0,2073) 0-4 UMBC (2.0,2512)
5 UT Brownsville A 4-0 UMCP A (2.0,2138)
6 NYU (2.0,2129) 1½-2½ Lindenwood A (2.0,2387)
7 Princeton A (2.0,2243) 1-3 UT Brownsville B (2.0,2127)
8 Toronto A (2.0,2233) 3½-½ Harvard A (2.0,2083)
9 Wash U A (2.0,2181) 3½-½ Cornell (2.0,2039)
10 Princeton B (2.0,1968) 0-4 Illinois A (2.0,2156)
11 ASU A (1.5,2148) 1½-2½ UT Austin (2.0,2005)
12 Lindenwood B 2½-1½ U Chicago (1.5,1997)
13 Princeton D (1.0,1730) 3-1 Texas Tech B (1.0,1964)
14 Utah (1.0,1703) 1-3 Princeton C (1.0,1934)
15 Illinois B (1.0,1651) 1½-2½ Miami-Dade (1.0,1859)
16 Webster C (1.0,1856) 3-1 U Technology, Jamaica (1.0,1767)
17 Wash U B (1.0,1815) 1-3 Penn State (1.0,1612)
18 Toronto B (1.0,1429) 1-3 Yale (1.0,1801)
19 Texas Tech C (1.0,1782) 4-0 Colgate (1.0,1408)
20 ASU B (0.0,1638) 1½-2½ University of West Indies (0.5,2210)
21 Oberlin (0.0,1056) 2-2 RIT (0.0,1083)
22 UMCP B (0.0,862)
UTD-A vs. UTD-B with live coverage!
Webster A (4.0,2691) 2-2 Webster B (3.5,2545)
UT Dallas B (3.5,2356) ½-3½ UT Dallas A (3.5,2597)
Toronto A (3.0,2233) ½-3½ Texas Tech A (3.0,2517)
UMBC (3.0,2512) 3½-½ Wash U A (3.0,2181)
Illinois A (3.0,2156) 2½-1½ UT Brownsville A (3.0,2488)
Lindenwood A 3-1 UT Brownsville B (3.0,2127)
UT Austin (3.0,2005) ½-3½ Columbia (2.5,2353)
Princeton A (2.0,2243) 4-0 Lindenwood B (2.5,1610)
UMCP A (2.0,2138) 1½-2½ Texas Tech B (2.0,1964)
Princeton C (2.0,1934) 1½-2½ NYU (2.0,2129)
Harvard A (2.0,2083) 2½-1½ Webster C (2.0,1856)
Miami-Dade (2.0,1859) 1-3 UT Dallas C (2.0,2073)
Cornell (2.0,2039) 4-0 Texas Tech C (2.0,1782)
Yale (2.0,1801) 1½-2½ Princeton B (2.0,1968)
Penn State (2.0,1612) ½-3½ University of West Indies (2210)
U Chicago (1.5,1997) 1-3 ASU A (1.5,2148)
Utah (1.0,1703) 1-3 Wash U B (1.0,1815)
U Technology, Jamaica ½-3½ Illinois B (1.0,1651)
Toronto B (1.0,1429) 3-1 Princeton D (1.0,1730)
Colgate (1.0,1408) 3-1 RIT (0.5,1083)
Oberlin (0.5,1056) – UMCP B (1.0,862)
UT Dallas A (4.5,2597) 2-2 Webster A (4.5,2691)
Webster B (4.0,2545) 2½-1½ Lindenwood A (4.0,2387)
Texas Tech A (4.0,2517) 1½-2½ UMBC (4.0,2512)
Columbia (3.5,2353) ½-3½ Illinois A (4.0,2156)
UT Brownsville A (3.0,2488) 3½-½ UT Dallas B (3.5,2356)
Cornell (3.0,2039) ½-3½ Princeton A (3.0,2243)
Princeton B (3.0,1968) 1-3 Toronto A (3.0,2233)
Wash U A (3.0,2181) 4-0 Harvard A (3.0,2083)
Texas Tech B (3.0,1964) 2½-1½ NYU (3.0,2129)
UT Brownsville B (3.0,2127) 1½-2½ UT Austin (3.0,2005)
University of West Indies (2.5,2210) 1½-2½ UT Dallas C (2.5,2073)
ASU A (2.5,2148) 1-3 Miami-Dade (2.5,1859)
Lindenwood B (2.5,1610) 0-4 UMCP A (2.0,2138)
UMCP B (2.0,862) 0-4 Princeton C (2.0,1934)
Webster C (2.0,1856) 4-0 Colgate (2.0,1408)
Wash U B (2.0,1815) 4-0 Toronto B (2.0,1429)
Illinois B (2.0,1651) 1½-2½ Yale (2.0,1801)
Texas Tech C (2.0,1782) 3½-½ Penn State (2.0,1612)
U Technology, Jamaica (1.0,1767) 0-4 U Chicago (1.5,1997)
Princeton D (1.0,1730) 1-3 Utah (1.0,1703)
RIT (0.5,1083) 0-4 ASU B (1.0,1638)
(Webster-A vs. UTD-A)
Georg Meier struggled throughout the double bishop ending but found a nice tactical resource in 60.Bxd4+! (60.Bf3?? is too early as black had 60…d4+! 61.Kf2 Bg3+ winning.) 60…Kxd4 61.Bf3! Black will not be able to stop the a7 from queening.
The final round will feature two of the pre-tournament favorites in Webster-A and UTD-A both leading the tables with 4.5/5. Webster-A was held by colleagues of Webster-B after Georg Meier’s stirring win on board #3 over Andre Diamant. (See position on right and game above) It appeared as if the B-team would score the upset win, but Meier uncorked a nice combination in the ending to steal the match draw.
In the other school rivalry, UTD-A crushed UTD-B to put themselves in a position of better tiebreaks if the two teams should draw the finale. Nevertheless, the top four teams will get a ticket to the Final Four in April. Webster-B, Texas Tech-A and UMBC are all vying for one of the four spots.
No photos of the Jamaican teams! Strange since they sent two universities… and they certainly stand out.
Webster-A, Webster-B, UTD-A, UMBC, University of Illinois tie for first with 5-1. Waiting on tiebreak results!
Go Illini! 🙂
Team Prizes
1st: University of Texas-Dallas (A)
2nd: Webster University (B)
3rd: University of Maryland-Baltimore County
4th: Webster University (A)
5th: University of Illinois (A)
Top International Team
University of Toronto (A)
Top Team 2000-2199 (Division II)
University of Illinois (A)
Top Team 1800-1999 (Division III)
Texas Tech (B)
Top Team under-1800 (Division IV)
Texas Tech (C)
Top Team under-1600
University of Toronto (B)
Board Prizes
Board #1
Andrew Shvartsman (2388), New York University, 5/6
Board #2
GM Axel Bachmann (2602), University of Texas-Brownsville (A), 5½/6
Board #3
IM Faik Aleskerov (2464), Texas Tech (A), 5½/6
Board #4
Luo Xin (1999), University of Illinois (A), 6/6
Alternate
GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (2666), Webster University (A), 3½/5
Full Results