HBCU Chess Spotlight: Samir Acharya (Howard)

Samir Acharya won the 3rd HBCU Chess Classic with a perfect 5/5, leading Howard University to the team title for the second time in three years. The junior computer science major was the top seed going into the tournament and met expectations. Interestingly, Acharya mentioned that he had not made any special preparations for the tournament.

HBCU chess is still in its infancy, but this third edition of the tournament is the most anticipated. Held at the Martin Luther King International Chapel, Morehouse College will host the event on the hallowed grounds of the Atlanta University Center. Howard also enjoys a rich history and the chess tradition that spans almost 100 years.

Acharya would face Adanma Adeola, a FAMU psychology major, in the first round. She would be playing in her first event and would face a tall order in playing a Class A player.

Surprisingly competitive, the game went to the endgame before Acharya comfortably converted the win. According to Acharya, the toughest game was against Nicolas Perkins of North Carolina A&T. In this game, Acharya took a huge risk with a kingside pawn storming up, exposing his king. He also had a horrible bishop against Perkins’ bishop standing on a long diagonal.

I was in a clearly worse position at some point, also the game was equal in the endgame until he blundered in time pressure.”

~Sameer Acharya

That was a close call.

Harper Jackson of Morehouse (who was 3/3) also pushed him to the limit. In the last round, he would beat an undefeated Akindele Omotosho of NCAT, ending with a perfect score. Howard teammate Malik Castro-Devarona drew with FAMU’s defending champion Caleb Parker meaning that he would settle for second place with 4.5/5. Parker would end the tournament with 3.5/5, which was good for 10th place.

This would cap off a successful tournament for Howard, as they won the event more convincingly than the one-point margin would indicate. Acharya, who sat out last year’s event, had improved significantly by competing in local events. After competing in the 2023 HBCU Chess Classic, he tied for first under-1900 in both the 2023 Atlantic Open and 2023 Washington Chess Congress, earning a provisional rating of 1954. Since then, he has struggled but says that winning the HBCU title was a bit of redemption from his performance at the Pan-Am Intercollegiate in January.

Acharya talks about Howard having a good culture for chess and heading into their 100th year anniversary, they continue to hold up the Bison banner with pride. The HBCU champion had a chance to chat with The Chess Drum after his victory.

Interview with Samir Acharya

Video by Daaim Shabazz/The Chess Drum