The Lindenwood chess team surprised Yale University in a 10 board online match played on Sunday, winning in the final moments by a score of 5.5 to 4.5. Yale has long been respected and successful in the collegiate chess arena, regularly fielding one of the top 10 to 15 teams in the country, so the victory by the Lions in their inaugural season would have to be considered an upset.
Going into the match, Lindenwood expected to have a slight advantage on the first six boards, but there were some questions on boards seven through 10 considering the depth of the Yale squad. As things unfolded, it was one of those final boards, board 10, that was decided first in favor of the Bulldogs. After the Lions won the board four match, boards eight and nine fell to Yale. Lindenwood claimed boards two and three and played to a draw on board five, putting the match even at 3.5-3.5.
Several pivotal moments then followed. Micah Losee managed to play to a draw on board seven, gaining a valuable and somewhat unexpected half point for the Lions. After claiming victory on board six, Lindenwood led 5-4 with only one match still being played, a battle between IM Priyadharshan Kannappan, the 2012 U.S. Chess League MVP, and the top player from Yale, Grandmaster Robert Hess.
With both players running out of time on their clocks which would result in a loss, Kannappan calmly played a repetition strategy to force a draw. It was a big upset for Kannappan because of the large rating advantage held by Hess going into the match and it clinched a big win for Lindenwood.
The historic victory over the Yale squad improved the season record for the Lions to 2-0. The two programs might meet again at the Pan Am Collegiate Championship in December with a spot in the National Collegiate Chess Final Four on the line, but for now, Lindenwood sets it sights on the Thanksgiving Open November 23-25. It’s the largest tournament this year at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Over 20 International Masters and Grandmasters are expected to compete in the event.
