In the first team match for the new chess program, Lindenwood defeated Washington University 6-4 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) on September 29.  The match featured 10 singles contests, pairing the 10 best players from each team against each other in rank order.  While the Lions appeared to have a stronger top five, the Bears were felt to be a deeper team with stronger players from six to 10.

WU scored the first point of the match as Lindenwood’s Josh Cardenas fell in the first contest.  National Master Nolan Hendrickson used some strong home preparation to familiarize himself with certain types of board positions and was able to win the first point for the Lions and tie the match at one. 

Lindenwood took a brief lead when Alex Richter emerged from a back-and-forth contest with a win on Board 5, but WU surged back ahead with the next two games when Women’s International Master Carla Heredia was upset at Board Three and Micah Losee lost on Board Seven.  

Facing a critical moment in the match, Lindenwood needed a positive result to turn the tide.  International Master Priyadharshan Kannappan delivered for the Lions with some clever maneuvering to win his contest over National Master Mark Heimann at Board One.  The win at the top board tied the score at three and seemingly changed the momentum of the whole match.

Soon after, Lindenwood gained a one point advantage when George Krasnopolskiy pulled a stunning upset on Board 10 over an opponent that out-rated him by 400 points.   The overall lead was maintained for the Lions after International Master Levan Bregadze played to a draw with National Master Victor Feldberg from WU on Board Two. 

With the score at 4.5-3.5, Lindenwood only needed one point to clinch the match with two contests still in play.  Justin Grimes would deliver that point on Board Eight with an upset over a higher ranked opponent.  With the match clinched, Zach Stuart took a draw for the Lions, making the final score 6-4.

The win over the historically strong Washington University chess team was a solid first step for the new Lindenwood program and provided a great measuring stick for future matches. 

Lindenwood chess is back at the table for the Two-on-Two Team Championship at the CCSCSL October 6.