The University of Missouri chess team placed first at the U.S. Chess Federation’s President’s Cup this weekend as the nation’s top collegiate chess programs gathered in Columbia at Memorial Union. Saint Louis University took first place in the inaugural women’s division.
“It was very, very tough,” said Mizzou’s head coach Ioan-Cristian Chirila in a live broadcast following the win. “The guys pulled through, and they did it.”
“It was a tough, tough last round,” Mizzou player Isik Can said. “At some point, it looked like we were all in big trouble, actually. Even though we had such a huge lead, it was very stressful. But then all of the team just survived, and we won the tournament in our hometown, which is very exciting.”
The President’s Cup, collegiate chess’s national championship — known as the Final Four to players — brings together the top four teams in North America. The teams qualified through a prior tournament featuring 86 teams from 47 universities, according to a university news release.
The tournament marked a defining moment for the Mizzou program, which was founded in 2019. In the past four years, the team has reached the President’s Cup three times and, this year, secured its second national championship. It was also the first year that Mizzou hosted the President’s Cup.
Chirila has led the program as head coach and director since its inception.
“We started with the idea that from the first year, we would like to put together a team that could compete for national championships,” Chirila said. “We became a national contender since the first year.”
This year’s playing field included the University of Missouri, Saint Louis University, Webster University, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the University of Texas at Dallas, with eight teams competing across the open and women’s divisions.
Mizzou did not field a full team for the women’s competition, but its two female players — Tea Gueci and Annmarie Muetsch — provided live commentary, breaking down the strategy in real-time for viewers online and in-person.
Teams drew for colors at an opening banquet Friday evening. Each player then competed in two matches Saturday and one Sunday. In team competition, four players compete on separate boards, with individual results combining into a single team score.
Mizzou second seed player Isik Can, from Turkey, said hosting added stress but also excitement.
“It definitely adds pressure, but I’m so excited because so many of my classmates and professors from my classes were very interested,” Can said. “Just them being there and knowing that they’re rooting for us means a lot.”
Mizzou’s lineup featured four grandmasters — Aryan Tari, Isik Can, Mahel Boyer and Luka Budisavljević. The title is held by roughly 1,500 players worldwide through the International Chess Federation.
To prepare, Mizzou players participated in team training and individual training with coaches, where they analyzed their opponents’ previous games and decided their own strategies. Can estimated that he has spent four hours a day training in the week leading up to the tournament.
In addition to Can’s hard work and preparation, he said prior to the tournament that he also trusted his coaches and teammates.
“There is nothing for me to do but to trust them and do my best,” Can said. “Just to say that we did our best is the most important thing, and that takes the stress a bit off.”
That preparation and trust paid off.
“Chess is a very individual sport, almost exclusively. So to be in such a great team and win at the end, it was just amazing,” Can said. “Mizzou is giving us very good opportunities, giving us full rides, changing our lives. It was very nice to give back to Mizzou.”
