[1/4/2010] -- The UMBC Chess Team captured first place at the Pan American Intercollegiate Championships held in South Padre Island, Texas, December 27-30, beating rivals University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB). UMBC placed ahead of 27 other teams including Yale, Princeton, Stanford and New York University.

“This may be the greatest chess accomplishment for UMBC because it came against the strongest competitive field ever assembled on college chess,” said Alan Sherman, director and founder of the chess program and associate professor of computer science.

The Pan-Am is the most celebrated intercollegiate chess tournament in the Western Hemisphere The Retrievers won their first Pan-Am title in 1996. They embarked on a five-year championship streak from 1998 to 2002. Since its 1946 inception, dozens of universities throughout the Americas have participated. The tournament is open to any college or university team from North, South, or Central America.

(1/4/10)

Original Story: www.umbc.edu/window/chesschamps09.html