No team has had a better run in the Collegiate Chess League (CCL) this season than the University of Texas, Dallas. They’ve defeated both of last season’s finalists, and raced out to a perfect 6-0 start. In contrast, Texas Tech University has had a difficult start to the season, with two wins against four losses. However, any given weekend, anything can happen. Texas Tech took an early lead and held on for an impressive 9.5-6.5 victory, handing UTD its first defeat of the year!
The CCL continues with the Playoffs beginning on Saturday, November 15, at 11 a.m. ET/17:00 CET.
Collegiate Chess League Division 1 — Fall 2025 Week 7 Standings
Texas Tech 9.5-6.5 UTD
UTD was on top of the CCL standings after their week-six victory against defending champion, Saint Louis University. Their only concern may have been that one of their star players, GM Gergely Kantor could not play in their week-seven matchup with Texas Tech, as he was out at the Chess World Cup in India. They still brought a strong team of GM Koustav Chatterjee, GM Rahul Srivatshav Peddi, IM Karolis Juksta, and GM Balaji Daggupati. Texas Tech brought an impressive lineup of their own, IM Roman Pyrih, IM Sebastian Kostolansky and IM Bogdan Bilovil, along with NM Nathaniel Philip Moor.
Texas Tech started well in the first round, jumping out to a 2.5-1.5 lead with wins by Pyrih and Kostolansky. They built on it in the second round, stretching the lead to three points, thanks to a brilliant endgame trick by Moor against Daggupati.
UTD struck back hard in the third round, winning three games and cutting the lead to one point. The highlight came when Daggupati trapped Kostolansky’s queen unexpectedly in the middlegame.
That set up a key last round, where Texas Tech needed two points to win the match. They ended up getting more, not losing any games and winning two. Kostolansky provided a key win, defeating Chatterjee in a battle of top boards.
After the match, Pyrih credited their coach, GM Alexander Onischuk, for his guidance. While Texas Tech doesn’t have one of the best records in the league, they could still be dangerous in the Playoffs. Despite the loss, UTD keeps a one-point match lead on their main competitors and will be looking to return to form next week.
You can check out this match, as well as the battle between St. John’s University against Amsterdam University in Division 14 below, hosted by Joe Lee.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students.
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