The Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship is the foremost intercollegiate team chess championship in the Americas. Hosted in part by the United States Chess Federation, the Pan-Am Intercollegiate is open to any team comprising four players and up to two alternates from the same post-secondary school (university, college, community college) in North America, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean. The Pan-Am began as such in 1946 (there had been earlier versions open to U.S. schools only), and is held annually, usually December 27–30. It has usually been held in the United States, but was hosted in Canada four times (1969, 1971, 1984, 1999). The current format is a six-round fixed-roster team Swiss-system tournament scored by team (not individual) points. Sometimes the Pan Am Intercollegiate is held as part of a larger event called the Pan American Chess Championship comprising the Pan-Am Intercollegiate, Pan-Am Scholastic Team Championship, and Pan-Am Open (for any individual).

Forty-four teams compete at the 2012 Pan-Am Intercollegiate in Frick Chemistry Lab at Princeton University.

Significance

For many years this tournament was, in effect, a national (or continental) championship. For a few years in the 1970s,[1][2] the Continental Chess Association held a rival intercollegiate tournament, but that was discontinued. The Pan-Am should not be confused with the Campeonato PanAmericano de Ajedrez Universitario (PanAmerican University Chess Championships), which has been held since 2006 by the Confederación De Ajedrez Para America.[3]

Since 2001, a separate invitational team tournament has been held: the top four finishing US schools in the Pan-Am advance to the President's Cup (informally known as the "Final Four of College Chess" and typically held in the first weekend of April), which determines the US National College or University Champion.

Organization and Rules

The governing body for the Pan-Am is the College Chess Committee (CCC)[4] of the United States Chess Federation (USCF). The CCC ratified a set of guidelines for the Pan-Am in 1992, which have been amended by various resolutions of the CCC, most recently in 2017.[5] These rules include stringent eligibility requirements, which were overhauled in 2004. There are also guidelines for conduct of a scholarship program.

College chess does not fall under the authority of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Pan-Am is conducted under USCF rules and is rated both by USCF and FIDE.

At the 2012 Pan-Am, the CCC recommended that all cash prizes at the Pan-Am Intercollegiate be eliminated and forbidden.

For many years prior to 1996, high school teams were allowed to compete in the Pan-Am Intercollegiate, though few did.

History

Started in 1946, the Pan-Am has been held under various names and formats. For some years in the period 1945–1974 there was an individual college championship. Following Bobby Fischer's victory at the 1972 World Championship, the popularity of the Pan-Am temporarily soared. Beginning in the 1990s, the Pan-Am has been dominated by teams from schools offering chess scholarships.

Intercollegiate chess before the Pan Am

Quadrangular Intercollegiate league

The Quadrangular Intercollegiate league—comprising teams from Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Princeton University—was formed in 1892, founded by Edward Caswell, Yale class of 1866. The tournament typically took place between Christmas and New Year's Day. Winners from 1892 to 1913 are as follows: Columbia 1892, 1893, 1899, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1910–1912; Harvard 1894–1898, 1903–1905; Yale 1901, 1913; Princeton 1908; tie between Harvard and Yale in 1909. In addition, Harvard and Yale played an annual team match.

During the first decade of the twentieth century, future world champion Jose Raul Capablanca represented Columbia, on first board.

Triangular Intercollegiate league

The Triangular Intercollegiate league—comprising teams from Cornell University, Brown University, and the University of Pennsylvania—was formed in 1899. Champions from 1899 to 1913 are as follows: Pennsylvania 1899, 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913; Cornell 1900–1903, 1907, 1910; tie between Pennsylvania and Brown in 1906; tie between Cornell and Pennsylvania in 1911.

In some years, all-star teams from the Quadrangular and Triangular leagues met in a challenge match.[6]

Early years

The Pan-Am started in 1946.

However, there had been a team event for American schools only before World War II. One noteworthy result from this earlier event, from 1931–32, had City College of New York winning, with Reuben Fine on board one and Sidney Norman Bernstein on board two; the team scored 31.5 out of a possible 32 points.[7]

From 1946 to 1964, the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Team Championship was held every even year, with a Pan-Am Intercollegiate Individual Championship held every odd year from 1945 to 1963.

American schools from the northeast and midwest regions dominated both the hosting and winning of the championship. Columbia University won three titles, the University of Chicago won two, and CCNY won two during this period. The first eight tournaments averaged about a dozen teams taking part. From 1962 to 1967, participation doubled to an average of about 25 teams per year.

Annual competition begins

With increased interest, annual team competition began in 1964. In 1965, 1967, and 1969, the tournament was an individual-and-team competition, that is, players entered as individuals, but if a school had four or more players entered, the four highest of its students' scores were added to make a team score. The 1965 event saw the first non-American winner, the University of Toronto. The first non-American school to host was Canada's McGill University at Montreal in 1969, and McGill also won the event that year. From 1968 to 1971, interest doubled again, to nearly 50 teams per year.

The Fischer boom

During the 1960s and 1970s, the level of participation in the Pan-Am grew about tenfold, as one of the effects of Bobby Fischer's chess career, culminating in the World Chess Championship. Attendance averaged nearly 108 teams per year from 1972 to 1978; the highest turnout was 123 teams (520 players) in 1975. Nick Paleveda who became the Florida State Chess Champion persuaded The University of South Florida to offer the first chess scholarship to Future Grandmasters Larry Christiansen and Ron Henley (both recruited with chess scholarships) anchored the 1976 championship team from the University of South Florida Tampa, the first southern school to win.

Three straight titles

The University of Toronto was the first school to win three straight outright titles, from 1980 to 1982; this feat was repeated by Harvard University from 1988–90. Rhode Island College, led by former US High School Chess Champions James Thibault and Sandeep Joshi, rolled to a convincing victory in 1985. The winning 1983 team from Yale University featured 3 future US Chess Champions in Joel Benjamin, Michael Wilder, and Inna Izrailov.

From 1979 to 1986, an average of 57 teams took part. Future US Chess Champion Grandmaster Patrick Wolff led Yale University to victory in 1987. Harvard University won four titles in five years from 1986 to 1990, either won outright or shared.

Prior to 1986 the Pan Ams were organized by the Intercollegiate League of America (ICLA). The United States Chess Federation took over the organization after the 1986 Pan-Am in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kamsky plays in Pan-Am but Vivek Rao shines

Chicago 1991 saw a reigning U.S. champion appear in the Pan-Am for the first time, when 17-year-old Soviet émigré Gata Kamsky, was first board for Brooklyn College. Kamsky lost a sensational game to Vivek Rao of the winning University of Illinois team. Rao had previously led Harvard in winning the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Pan Ams.

Chess Scholarships and Recent Years

The 1990s saw two important events that influenced college chess: the fall of the Iron Curtain sent a flood of very strong eastern European and former Soviet players to the Americas, and several schools began offering major chess scholarships.

The University of South Florida offered chess scholarships in 1976 to two young players, but abandoned the experiment after winning the 1976 Pan-Am. Subsequently, Rhode Island College offered chess scholarships, and eventually won the Pan-Am in 1985. The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) recruited grandmasters and eventually offered chess scholarships. BMCC won the Pan-Am in 1993, 1994, and 1997. In contrast to those short-lived programs, the chess scholarship programs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have taken root and continue to the present day.

In 2009, two more Texas schools fielded strong teams: University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) and Texas Tech University; both offered chess scholarships. The 2010 Final Four was the strongest to date: it featured UMBC (average USCF rating 2559), UTD (2574), UTB (2598), and Texas Tech (2429). In 2012, Webster University and Lindenwood have emerged as contenders.

The 2019 Pan-Am was the strongest ever: the 63 teams included 33 Grandmasters, 20 International Masters, players from 40 FIDE federations, and 10 teams with average US Chess ratings over 2500. It was the largest Pan-Am from 1982 until 2023. [8]

The 2020–2021 Pan-Am was held online at Lichess.org.

The 2023 Pan-Am was held January 5-8, 2023, in Seattle. It was won by the A team of Webster University. [9]

List of Champions and Venues

University

SchoolWinsYear
Borough of Manhattan Community College31993, 1994, 1997
Brooklyn College21962, 1995
City College of New York21946, 1947
Columbia University51950, 1952, 1960, 1971, 1984
Fordham University11954
Harvard University51975, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990
Massachusetts Institute of Technology21966, 1970
McGill University11969
New York University11995
Rhode Island College11985
San Jose State University11964
Texas Tech University22015, 2019
University of California at Berkeley31963, 1967, 1989
University of Chicago61956, 1958, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1986
University of Florida11979
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign21991, 2012
University of Maryland, Baltimore County101996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012
University of Minnesota11992
University of Nebraska11975
University of Pennsylvania11977
University of South Florida11976
University of Texas at Austin21963, 2023 (U1800)
University of Texas at Dallas102000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley12015
University of Toronto61965, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981, 1982
Webster University82012, 2013, 2014, 2015 (tie), 2016, 2017, 2018,[10] 2023[11]
Yale University31978, 1983, 1987

Cup winners

#YearLocation / OrganizerNumber of TeamsWinning School Team
11946New York, NY13City College of New York
21948New York, NY15City College of New York
31950New York, NY16Columbia University
41952New York, NY12Columbia University
51954New York, NY8Fordham University
61956Philadelphia, PA14University of Chicago
71958Cleveland, OH10University of Chicago
81960Princeton, NJ13Columbia University
91962Philadelphia, PA28Brooklyn College
101963Notre Dame, IN28University of Texas at Austin, University of California at Berkeley
111964Los Angeles, CA21San Jose State University
121965New York, NY27University of Toronto
131966State College, PA27Massachusetts Institute of Technology
141967Hoboken, NJ24University of California at Berkeley
151968Chicago, IL49University of Chicago
161969Montreal, QC43McGill University
171970Evanston, IL51Massachusetts Institute of Technology
181971Toronto, ON55Columbia University
191972Columbus, OH108University of Chicago
201973Atlanta, GA73University of Toronto, University of Chicago
211974Louisville, KY89University of Toronto
221975Columbus, OH123University of Nebraska, Harvard University
231976New York, NY108University of South Florida
241977St. Louis, MO67University of Pennsylvania
251978Chicago, IL85Yale University
261979Los Angeles, CA42University of Florida
271980Atlanta, GA52University of Toronto
281981New York, NY71University of Toronto
291982Columbus, OH62University of Toronto
301983Worcester, MA59Yale University
311984Kitchener, ON59Columbia University
321985New Brunswick, NJ60Rhode Island College
331986Providence, RI53University of Chicago, Harvard University
341987Columbus, OH38Yale University
351988New Brunswick, NJ36Harvard University
361989Salt Lake City, UT19University of California at Berkeley, Harvard University
371990Cambridge, MA30Harvard University
381991Chicago, IL33University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
391992Detroit, MI33University of Minnesota
401993DeLand, FL31Borough of Manhattan Community College
411994Providence, RI31Borough of Manhattan Community College
421995New York, NY36New York University, Brooklyn College
431996Baltimore, MD36University of Maryland, Baltimore County
441997Bowling Green, KY38Borough of Manhattan Community College
451998Dallas, TX20University of Maryland, Baltimore County
461999Toronto, ON31University of Maryland, Baltimore County
472000Milwaukee, WI21University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Texas at Dallas
482001Providence, RI29University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Texas at Dallas
492002Miami, FL30University of Maryland, Baltimore County – B
502003Miami, FL30University of Texas at Dallas
512004Wichita, KS23University of Texas at Dallas
522005Miami, FL27University of Maryland, Baltimore County
532006Washington, DC24University of Texas at Dallas – B, University of Texas at Dallas – A
542007Miami, FL28University of Texas at Dallas
552008Dallas, TX29University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Texas at Dallas – B
562009South Padre Island, TX28University of Maryland, Baltimore County
572010Milwaukee, WI28University of Texas at Dallas
582011Fort Worth, TX28University of Texas at Dallas
592012Princeton, NJ44University of Texas at Dallas, Webster University – B, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Webster University – A, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
602013Lubbock, TX[12]42Webster University – A
612014South Padre Island, TX45Webster University – A
622015Cleveland, OH42Texas Tech – A, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – A, Webster University – B, Columbia University – A
632016New Orleans, LA60Webster University – B, Webster University – A
642017Columbus, Ohio58Webster University – A
652018Burlingame, California53Webster University – A
662019Charlotte, North Carolina63Texas Tech University – A
672020–2021Chess.com59Webster University – A
682022Dulles, Virginia57Saint Louis University – A
692023Seattle, WA / CEA84Open: Webster University – A, U1800: University of Texas at Austin - B
702024McAllen, TX40University of Missouri - A

Individual winners

#YearWinning Player
11945Kiven Plesset, City College of New York
21947Robert Byrne, Yale University
31949Paul Dietz, University of Pittsburgh
41951James Sherwin, Columbia University
51953Albert Weissman, New York University
61955Edmar Mednis, New York University
71957Charles Kalme, University of Pennsylvania
81959Leslie Ault, Columbia University
91961Larry Gilden, University of Maryland
101963Henry Davis, University of Texas
111965Marc Yoffie, City College of New York
121966John Meyer, Yale
131967Carl Wagner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
141969Camille Coudari, McGill University

Records

As of 2018, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Texas at Dallas share the record for most wins: each has won (or tied for first place) at the Pan-Am ten times. Webster University has the record for the longest winning streak: seven-years 2012–2018. University of Maryland, Baltimore County holds the most wins at the Final Four: six times (2003–2006, 2009–2010).

References

  1. ↑ "Chess Life, Here and There", Chess Life, p. 146, March 1973
  2. ↑ "Chess Club Ties City College; Frankle Wins Singles Crown", Harvard Crimson, November 28, 1972, retrieved April 15, 2016
  3. ↑ "Daniela De la Parra Wins 2013 Campeonato PanAmericano Universitario". Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ "College Chess". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships: Official Tournament Rules" (PDF). Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ "American chess bulletin. v.11 (1914)".
  7. ↑ The Bobby Fischer I Knew And Other Stories, by Arnold Denker and Larry Parr, San Francisco 1995, Hypermodern Press.
  8. ↑ https://chessstream.com/Pan-American-Intercollegiate-Championship/PairingAndStanding.aspx
  9. ↑ Linville (raync910), Ray. "Webster Team A Wins 2023 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Results are in at the Pan-Am Chess Champs! - US Chess". Archived from the original on 2019-01-09.
  11. ↑ Linville (raync910), Ray. "Webster Team A Wins 2023 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "First Time Hosting". Texas Tech University. December 25, 2013.

Bibliography

  • Edelman, Dan, Pan-American Intercollegiate and High School Team Chess Championships: Official Tournament Rules, Including College Chess Committee Guidelines (January 1993). Official 1993 Version.
  • Annual Reports of the USCF College Chess Committee. Available in the Annual Reports of the US Chess Federation.
  • Articles about the Pan-Am Intercollegiate published in Chess Life magazine.
  • Rating Reports from the Pan-Am Intercollegiate. Available from the US Chess Federation.
  • Program booklets from the Pan-Am for some years.
  • USCF (2016), 2016 Yearbook (Retrieved 2018-04-06)
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