GM Grigoriy Oparin from Mizzou gained the Collegiate Chess League’s fifth season after defeating GM Mikhail Antipov, from the identical college, within the Grand Finals. His clutch efficiency in a must-win recreation finally earned him the $1,600 first prize. This is the recap of the CCL’s fifth season and prize breakdown. 

How to look at?

This CCL season, now in partnership with NACE Starleague, the most important collegiate esports league in North America, was the primary time the league was run as a person occasion, versus the standard workforce format. Over 300 gamers certified for the playoffs from the common season, which consisted of six weeks of qualifier tournaments. 190 colleges registered, which was a rise of over 80 colleges from the final season. 

The winner of the common season was GM Ruifeng Li from UT Austin, who beat Oparin in tiebreaks. 

Playoff Highlights

There had been 19 playoff divisions, every having 16 gamers face off in a double-elimination bracket. This meant that regardless of shedding one match gamers would have an opportunity to redeem themselves within the loser’s bracket. 

After a terrific run within the common season, Li was well-poised for the playoffs, the place he was the number-one seed. In the winners’ finals, he confronted Oparin, the number-two seed, who managed to win the match after forcing a blitz tiebreak recreation. Li moved to the loser’s bracket whereas Oparin awaited his opponent within the Grand Finals.

Antipov, in the meantime, needed to defeat GM Chris Repka, one other teammate from Mizzou, after his loss to Oparin. He gained in extra time 2-1.

His subsequent match within the loser’s bracket was towards IM Anna Sargsyan from Webster University, who put up an unbelievable efficiency. She gained 4 matches in a row towards all higher-seeded opponents: FM Justin Chen from NYU, IM Josiah Stearman from Mizzou, WGM Annamaria Marjanovic (her roommate and teammate from Webster), and GM Raja Harshit from Mizzou. Her startling run got here to a detailed in her match towards Antipov, who gained 2-0. 

Ultimately, Li confronted Antipov within the loser’s finals. After a win, he wanted only a draw to safe the match, and the draw he discovered within the recreation was one which was so uncommon it brought about the comment from a stunned IM Eric Rosen: “That appeared like a mouse slip at first!”

Li gained $1,000 for ending third whereas Antipov earned his ticket to the Grand Finals, the place he would face Oparin.

Grand Finals Highlights

Oparin gained the Grand Finals with a clutch efficiency, importantly profitable a must-win recreation to pressure extra time and preserve his season alive after which taking the ultimate recreation of the match.

The eventual winner began off with a stable win within the first recreation in an English-turned-Reversed Benoni, however Oparin gained the next one to pressure extra time. Antipov, nevertheless, went on to win two extra video games in a row to win their first match.

Due to Antipov ending within the loser’s bracket, he nonetheless wanted to defeat Oparin in two matches (whereas Oparin simply wanted one) to high the Grand Finals.

The street to victory could have appeared paved for Antipov as he began the second match with one more win (three in a row!) and solely wanted a draw to shut out the encounter. In a must-win state of affairs, although, Oparin managed to tug by means of with the black items in a rook endgame with equal materials however ever-so-slightly higher locations by transfer 66.

It all got here all the way down to the ultimate tiebreak recreation the place White’s extra energetic king managed to interrupt by means of in a same-color bishop endgame with equal pawns.

Oparin gained $1,600 for ending first, whereas Antipov took residence $1,300 for his second-place end.

For the complete playoff standings for all divisions, go right here.

Prize Breakdown

Division 1:

1. Grigoriy Oparin – University of Missouri – Columbia: $1,600
2. Mikhail Antipov – University of Missouri – Columbia: $1,300
3. Ruifeng Li – University of Texas at Austin – $1,000
4. Anna Sargsyan – Webster University – $850

Division 2: 

1. Linden Lee – Yale University: $1,000
2. Roman Gavrilin – Humber College: $700
3. Asish Panda – Arizona State University: $600
4. Andrew Titus – Georgia Institute of Technology: $500

Division 3:

1. Naveen Prabhu – University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill: $500
2. Emilio Castellanos – Universidad Marista de Merida: $350
3. Sanjana Vittal – Cornell University: $300
4. Kevin Liu – University of Texas at Austin: $250

The spring season registration is now open and has $30,000 in prizes, our largest prize for the CCL ever.