The top three teams overall were recognized with awards as was the highest ranked second or "B" team. Five individuals were recognized with awards for highest score at each of the four board positions. The four-round event was conducted in 4-board team format at a time control of G/45. This year's competition featured 3 USCF rated chess Masters, 2 Experts, and a number of strong Class A and B level players.
The Georgia Chess Association (GCA) congratulates the 2014 champion University of Georgia "Chess Dawgs A" team consisting of Richard Francisco, Leo Martinez, Samuel Zimmerman, Gautam Narula and Adam Kostrinsky. UGA teams have either won the team championship outright (3 times) or shared the title as co-champions for the past 6 years straight.
The clear 2014 runner-up team was the Emory University "A" Team consisting of Grant Oen, John Lattier, Jinseok Kim and Jon Schoder. The Emory University "B" Team took the award for Top B-Team, while finishing 5th overall.
Five students were recognized for having top scores at each of the four board positions:
Board 1: Richard Francisco, UGA A (4 game points); Deepak Aaron, GA Tech A (4)
Board 2: Leo Martinez, UGA A (4)
Board 3: Jinseok Kim, Emory A (4)
Board 4: Troy O'Neal, GA Tech C (3)
This open college team-format competition has become a well established annual tradition. Very few other states regularly hold college team championships of any kind. We thank the Emory University Chess Club for their continued support on this unique event.
The Georgia Chess Association looks forward to even more participants next year around this time. Until then, the collegiate community is welcome at many other Georgia tournaments including the upcoming 2014 Georgia State Championship and the 2014 Castle Chess Grand Prix.