The SLU Chess Team won back-to-back Collegiate Chess League titles, securing the Fall 2025 season championship.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students and SLU has dominated in recent years. The Billikens have won the Collegiate Chess League title in the last six seasons.
The Saint Louis University Chess Team claimed another title by winning the Fall 2025 Collegiate Chess League title. Submitted photo.
The team rolled into the finals after a semifinal win against the University of Missouri-Columbia. SLU dominated the board and won 9-3 with a round to spare. With the victory, SLU advanced to the finals to face the University of Texas at Dallas.
In the regular season, Dallas defeated Saint Louis, and got off to a quick start. The Billikens, however, fought back and came out on top with a 8.5 - 7.5 victory.
"This was a very tough season," said Head Coach Varuzhan Akobian. "I'm very proud
of the team for performing so well and we are looking forward to the next season with
a new very strong Grandmaster joining the team. We hope to continue our winning-streak."
The members of SLU's chess team are: Grandmaster Aryan Chopra, Grandmaster Viktor
Gazik, Grandmaster Nikolozi Kacharava, Grandmaster Batsuren Dambasuren, and International-Master
Tianqi Wang.
