SLU Chess Team Members Receive Individual Honors at World Chess Olympiad
Five members of the 2021-22 Saint Louis University Chess Team represented their home countries in the 44th World Chess Olympiad. Two SLU students received individual honors at the team competition.
SLU chess team member Nikolaos Theodorou, right, is pictured with, from left, Nodirbek Yakkuboev, bronze (Uzbekistan) and Nihal Sarin, gold (India). Theodorou represented his home country of Greece. Submitted photo.
Nikolaos Theodorou, a student in the College for Public Health and Social Justice who represented the Greek federation at the Games, received a Silver Medal on Board 2.
“Words come short at describing such an accomplishment. Every elite player was at this event, and out of all the second boards, Niko’s performance was only surpassed by Nihal Sarin from India,” said SLU Coach Alejandro Ramirez. “The top Board 2 seed was America’s Levon Aronian, currently ranked 8th in the world. Niko soundly defeated him in round 9.”
Originally from Greece, Theodorou started playing chess at the age of seven. He became an International Master at the age of 16 and was even briefly ranked #1 in Europe and #4 in the world in his age group. His current rating of 2554 places him in the fifth spot in the Greek rankings.
Gabriela Antova, a junior in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, finished as the fifth best Board 4 in the Women’s Olympiad. She represented Bulgaria.
Antova started playing chess at the age of six. Growing up, she traveled the world competing in youth events and open tournaments where she had the opportunity to show her talent. She achieved early success at the world and European championship. Antova is currently pursuing her final woman grandmaster norm.
The other SLU-affiliated players at the Olympiad include Benjamin Bok, The Netherlands; Cemil Can Ali Marandi, Turkey; and Stavroula Tsolakidou, Greece.
SLU Coach Alejandro Ramirez coached the U.S. women’s team. More than 180 countries participated in the World Olympiad. Each team was composed of five players who play in 11 rounds of 4x4 matches, with one of the players from each team resting a round.
About SLU’s Chess Team
Established in the fall of 2016 as a partnership between SLU and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, with support from SLU alumnus, University trustee and chess enthusiast Rex Sinquefield, the team is not just a club activity but rather a strategic effort by administrators and alumni to recruit promising players and build on the University’s excellent academic reputation. The team currently has 14 members and recruitment efforts continue through donor-sponsored competitive chess scholarships, which can include room and board, tuition and fees.
Latest Newslink
- Saint Louis University Vaccine Center Recruits Healthy Participants for Flu Human Challenge StudyStudy participants will be infected with the influenza virus while under the care of a medical team in order to learn more about how healthy people’s immune systems respond to an influenza infection.
- SLU/YouGov Poll: Missouri Voters Sweet on Kansas City BBQIn February 2025, the SLU/YouGov Poll asked 900 likely Missouri voters which regional style of American barbecue was their favorite. Kansas City style came out on top, with 41 percent of voters selecting it as their favorite barbecue style, more than double the 17 percent who favored St. Louis style.
- SLU President Tells Class of 2025 to Enjoy the JourneySaint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., never planned on a career in higher education. During his commencement address Saturday morning in front of a packed crowd at Chaifetz Arena, Pestello said that when he was the one graduating from college 51 years ago, he wanted to be a radio host. Along the way, things changed, and he ended up having a lengthy career in education. As he prepares to step down as SLU's 33rd president at the end of June, he told the Class of 2025 about how his plans changed early and often.
- SLU Vaccine Center Will Enroll Healthy Volunteers in West Nile Virus Clinical TrialSaint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development will enroll up to 30 adult volunteers in a clinical trial to study the safety and immune response elicited by a new investigational vaccine for West Nile virus. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or treatment for illness caused by West Nile virus. A previous study of an earlier version of this vaccine showed the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated. Building on these findings, this new study will assess an updated version of the vaccine.
- SLU Doctoral Student and Augustinian Friar Shares Memories of Time Spent with Pope Leo XIVWhen Cardinal Robert Prevost stepped out onto the balcony in St. Peter’s Square as Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, Saint Louis University doctoral student Fr. Jack Tierney O.S.A. cheered along with the rest of the world’s Catholics. Tierney is a member of the Midwest Augustinians, the same religious Order that produced Pope Leo XIV. Their paths frequently crossed as brother friars.
- SLU's Flying Billikens Taking Off for 2025 National Intercollegiate Flying CompetitionA team of aviation science students from Saint Louis University's School of Science and Engineering are heading to Oshkosh, Wisconsin this weekend for the 2025 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Competition.
