This weekend the University of Texas at Dallas chess team will compete in its 13th consecutive Final Four championship in Washington, D.C. They’re going up against Webster University, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and the University of Illinois and hope to capture their first national title since 2008.
“I’m excited to play with my teammates in the Final Four again. Our previous two appearances at this tournament may have been disappointing, as we lost both times by a half point, but it definitely pushed me and my teammates to improve our competitive level,” said UT Dallas chess team member and Grandmaster Julio Sadorra. “I think winning it this year would be really special because it’s my last Final Four and it’s been part of my dream as a chess player to lift the President’s Cup with the UT Dallas team.”
There’s going to be a pep rally at 12:15 p.m. tomorrow in the school’s student union. To my surprise, UTD does in fact have cheerleaders. (See beginning of the video above. H/T Scoop blog)