UAF Chess Team surprises competition at 2023 Pan-American Chess Tournament

Members of the UAF Chess Club stand next to each other at the Pan-American Chess Tournament 2023 in Seattle — UAF Chess Club at the Pan-American Chess Tournament 2023 in Seattle. From left to right: Logan Borger, Luke Martin, David Schweizer, Matthew Dominick, Michael Martins, Evan Nichols, and Josh Costello.

The UAF Chess Club organized a team of seven individuals to participate in the Pan-American Chess Tournament in Seattle. This tournament had over 80 teams participating, with over 360 college students. There were those like the members of the UAF team who had a passion for chess and loved to play, and there were also those who were ranked in the top 200 in the world.

The UAF team participated in the Under-1800 ranked category, where they managed to gain the "Team Surprise Upset" award by beating another team who was much higher ranked than the UAF team. One of the UAF players also walked away with the Individual "Surprise Upset" award by beating an opponent (during a 4-hour chess game) who was ranked 1850.

The members who were part of the 4-man UAF team included Luke Martin, Josh Costello, Evan Nichols, and Michael Martins. The three chess members who participated in the Open Tournament included Logan Borger, Matthew Dominick, and David Schweizer.