Saint Louis and Ural State Mining Advance to Finals in Almaty
The inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship in Almaty has seen Saint Louis University and Ural State Mining University advance to the finals following a series of competitive matches. The semifinals took place after a cultural program that included a visit to the Almaty Museum of Arts.
Saint Louis University began their semifinal against the University of Texas at Dallas with a strong performance, winning the first match 3.5-0.5. WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro expressed satisfaction with her team's result despite facing unexpected challenges during her game. Teammate GM Nikolozi Kacharava shared his positive impressions of Kazakhstan and discussed the balance between academics and chess.
In the other semifinal, Ural State Mining University faced KNUS, with their first match ending in a 2-2 draw. Ural then secured a 3-1 victory in the second match, earning their spot in the final. Saint Louis completed their semifinal with a total of 6.5 points across two matches, defeating UT Dallas 3-1 in the return match. The championship will conclude on Sunday, with the final match determining the first-ever FIDE World University Team Champion.
