H.R. No. 1471
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The chess team of The University of Texas Rio Grande
Valley continued its tradition of excellence by winning the 2021
President's Cup tournament, claiming its third consecutive title in
this prestigious event; and
WHEREAS, Joining the other three top collegiate teams in the
country for the President's Cup virtual competition on April 3 and
4, the UTRGV players staged an impressive comeback, overtaking
Saint Louis University on the final day of the tournament to win the
championship; the "three-peat" triumph follows first-place cup
finishes in 2018 and 2019, with the 2020 event being cancelled due
to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, The Vaqueros were paced by grandmaster Kamil Dragun,
who placed third in the individual scoring; grandmasters Mateusz
Bartel, Hovhannes Gabuzyan, and Vladimir Belous also contributed to
the team's point total, finishing fifth, sixth, and seventh,
respectively; the team also received valuable contributions
throughout the year from the other members of the roster: Vladimir
Fedoseev, Sanan Syugirov, Ildar Khayrullin, Irakli Beradze, Ulvi
Bajarani, Felix Ynojosa, Yannick Rajesh Kambrath, and Askar
Nurbekov; these accomplished players benefited from the leadership
and support of head coach Bartlomiej Macieja, associate dean of
students Douglas Stoves, and program manager Aleksander Mista; and
WHEREAS, The 2020-2021 season also marked the first time
UTRGV sent its women's players into competition; the individuals
who proudly represented their school included Yuliia Osmak, Alicja
Sliwicka, Julia Antolak, Ana Shamatava, Lauren Tovias, and Lorena
Garcia Ramon; and
WHEREAS, Through the skill, hard work, and unwavering
determination of its members, the UTRGV chess program has
established itself as one of the most successful in the nation, and
all those associated with the team are to be commended for their
achievements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate The University of Texas Rio Grande
Valley chess team on winning the 2021 President's Cup tournament
and extend to the players and staff sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the team as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Dominguez
Guillen
Canales
Longoria
Lucio III
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1471 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2021, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House