SLU Chess Team Player Profiles

Varuzhan Akobian, Head Coach

Title: Grandmaster
Peak rating: 2673
Email: varuzhan.akobian@slu.edu 

Varuzhan was the U.S. Junior Champion in 2003, and the winner of the World Open in 2002, 2004, and 2007. He also played for the U.S. in the 2009 World Team Championship and helped earn the silver medal. He played on the bronze-medal-winning U.S. team in the 2006 and 2008 Chess Olympiads. He was the 2014 US Championship Runner Up. Please email the head coach for any team or scholarship questions! 

Dariusz Świercz, Assistant Coach

Title: Grandmaster
Peak rating: 2670

Dariusz Świercz is an American chess Grandmaster. He earned his grandmaster title at the age of 14 years and seven months in 2009. In 2011, Świercz won the World Junior Chess Championship and in 2016 he won the 3rd Millionaire Chess. In 2018, he will represent the United States. He was a part of the US National Team in World Team Championships 2019 and Online Olympiad in 2021, contributing in the latter to the US Team winning a silver medal. 

Aryan Chopra

Title: Grandmaster
Freshman, Business
Peak rating: 2641 
Home country: India 

Viktor Gazik

Title: Grandmaster
Graduate Student, MBA 
Peak rating: 2585 
Home country: Slovakia

Nikolozi Kacharava

Title: Grandmaster
Freshman, Economics
Peak rating: 2550
Home country: Georgia

Tianqi Wang

Title: International master 
Graduate Student, Public Health 
Peak rating: 2431
Home country: United States 

Thalia Cervantes

Title: Woman Grandmaster
Senior, Sports business
Peak rating: 2338
Home country: United States

Cervantes was born in the chess-rich country of Cuba. She has always been a leading junior player representing Cuba and continued winning tournaments after transferring to the U.S. Federation in 2014. Cervantes is pursuing a degree in sports business, which ideally combines with her ambition in chess. 

Accomplishments

• Second place, US Girls Junior Championship 2022
• Silver Medalist with Team USA in the 2021 Chess Olympiads
• First place, 2018 Pan-American Girls U20

Sila Çağlar

Title: Woman International Master
Junior, Neuroscience
Peak rating: 2306
Home country: Turkey

Accomplishments

In 2013, Çağlar won the European School Chess Championship in the girls U09 age group. In 2016, she won the Turkish Youth Chess Championship in the girls U12 age group. Caglar repeatedly represented Turkey at the European Youth Chess Championships and World Youth Chess Championships in different age groups. In 2016, in Prague she won European Youth Chess Championship in the girls U12 age group and received Women FIDE Master (WFM) title. Çağlar two times played Cervantes for Turkey team in the European Girls' U18 Team Chess Championships (2016-2017). Also she participated in European Individual Women Chess Championships 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2020, she was awarded the FIDE Women International Master (WIM) title.

Bharath Subramaniyam

Title: Grandmaster
Freshman, Psychology
Peak rating: 2605
Home country: India

Francesco Sonis

Title: Grandmaster
Graduate Student, Cybersecurity
Peak rating: 2579
Home country: Italy

Yaser Quesada Perez

Title: Grandmaster
Senior, Leadership & Organzational Behavior
Peak rating: 2609
Home country: Cuba

Harsha Bharathakoti

Title: Grandmaster
Senior, Psychology
Peak rating: 2608
Home country: India

Liam H Putnam

Title: Grandmaster
Freshman, Psychology
Peak rating: 2515
Home country: United States

Anna M Sargsyan

Title: International Master
Graduate Student, Cybersecurity
Peak rating: 2405
Home country: United States

Amina Kairbekova

Title: Women's Grandmaster
Freshman, Psychology
Peak rating: 2379
Home country: Kazakhstan