SLU Chess Team Members Receive Individual Honors at World Chess Olympiad

Five members of the 2021-22 Saint Louis University Chess Team represented their home countries in the 44th World Chess Olympiad. Two SLU students received individual honors at the team competition. 

Nikolaos Theodorou, a student in the College for Public Health and Social Justice who represented the Greek federation at the Games, received a Silver Medal on Board 2.

“Words come short at describing such an accomplishment. Every elite player was at this event, and out of all the second boards, Niko’s performance was only surpassed by Nihal Sarin from India,” said SLU Coach Alejandro Ramirez. “The top Board 2 seed was America’s Levon Aronian, currently ranked 8th in the world. Niko soundly defeated him in round 9.”

Originally from Greece, Theodorou started playing chess at the age of seven. He became an International Master at the age of 16 and was even briefly ranked #1 in Europe and #4 in the world in his age group. His current rating of 2554 places him in the fifth spot in the Greek rankings. 

Gabriela Antova, a junior in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, finished as the fifth best Board 4 in the Women’s Olympiad. She represented Bulgaria. 

Antova started playing chess at the age of six. Growing up, she traveled the world competing in youth events and open tournaments where she had the opportunity to show her talent. She achieved early success at the world and European championship. Antova is currently pursuing her final woman grandmaster norm.

The other SLU-affiliated players at the Olympiad include Benjamin Bok, The Netherlands; Cemil Can Ali Marandi, Turkey; and Stavroula Tsolakidou, Greece.

SLU Coach Alejandro Ramirez coached the U.S. women’s team. More than 180 countries participated in the World Olympiad.  Each team was composed of five players who play in 11 rounds of 4x4 matches, with one of the players from each team resting a round. 

About SLU’s Chess Team

Established in the fall of 2016 as a partnership between SLU and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, with support from SLU alumnus, University trustee and chess enthusiast Rex Sinquefield, the team is not just a club activity but rather a strategic effort by administrators and alumni to recruit promising players and build on the University’s excellent academic reputation. The team currently has 14 members and recruitment efforts continue through donor-sponsored competitive chess scholarships, which can include room and board, tuition and fees.