{"id":9045,"date":"2026-10-14T07:15:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T00:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/?p=9045"},"modified":"2026-10-14T08:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T01:03:57","slug":"icymi-accs-check-mates-turned-a-funding-scramble-into-a-championship-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/icymi-accs-check-mates-turned-a-funding-scramble-into-a-championship-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: ACC\u2019s Check Mates Turned a Funding Scramble into a Championship Glory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kaila Hamilton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months before they would be crowned champions, ACC\u2019s Check Mates chess club were still scrambling to find a fourth player and secure funding for a trip that wasn\u2019t guaranteed to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their efforts paid off in January when the team won the Under-1400 division at the 2026 Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship in Chicago, which is one of the most prestigious collegiate chess tournaments in North America. For the team, this victory was more than just a trophy\u2014it was the ultimate payoff for months of preparation, diligent fundraising, and persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roster was already in place\u2014mostly. Brothers Dean and Grant Bomar, both long-time chess players, and Check Mates\u2019 president, Evan Castura all brought their skill and plenty of competitive edge. The Bomar brothers had both placed in national competitions in the state of Georgia, at just the ages of 8 and 10 years old. So, it wasn\u2019t knowledge or experience the team lacked. The only thing missing was a fourth player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The search started in full swing back in November of 2025, when the club members launched a series of recruitment efforts around several ACC campuses\u2014flyers, word-of-mouth, and communication through ACC\u2019s Honors Program network. Their search eventually led them to Zachary Rosenblat, a student they met during a meeting connected to the chess club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astonishingly, unlike his teammates, Zachary hadn\u2019t had decades of experience playing chess. He began playing only three years prior, but quickly immersed himself in competitive play, sometimes live streaming his games and rapidly improving his skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even after finding their final teammate, another challenge emerged for the club: getting him approved to compete. The club\u2019s leaders worked directly with ACC administrators to navigate eligibility requirements. Even with a backup plan in place, the team remained committed to bringing Rosenblat with them to the Pan-am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, yet another obstacle loomed: funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us are all too familiar with the many expenses related to traveling. (Seriously, why is an economy seat so much<\/em> money for so little<\/em> legroom? I\u2019m looking at you, American Airlines.) Since tickets can rack up pretty quicky when traveling to a national championship, the Check Mates needed funding before the Fal 2025 semester ended. But, in late November, they got word that Student Life did not have the funding available for the trip, forcing the club to seek alternative solutions\u2014and quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team turned to the Office of Purpose and Belonging and developed a grant proposal that positioned chess as a tool for community building. They researched the social impact of chess, drawing examples from famous chess spaces such as Harvard Square, and highlighted the game\u2019s accessibility to all players of all skill levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then their work paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2025, the club received the maximum mini-grant award of $2,500. However, rising travel costs left the team nearly $1,000 short of its goal. While additional support from Student Life helped to bridge the gap, timing created another challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because funding arrived nearly at the last minute, club advisor and ACC math professor Michael Huff was unable to obtain a travel card before campus closed for winter break. Instead, Huff personally covered the trip\u2019s expenses and was later reimbursed. Talk about saving the day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now with little time to spare, the team finalized travel arrangements and shifted most of their attention to the obvious\u2014competition and game strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On top of playing practice matches, to studying openings, all of Check Mates\u2019 members quickly recognized the mental demands of chess tournaments and developed their own strategies to avoid burnout. By easing off intense play in the days leading up to the championship, focusing on rest, and prioritizing their nutrition, everyone was able to maintain every bit of their mental sharpness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the tournament began, ACC entered a playing field that was full of well-established programs and clubs from across the United States. The Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship attracts some of the strongest collegiate players in North America. Some schools in attendance were the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Chicago, and Howard University. Big names on a big field, and the ACC Check Mates were about to give them all a run for their money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team competed in the newly created Under-1400 division, where many opponents entered with significantly more competitive experience. Despite the odds, the team continued to build momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They secured some key victories throughout the tournament, including a win over Howard University. For the Check Mates, other matches proved far more challenging, like the narrow loss to Northwestern University, and a defeat against one of the University of Illinois\u2019 teams. These matches demonstrated exactly how thin the margin between victory and defeat really<\/em> is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the tournament came into its final stages, the championship picture still remained uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some results from other teams\u2019 matches began to carry just as much weight as ACC\u2019s own performance. Alas, the team watched closely in a nail-biting round as De Anza College, Georgia Tech, and UT Austin battled it out for a position in the final standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, Check Mates had done what few expected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team returned to Austin as champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a club built on community, this victory represented way more than just a trophy. From the ACC students and allies distributing flyers, to the administrators who helped navigate eligibility requirements and the advisor who supported the trip (another shouts out to you, Michael Huff!), to finally the teammates\u2014Grant, Dean, Evan, and Zachary\u2014who spent months preparing and working \u2018round the clock, this championship
reflected a collective effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The win also embodied the core values that club members say define Check Mates itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a competition that\u2019s (normally) dominated by universities with bigger budgets, ACC\u2019s Check Mates\u2019 victory served as a reminder that success is not always determined by resources alone. Sometimes it comes from persistence, preparation, and a group of eager and passionate students willing to make the next move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to join or pop in for a Check Mates club meeting, you will be greeting with friendly faces. In an interview with ACCENT<\/em>, Grant Bomar says, \u201cEveryone from all skill levels are welcome. Anyone can walk in. [What we do here is] teach people the value of how to play chess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kaila Hamilton Months before they would be crowned champions, ACC\u2019s Check Mates chess club were still scrambling to find a fourth player and secure funding for a trip that wasn\u2019t guaranteed to happen. Their efforts paid off in January when the team won the Under-1400 division at the 2026 Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship in Chicago, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4103,"featured_media":9051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1135,12,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news","category-photos-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9045"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9054,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9045\/revisions\/9054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}