SLU Sophomore Plays Champions at Chess World Cup
10/02/2019
Saint Louis University chess player Benjamin Bok ranks as one of the world鈥檚 leading chess players. The sophomore finance major recently took to the board to match wits against European champions and chess Olympians at the in Khanty-Mansiysk in the Russian Federation.
Bok defeated Ivan Saric, 2018 European Champion and world-ranked no. 76, in the tournament's first round.
Despite losing in a close game to Alexander Grischuk, the chess grandmaster currently ranked 13th in the world, Bok scored the best result of his chess career to date, reaching the tournament鈥檚 second round and ranking in the top 64 players at the World Cup.
Playing Under Pressure
The mental challenges of matching wits with the world鈥檚 top players were the only hurdles Bok tackled at the . The trip to Khanty-Mansiysk included 40 hours of travel and a 10-hour jetlag adjustment.
The tournament was a single-elimination, high stakes event broadcast worldwide in seven languages to thousands of homes. The World Cup takes place every two years and is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the chess world.
鈥淭he tournament challenged me as a chess player as I was testing myself at the highest level,鈥� Bok said. 鈥淭he single-elimination format of the tournament and its high stakes brings a lot of additional pressure as you realize that one mistake can be the last one.鈥�
Bringing Experience Home to Help SLU's Chess Team Excel
Bok returns from Russia with experience he hopes to share with team members on SLU鈥檚 nationally-tipped Chess Team. The team鈥檚 members spent the summer competing internationally. Members include internationally-ranked grandmasters and members of chess Olympic teams.
The team鈥檚 members also excel academically and personally. SLU grandmaster Cemil Can Ali Marandi, for one, recently competed in an engineering Global Grand Challenge co-hosted by the the U.S., British and Chinese national engineering academies in London.
Bok鈥檚 teammate, junior Dorsa Derakhshani gave a TedxTalk in Germany over the summer, and her commitment to playing chess in defiance of a ban by Iranian chess authorities has made international headlines.
The achievements have been possible, Bok said, due to the support he and his fellow team members have found at SLU, from friendships to memberships in groups like Alpha Delta Gamma, to mentoring by Coach Alejandro Ramirez.
鈥淧laying chess at a high level while studying at the same time is very hard, but I am working as hard as I can to achieve the most I can in both areas,鈥� Bok explained. 鈥淚 appreciate the support I receive from SLU 鈥� my coach went with me to Russia and his help before and during the tournament was invaluable.鈥�
Established in the fall of 2015 as a partnership between SLU and the , 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.
Story by Amelia Flood, University Marketing and Communications