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Varsity Chess Match, 8 March 2025
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 10:06 am
by John Saunders
Results, games, report, photos of the 143rd Varsity Chess Match (Oxford University vs Cambridge University), played at the RAC Clubhouse, Pall Mall, London on Saturday 8 March 2025...
https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/2 ... iewer.html
Oxford outrated Cambridge by an average of 57 FIDE rating points, though the differential was less significant on boards other than the top one where Oxford's IM Tom O'Gorman was 175 FIDE points higher rated than Alex Leslie. Tom O'Gorman duly won, thus becoming the first player to win five games out of five in the series (all five on top board and with the white pieces). Oxford's main objective was to level the match series for the first time in 30 years but, having established a 3½-1½ lead, could not gain the further point they needed as Cambridge held their nerve to win the remaining three games and clinch a 4½-3½ light blue victory. The overall series score is now Cambridge 61 wins to Oxford's 59, with 23 matches drawn. A full historical record of the fixture may be found here:
https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/varsitychess.html
Re: Varsity Chess Match, 8 March 2025
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 10:14 am
by Jon D'Souza-Eva
Was Jun Wei Lee not eligible to play for Oxford? He's been running amok in the Oxfordshire League:
https://www.oxfordfusion.com/oca/GetPla ... ?pID=12382
Re: Varsity Chess Match, 8 March 2025
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 11:40 am
by Christopher Kreuzer
Apparently Jun Wei Lee is an exchange student at Oxford for the academic year 2024-5 from Notre Dame University (in Indiana, USA).
https://kellogg.nd.edu/jun-wei-lee
Jun Wei Lee is a junior from Singapore studying history and philosophy with minors in philosophy, politics and economics. His research focuses on the history of the Indian Ocean world, with a special focus on Indian migration to colonial Southeast Asia. Lee is working with Professor Paul Ocobock to conduct archival research on Kenyan governmental records at the Weston Library at the University of Oxford. Lee has previously received summer research grants from the Nanovic Institute for European Studies and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts for his research on Indian migration history. Following these grants, he presented his research at the 2024 Nanovic Undergraduate Research Conference, and Notre Dame's 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium and 3MT Competition respectively. Currently, Lee is also an Ethics Research Fellow for Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, where he is examining the ethics of indentured labor in the British Empire.
I have no idea whether or how exchange students are eligible for Varsity Matches, but it does seem that undergraduate opportunities at Notre Dame to be an International Scholar are quite advanced (the above to me reads more like the resumé of a postgraduate student). Maybe the PPE program there is akin to the PPE program at Oxford? (He is majoring in history and philosophy, the PPE is his minors.)
Re: Varsity Chess Match, 8 March 2025
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 1:08 pm
by Jon D'Souza-Eva
Thanks Christopher, that explains it. I was surprised that the Oxford team wasn't a bit stronger as I though there were quite a few 2200+ strength players there, but perhaps some of them left at the end of the 2023/24 academic year.
I've just realised that Imogen Camp was playing for Cambridge a few years ago! I don't suppose that's the first time someone has played for both sides in varsity matches.
Re: Varsity Chess Match, 8 March 2025
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 2:18 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Back in April 2024 I wrote a post on some Varsity Match statistics, cunningly hidden in a different thread (click the up arrow below to see the full post).
I have quoted below what I said about those who have played for both.
Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2024 9:31 am
Then there are the 5 players who have played for both Cambridge and Oxford. I list the number of appearances for Cambridge first in the details below.
David Douglas Alexander Lawson played 6 times (3+3). Ronald Leslie Johannes played 3 times (1+2). Eddie Dearing played 3 times (2+1).
Imogen Camp has so far played 5 times (4+1). Daniel Gallagher has so far played 3 times (2+1).
Gallagher and Camp may well break records here, as they may well be still active/eligible players (they both went from Cambridge to Oxford and both made their most recent appearance in 2024).