Athletes don’t stop competing when their game ends! As Chess.com continues to engage with colleges and universities to bring the game of chess to more and more campuses, we’ve also found that football players seem to love the rich game of chess as well. The strategizing in their sport is often referred to as a chess match, so it makes sense!

After the success of the original BlitzChamps for NFL players, the series has expanded not only into a sequel (see the highlight reel below!), but the college ranks as well. After coming to the University of Michigan and Stanford University, whose players provided us with great entertainment, we are excited to announce that BlitzChamps Texas is now on the docket for October 10 at 2 p.m. Central U.S. Time. 

The Texas football squad is off to a scorching start in the 2023 season, including a huge win over third-ranked Alabama on September 9. Now, eight of their best chess players will face off for bragging rights on the chessboard (there are also two alternates listed here):

• Jahdae Barron, All-Conference Honorable Mention
• Jett Bush, Conference Commissioner Honor Roll
• Hayden Conner, Conference Commissioner Honor Roll
• David Gbenda, Conference Commissioner Honor Roll
• Trevor Goosby, High School All-American Honoree
• Christian Jones, Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
• Liona Lefau, MaxPreps Hawaii Player of the Year
• Gabriel Lozano, Academic All-Conference
• Robert Sweeney, BlitzChamps Texas Top Seed
• Ryan Sanborn, Ray Guy Award Watch List

BlitzChamps Texas will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube. Join the BlitzChamps Club now to stay up-to-date!

Looking for other ways to support chess at your school? Check out the Collegiate Chess League! The fall 2023 season is already underway.