The University of Maryland, Baltimore County's chess team tied for first place Dec. 30 at the 2008 Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships and earned berth in the Final Four of college chess in April.

The win also gives UMBC the record for the most Pan American wins in the history of college chess, with eight.

The team tied with the University of Texas-Dallas, the defending national champion which won the championship outright in the last two years with victories over UMBC.

"The overall result was a triumph to regain the title, especially after having been edged out the past two years," said Alan Sherman, director of the UMBC chess program and a professor at the university. "But we did feel a little disappointment that it wasn't a more decisive victory, that we had to share the title with our arch-rival."

Two of UMBC's top competitors, grandmasters Leonid Kritz and Sabina Foisor, were stricken with the flu right before the tournament began and did not compete in the first two rounds.

The tournament had a total of 29 teams from North, South and Central America.

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