UGA Chess Dawgs made University history Saturday and Sunday, winning first place and the coveted title, “The Best College Chess Team in Georgia,” after a two-day championship.

The Chess Dawgs took first place at the Georgia Open College Team Chess Championship at Emory University.

Patrick Graham, president and founder of Chess Dawgs, has been attending the tournament with his team for the past two years.

“The first year we attended the tournament, we got third, and last year we got second,” Graham said. “This year, the Chess Dawgs took first place, so I now have with me the first place trophy for the only team chess championship in Georgia.”

Graham said the tournament was a stressful experience for the club.

“It had been four rounds and there was still no clear winner. It was getting late and everyone wanted to know who the best chess team in Georgia was.”

The results were decided by a final blitz round, which meant that each player would only have five minutes total to play the game.

“Blitz rounds are exciting,” Graham said. “They aren’t like the chess games that so many people are used to, that take all day.”

The blitz round concluded with a 4-0 victory for the University.

“It really was an incredible experience,” Graham said.

The tournament hosts chess teams from universities across the state, including Georgia Tech, Emory and Macon State.

The contest is open to everyone; there are no qualifications for teams who want to play.

Two teams of four from the University attended the tournament this weekend.

Femi Ogunyemi, a junior from Lithonia, went to the tournament for the first time last year.

“I like playing chess because it’s mentally stimulating,” he said. “I don’t really do anything different to prepare for a tournament; just practice a lot and study.”

Graham created Chess Dawgs when he was a freshman. He had played chess since he was a kid, and his love of the game carried though until college.

“I brought my chess set with me to UGA, and one day during my freshman year someone saw it and said, ‘hey, we should join the chess club.’ It was then I found out that there wasn’t a chess club here. So I decided to start one.”

Graham described the club as laid-back, with meetings anyone can attend.

“The main purpose of the club is to provide a fun and relaxed environment to play chess,” he said.

“We have people come each week from all different skill levels. There are no membership dues; everyone is welcome to come and play.”

Dani Dumont, a junior from Milner, said she learns a lot by coming to weekly meetings and watching others play.

“I’m not very good at chess, but I really enjoy coming to chess club,” she said. “I like watching the games and socializing with the other members.”

Other than the Georgia Open College Team Chess Championship, the Chess Dawgs have not attended any other tournaments.

“We have tried to go to a national tournament in Miami in the past, but it hasn’t worked out,” Graham said. “We got funding from the University to go, but it was during the winter holidays, so we couldn’t get a big enough team together to go.”

Graham said he hopes to see the Chess Dawgs grow in size and to participate in more tournaments in the future.

The chess club meets every Monday and Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Tate Center. More information can be found at www.uga.edu/chess.