The University of Pisa will take part for the first time in the Alma Mater University Chess Tournament, to be held in Bologna from 12 to 14 September. The University will be represented by four students: Andrea Davini, Matteo Montorsi, Francesco Tissi, and Cosimo Tavoletti. All are registered with the Italian Chess Federation and bring consolidated competitive experience.
The tournament will feature eighteen teams, armed with strategy, intuition and creativity, representing some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, Maastricht and Panthéon-Sorbonne. Matches will be played on 36 electronic chessboards.
The Pisa students combine academic study with their long-standing interest in chess. Andrea Davini, who studies Economics, has played since the age of 13 and today holds the title of 1° Nazionale, with appearances in national and international tournaments, including the European Rapid Championship in Tallinn. Francesco Tissi, from Florence, a Mathematics student, made his official debut in 2023, achieving second place in the Open B of the Florence Liberation Tournament. Cosimo Tavoletti, originally from Barletta, is enrolled in the Master’s Degree Course in Mathematics at the University of Pisa as a student of the Scuola Normale. He developed his passion after watching a documentary on the famous Fischer–Spassky match of 1972, and has since competed in tournaments at local and international level. Matteo Montorsi, also a Mathematics student, began playing at the age of 11, first in a parish course and later with the ApuanaSoloScacch club, achieving, among other results, 21st place in the final of the Italian Under-12 Championship.
Enthusiasts will be able to follow the live commentary of the University Tournament on chess.com or track the matches move by move on the tournament website. At the end of the competition, the top three teams will be awarded, with two special prizes also presented: Best Player and the Intel Award for the most exciting game, as determined by artificial intelligence.
