Harvard–Yale chess match

The Harvard-Yale chess match is held annually around the time of the Harvard-Yale football game in November on the campus of the university hosting the football game that year. It is a relatively informal match and the schools do not typically submit the games to the United States Chess Federation for rating. Nevertheless, it is one of the highlights of the year for each school's chess club. The match typically consists of five games, pitting five current Harvard students against five current Yale students (undergraduate or graduate), with the boards numbered 1 through 5 (with 1 having the strongest players and 5 having the weakest). The team with the most game points is declared the winner of the match, with a win worth 1 point, a draw worth half a point, and a loss worth 0 points. In the case of a tie, either the match is declared a tie, or a tie-breaking procedure is applied. Tie-breaking procedures applied in the past included using the result of the strongest non-drawing board as the result of the match, or using results achieved on boards numbered higher than 5 by players from each school who were not selected to be in the top five. Match details vary each year depending on the preferences of current members of each school's chess club.

Those who play in the match are typically strong tournament players. The ratings range from around 1800 to 2400 USCF. Players occasionally are FIDE International Masters or grandmasters.

As of 2022, the champion is Yale, after defeating Harvard 2.5-1.5.

Results

Year	Site	Match format	Tie-break	Winner	Score	Average USCF ratings
						Harvard	Yale
2022	Harvard	4 boards, G25/D5	Additional boards	Yale	2½–1½	2407	2396
2021	Yale	4 boards, 2x	None	Yale	6–2	2257	2384
2020	Harvard	Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019	Yale	3 boards, 2x G/30	None	Yale	5½–½	Unknown	Unknown
2018	Harvard	5 boards, G/30	None	Harvard	4–1	Unknown	Unknown
2017	Yale	5 boards, G/30	None	Tie	2½–2½	Unknown	Unknown
2016	Harvard	5 boards, G/30	None	Harvard	5–0	2328	Unknown
2015	Yale	5 boards, G/45	None	Harvard	4–1	Unknown	Unknown
2014	Harvard	5 boards, G/45	6th board	Harvard	3–2	2162	2031
2013	Yale	5 boards, G/60	Unknown	Yale	3–2	2069	2200
2012	Harvard	5 boards, G/60	Additional boards	Tie	2½–2½	Unknown	2211
2011	Yale	5 boards, G/60	Additional boards	Yale	3–2	2119	2258
2010	Harvard	5 boards, G/60		Harvard	3–2
2009	Yale	5 boards, G/60		Harvard	3–2
2008	Harvard	5 boards, G/45	None	Harvard	4–1	2186	2079
2007	Yale			Tie
2006	Harvard	Unknown	Unknown	Harvard	3–2	Unknown	Unknown
2005	Yale	5 boards, G/60	Non-draw result on strongest board	Yale	3–2	2083	2092
2004	Harvard	4 boards, G/60	None	Tie	2–2	2118	2225
2003
2002
2001				Yale
2000				Harvard		2066
1999				Yale

Notable players who have competed in the match

FIDE Grandmasters

• Nicolas Checa (Yale, 2021, 2022)
• Darwin Yang (Harvard: 2016)
• Robert Hess (Yale: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Patrick Wolff (Yale, Harvard, GM title earned in 1990)
• Joel Benjamin (Yale, GM title earned in 1986)

FIDE International Masters

• Richard Wang (Harvard: 2016)
• Matthew Larson (Yale: 2015, IM title earned in 2018)
• Bogdan Vioreanu (Yale: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
• Marc Esserman (Harvard: 2001, IM title earned in 2009)
• Teddy Coleman (Harvard: 2008, 2009, 2010, IM title earned in 2012)

FIDE Masters

• Varun Krishnan (Harvard: 2016)
• Jake Miller (Harvard: 2015)
• Akira Watanabe (Yale: 2004)
• Jacob Chudnovsky (Harvard: 2000)
• Charles Riordan (Harvard: 2000, FM title earned in 2008)

Other

• Kurt Hugo Schneider (Yale: 2006, 2008, 2009)

Games

• 2009, Board 1, Coleman (H) vs. Vioreanu (Y)
• 2010, Board 1, Coleman (H) vs. Vioreanu (Y)