University of Bologna Team Wins the Alma Mater University Chess Tournament

The University of Bologna team won the 2025 edition of the Alma Mater University Chess Tournament. After three days of competition, the students from the University of Bologna triumphed in the final against Maastricht University, with Oxford University coming in third.

The awards ceremony, held in the Aula Magna of the University Library of Bologna where the tournament took place, was led by Rector Giovanni Molari.

Eighteen student teams from across the globe competed on 36 chessboards over five rounds, following the Swiss system, which pairs opponents with similar scores.

At the end of the final round, the University of Bologna team secured first place. Alongside captain Riccardo Marzaduri, the team included Tommaso Marzocchi, Nicolò Orfini, William Pecci, Gaetano Signorelli and Alberto Miotto.

Individual awards also went to Giorgio Belli of the University of Padua, who received the special Best Chess Player prize, awarded by Banca di Bologna, and Giuseppe D’Auria of the University of Naples Federico II, who won the Intel Award for the Best Game. This latter prize was assigned by ShashGuru, an artificial intelligence system tested for the first time during the tournament.

The Alma Mater University Chess Tournament was organized with the support of the Italian Chess Federation and thanks to the sponsorship of Intel, together with Banca di Bologna, Teodomiro Dal Negro, Lavoropiù, Bologna Airport, and Cimas Ristorazione, Scuderia Future Food Living Lab, Acquaviva.