URBANA — With the IHSA state meet just a month away, the Uni chess team began the new year by winning the 14-team Illini Classic on Jan. 5, then five days later swept Charleston in a league match.

It was the third time Uni has won the Illini Classic. The team had a perfect score of four wins, defeating Ottawa, Glenbard South, Bloomington, and Normal University High.

Uni hosts the annual tournament at the Illini Union. Each team plays four rounds with a five-man squad.

Here is how the Uni varsity fared individually:

• Board 1: Junior Gordon Ruan (W, W, W, W), 1st place
• Board 2: Senior Alex Zhai (W, L, W, W), 2nd place
• Board 3: Senior Geoffrey Beck (W, W, W, W), 1st place
• Board 4: Junior Alan Liang (W, W, W, L), 2nd place
• Board 5: Junior Greg Atherton (W, L, L, L) 12th place

Uni was also able to have enough players to make a JV team. The JV placed second, losing to Normal U-High in the third round.

Here is how the JV fared individually:

• Board 1: Junior Brian Wang (W, W, L, W), 2nd place
• Board 2: Sophomore Daniel Cheng (W, W, D, W), 1st place
• Board 3: Freshman Youyang Gu (W, W, W, W) 1st place
• Board 4: Sophomore Daniel Wilson (W, W, L, W) 2nd place
• Board 5: Sophomore Danny Ge (W, W, W, W) 1st place

Less than a week later, Uni played its first East Central Illinois Chess League contest of 2008, sweeping Charleston in a two-round match Thursday night at Parkland College.

The varsity team consisted of Ruan (1), Zhai (2), Beck (3), Liang (4), Atherton (5), and Wang (6).

Uni won both Round 1 and Round 2 with a score of 58-0.

In the individual JV matches, Cheng won both his games. Gu, meanwhile, is ranked No. 1 in the league JV standings.

Uni is 8-0 in the ECICL. The team members will play their next match Thursday against Bloomington and Normal U-High in one-round matches.