(From left) Anita Borja Enriquez, University of Guam president; Grace Estur, a junior civil engineering major; John Karamihan, a senior business administration major; Tuan An (Tony) Tran, an undeclared freshman; Carmina Ramas, a sophomore civil engineering major; Zoltan Szekely, UOG associate professor of mathematics and team captain; and Sharleen Santos-Bamba, UOG senior vice president and provost in the UOG President’s Office on May 6, 2026.

University of Guam Chess Team members (from left) Grace Estur, a junior civil engineering major; John Karamihan, a senior business administration major; Carmina Ramas, a sophomore civil engineering major; and Tuan An (Tony) Tran, an undeclared freshman.

University of Guam Chess Team members Carmina Ramas and Tuan An (Tony) Tran demonstrate some chess moves in the UOG President’s Office prior to their qualifying competition on May 9, 2026.

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Led by Associate Professor of Mathematics Dr. Zoltan Szekely, the UOG team consisted of senior business administration majors Daniel Doria and John Karamihan, junior civil engineering major Carmina Ramas, freshman Tuan An (Tony) Tran, and sophomore civil engineering major Grace Estur as a reserve player. While they did not secure one of the 16 slots in the final competition, to be held in Kazakhstan this August, Szekely said they put up a good fight against very strong competitors.

As a team, they came in 50th among 57 universities. Ramas achieved the highest individual score among the Guam players, followed by Tran. Ramas and Tran hold the lifetime title of Candidate Master within the World Chess Organization, which they were awarded after achieving a high rating in the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

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