“Just like in 2021, the defending champion grandmaster was the clear favorite to win, and I had never beaten him in a match,” he said.
Fate intervened. The grandmaster was knocked off by a lower-ranked player in the third round, and Morefield finished first in the tournament in which he has competed for more than a decade.
Morefield is a veteran tournament player. He has played chess since he was 3 and competed since 10.
The Chesterfield resident was homeschooled during high school, which allowed him to spend lots of time studying chess and to play in every state championship since 2013, except for 2015 because “unfortunately, as a 12-year-old, (I) had little control over family vacations to the beach.”
At UVA, he’s found ways both to compete and to conduct research with the LASER Research Group under Mool C. Gupta, Langley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where Morefield is researching ways to integrate sensors on the exterior of aircraft traveling at hypersonic speeds.
“A big problem people are trying to get past with hypersonics at the moment is that, given the extreme conditions they’re subjected to, traditional sensors can’t work properly,” he said. “So, we’re trying to find ways to use materials that can withstand that.”
Although the work leaves less time for chess, Morefield said he has gained the opportunity to play with other people. Most of his UVA games have been as a member of the UVA Chess Club, of which he is vice president.
“We meet every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. at Clark 107 and occasionally play in competitive events as a team sport, which is something that I never got the chance to do in high school,” he said. “I’ve been really enjoying it.”
In 2022, club members competed in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships and finished as the top team in their division, a first for them. He said they also play in online collegiate chess league team tournaments.
Although Morefield is a champion player, he encourages all students to stop by for a game.
“You don’t need to know anything beyond how the pieces move and, even if you don’t know, somebody will teach you,” he said. “It’s mostly a social event using chess as a way to connect people.”
Morefield said there is much left to accomplish, both at UVA and in the chess world.
“I am excited to work on my senior capstone project and plan to pursue a master’s degree in aerospace engineering,” he said. “And of course I plan to keep competing – after all, I’m not a grandmaster yet.”
