El Paso school chess coach accused of cheating to keep job following probe

After facing accusations of cheating — the El Paso school district says the Henderson Middle School chess coach will remain on the job.

Saul Ramirez has led the team to win three straight national competitions.

Ramirez was accused of having his players purposely lose during local tournaments, so they could compete at a lower level at nationals.

An ethics committee with the U.S. Chess Federation determined that there was enough evidence to strip the team of last year’s title.

The U.S. Chess Federation tells ABC-7 that it has completed its investigation — but cannot state whether Ramirez remains a coach.

However, a school spokesperson said, ” The Chess Federation has absolutely no authority over what we do as a district, so Mr. Ramirez remains an integral part of our staff at Henderson and he will continue to coach the chess team there. ”

The district also said the students impacted can remain on the chess team if they choose to.

Ramirez has not responded to requests from ABC-7 for comment.