Hard times for us Texas Tech alums. First, the Red Raiders suffer their first losing football season since 1992. Then the men’s basketball team may not win a Big 12 game — and is proving it each time the Raiders take the court.

Now this. Tech is suffering the indignation of losing its entire national championship chess club. You read it right. The reigning national collegiate champions, and their coach, former world champion Susan Polgar, are leaving for Webster University in St. Louis.

Somehow I feel like I’ve been rooked.

But last Friday, Webster University smugly announced that the Hungarian-born Polgar is moving her Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence (SPICE to the great uninformed) to Webster, and furthermore, taking the whole darn team with it.

Yes, exactly. Goodbye to eight grandmasters — Georg Meier, Wesley So, Ray Robson, Manuel Leon Hoyos, Elshan Moradiabadi, Anatoly Bykhovsky, Andre Diamant, and Demes Boros, plus international masters Vitaly Neimer and Faik Aleskerov. Gone, just like that. They’re all transferring with Polgar.

This is an outrage. This is like Sul Ross stealing not only Nick Saban, but the rest of the Alabama football team. Call the NCAA. Call Interpol. Call Bobby Fischer (scratch that, he’s dead), but call someone.

It’s bad enough that St. Louis ripped my heart out in the World Series. Now the city is stomping on it. Unbeknownst to me and the rest of America, St. Louis is home to the U.S. Chess Championships, the country’s No. 1 rated player, the World Chess Hall of Fame, and a state-of-the-art chess club.

Retired St. Louis businessman and philanthropist Rex Sinquefield built the multimillion-dollar Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis a few years ago. The club prompted Hikaru Nakamura — the top-rated player in the country and No. 6 in the world — to move to St. Louis.

Mike Wilmering, a chess club spokesman, said the club wasn’t involved in discussions to bring Polgar to St. Louis but was thrilled with the development.

I just bet you are. Why don’t you go ahead and take the iconic Will Rogers statue while you’re at it?

Next year’s Webster team will include those eight ex-Tech grandmasters — something no other collegiate team has ever had, Polgar said. Pouring more salt in Red Raider wounds, the team is expected to be ranked No. 1 in the nation this fall.

Polgar is a five-time Olympic champion. In 1986, she was the first woman to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle. She holds world records for most simultaneous chess games played — 326 — and for most consecutive games played — 1,131.

Polgar said she was grateful for her team’s stint at Tech, where it grow from “literally nothing” in 2007 to its status today. But in the end, she felt that St. Louis was a better home.

I’m not sure we’ve heard the last of this. While many ex-students feel like a pawn in this sordid mess, I wouldn’t expect Tech chancellor Kent Hance to take this lying down. Hance hails from another U.S. chess hotbed, Dimmitt, and may have one or two unexpected moves up his sleeves.

Normally, I would say let’s get Webster on the football schedule and exact some revenge, but the way the 2011 season ended, I’m not so sure that’s a wise move. But, please, Webster, leave our meat judging team and Law School moot court team alone. Right now, that’s about all we got.

Source: http://amarillo.com

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

Polgar, SPICE to leave Tech, cites lack of resources for move
Posted: Sunday, February 5, 2012 5:29 pm
By Summer Chandler
Contributing Writer

Susan Polgar and the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence will relocate from Texas Tech to Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., in June.

Polgar said eight students, all members of the “A” team of the 20-person Tech chess team have transferred or have committed to Webster University for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“One of the big elements and attractions was — obviously beyond the commitment of Webster to support chess and the chess program — is their global aspect,” Polgar, director of SPICE and head coach of the Knight Raiders chess team, said. “They are a global university. They already have numerous campuses worldwide, from Europe to Asia, and plan to expand that even further. And chess, being perhaps the most international game there is, I think it is a perfect match from that perspective. I think it’s a wonderful fit for SPICE.”

Polgar and her husband Paul Truong, coach and director of marketing and public relations for SPICE, said Webster University’s commitment to growing the SPICE program was one of the primary motivators for the move. Truong said he believes the chess program grew faster than officials with either SPICE or Tech anticipated, which led to insufficient resources to grow the program.

“We are, in a way, the enemy of our own success. I don’t think anybody — us or the administrators of the university — could ever expect how fast the program grew,” he said. “And, unfortunately, when you are a state institution, you know, the president, or let’s say the provost or the chancellor, cannot just make a decision that, ‘OK, tomorrow I am going to give you a million dollar budget for chess.’ It doesn’t work that way.”

However, Truong said he believes the unavailability of resources led to an unfortunate situation that limited the program’s ability to recruit players.

“From the previous president, to the provost, to the vice-provost, to the current administration, they are all very supportive,” he said. “The problem is, their hands are tied. When we have a list of so many students that out of all the universities in the world, they want to choose this location — we don’t have enough scholarships to offer everybody.

“And it’s one of those very unfortunate situations. If we like the status quo, if we are OK with, say, 20 players on the team or in the program, or let’s say having a few Grandmasters, it’s OK. But, we get to the point where we are the No. 1 program in America — and probably in the world — and everyone wants to come here. Something has to give.”

While Truong said Tech, as a state university, was limited in scholarships and methods to recruit world-renown chess players, Chris Cook, managing director of communications and marketing said Tech’s chess foundation is fully focused on recruiting excellent chess students.

“We have — and are still going to have a great chess program,” he said, “that will recruit students not just nationally but internationally as well. We’re focused on our future and toward expansion.”

Truong said he and Polgar do not want SPICE to simply cease to exist at Tech.

“We don’t want to leave things behind,” he said. “We don’t want it to collapse and just go away. So we made an offer to Tech that said we offer to keep the SPICE program here and Susan would come back, fly back two or three times a semester to continue training the team and help out the local community. We are still waiting for an answer, but we’re reaching out to the university.”

Cook said the chess program at Tech would not end with Polgar’s transition to another university.

“You have to commend Susan for all she has done for Texas Tech,” he said. “One of the reasons why our chess program is so strong is because of her involvement and we hope to build on that strength.”

Cook said the university will work to hire a new director, a new coach and a new outreach coordinator for the team.

While he did not know if Tech is going to keep the SPICE program in name, keeping a high-quality chess program is a goal for Tech.

“As to a high-quality chess program that is representative of what Susan established is definitely on the radar,” Cook said. “She does leave big shoes to fill, but what she has built here isn’t something we’re going to just let go away. First and foremost, we want the Tech name attached to it, and that’s what were going to do.”

On average, Truong said chess team members maintain between a 3.35 and 3.4 GPA and have a diverse range of backgrounds and majors.

“As a group, it’s a very high score, very high grades,” he said. “Our students are very diversified when it comes to majors, from math, to law, to engineering, to psychology, English, Spanish, finance, business. I mean, you name it, we have it.”

When asked why such a program — a national-champion team with a roster of academically achieving and diverse students — did not receive the resources Polgar and Truong thought necessary to grow SPICE, Cook said the university has to balance the needs of its many successful programs.

“We have a lot of successful programs and they all deserve more, they all do,” he said. “I can’t answer that question on chess accurately without knowing the exact figures. We have other national championships across the board: moot court, livestock judging, meat judging. There are a lot of them. We have a lot successful programs and I think they are all treated very fairly.”

Polgar said announcing the move now does not mean her job at Tech is finished.

“We’re still here and we’re still here until the end of May,” she said. “We still have big challenges ahead of us. Our team will compete in the Southwest Collegiate Championship in two weeks, and then of course we have another big event in Chicago for them gearing all of them up for the (College Chess) Final Four, where we hope to defend our title.

“So, we’re not done yet; we’re still here. Our heart is fully here with Texas Tech and with the students, and to bring more pride to Texas Tech.”

The Tech Division 1 chess team is the current reigning national collegiate chess championship team and will defend the title at the College Chess Final Four, March 31 through April 1 in Washington, D.C.

Source: http://www.dailytoreador.com

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

Polgar, SPICE to leave Tech, cites lack of resources for move
Posted: Sunday, February 5, 2012 5:29 pm
By Summer Chandler
Contributing Writer

Susan Polgar and the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence will relocate from Texas Tech to Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., in June.

Polgar said eight students, all members of the “A” team of the 20-person Tech chess team have transferred or have committed to Webster University for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“One of the big elements and attractions was — obviously beyond the commitment of Webster to support chess and the chess program — is their global aspect,” Polgar, director of SPICE and head coach of the Knight Raiders chess team, said. “They are a global university. They already have numerous campuses worldwide, from Europe to Asia, and plan to expand that even further. And chess, being perhaps the most international game there is, I think it is a perfect match from that perspective. I think it’s a wonderful fit for SPICE.”

Polgar and her husband Paul Truong, coach and director of marketing and public relations for SPICE, said Webster University’s commitment to growing the SPICE program was one of the primary motivators for the move. Truong said he believes the chess program grew faster than officials with either SPICE or Tech anticipated, which led to insufficient resources to grow the program.

“We are, in a way, the enemy of our own success. I don’t think anybody — us or the administrators of the university — could ever expect how fast the program grew,” he said. “And, unfortunately, when you are a state institution, you know, the president, or let’s say the provost or the chancellor, cannot just make a decision that, ‘OK, tomorrow I am going to give you a million dollar budget for chess.’ It doesn’t work that way.”

However, Truong said he believes the unavailability of resources led to an unfortunate situation that limited the program’s ability to recruit players.

“From the previous president, to the provost, to the vice-provost, to the current administration, they are all very supportive,” he said. “The problem is, their hands are tied. When we have a list of so many students that out of all the universities in the world, they want to choose this location — we don’t have enough scholarships to offer everybody.

“And it’s one of those very unfortunate situations. If we like the status quo, if we are OK with, say, 20 players on the team or in the program, or let’s say having a few Grandmasters, it’s OK. But, we get to the point where we are the No. 1 program in America — and probably in the world — and everyone wants to come here. Something has to give.”

While Truong said Tech, as a state university, was limited in scholarships and methods to recruit world-renown chess players, Chris Cook, managing director of communications and marketing said Tech’s chess foundation is fully focused on recruiting excellent chess students.

“We have — and are still going to have a great chess program,” he said, “that will recruit students not just nationally but internationally as well. We’re focused on our future and toward expansion.”

Truong said he and Polgar do not want SPICE to simply cease to exist at Tech.

“We don’t want to leave things behind,” he said. “We don’t want it to collapse and just go away. So we made an offer to Tech that said we offer to keep the SPICE program here and Susan would come back, fly back two or three times a semester to continue training the team and help out the local community. We are still waiting for an answer, but we’re reaching out to the university.”

Cook said the chess program at Tech would not end with Polgar’s transition to another university.

“You have to commend Susan for all she has done for Texas Tech,” he said. “One of the reasons why our chess program is so strong is because of her involvement and we hope to build on that strength.”

Cook said the university will work to hire a new director, a new coach and a new outreach coordinator for the team.

While he did not know if Tech is going to keep the SPICE program in name, keeping a high-quality chess program is a goal for Tech.

“As to a high-quality chess program that is representative of what Susan established is definitely on the radar,” Cook said. “She does leave big shoes to fill, but what she has built here isn’t something we’re going to just let go away. First and foremost, we want the Tech name attached to it, and that’s what were going to do.”

On average, Truong said chess team members maintain between a 3.35 and 3.4 GPA and have a diverse range of backgrounds and majors.

“As a group, it’s a very high score, very high grades,” he said. “Our students are very diversified when it comes to majors, from math, to law, to engineering, to psychology, English, Spanish, finance, business. I mean, you name it, we have it.”

When asked why such a program — a national-champion team with a roster of academically achieving and diverse students — did not receive the resources Polgar and Truong thought necessary to grow SPICE, Cook said the university has to balance the needs of its many successful programs.

“We have a lot of successful programs and they all deserve more, they all do,” he said. “I can’t answer that question on chess accurately without knowing the exact figures. We have other national championships across the board: moot court, livestock judging, meat judging. There are a lot of them. We have a lot successful programs and I think they are all treated very fairly.”

Polgar said announcing the move now does not mean her job at Tech is finished.

“We’re still here and we’re still here until the end of May,” she said. “We still have big challenges ahead of us. Our team will compete in the Southwest Collegiate Championship in two weeks, and then of course we have another big event in Chicago for them gearing all of them up for the (College Chess) Final Four, where we hope to defend our title.

“So, we’re not done yet; we’re still here. Our heart is fully here with Texas Tech and with the students, and to bring more pride to Texas Tech.”

The Tech Division 1 chess team is the current reigning national collegiate chess championship team and will defend the title at the College Chess Final Four, March 31 through April 1 in Washington, D.C.

Source: http://www.dailytoreador.com

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence and the Knight Raiders hosted the fifth annual Lubbock Open at the Lubbock Science Spectrum on Jan. 28.

The tournament was a five-round Swiss System tournament.

“Just remember that it’s not about win or lose,” said competitor Marcus Gamboa, an Evans Middle School student from Lubbock. “It’s about having fun. If you’re really wanting to win, make sure you know what you’re doing before you make a move.”

The tournament was open to all ages. Elementary, middle school, high school and college students, as well as adults, were involved in the competition.

“This tournament includes seven sections including kindergarten through 12th grade scholastic sections and one adult section,” said Susan Polgar, SPICE director and Knight Raiders coach.

Five Grand Masters from Tech competed, said Brett James, president of the Knight Raiders and a pre-medicine major from Richmond, Va.

“Chess players can’t take any moves for granted,” James said. “You have to focus the entire time, even if it’s a five minute game or a three hour game. Every single move counts. Stay mentally tough and be ready to play the entire game.”

The competitors consistently practice before playing in competitions, he said.

“Our chess team meets once a week at school and most of them play every day at home,” said Tom Messerschmidt, chess coach at Frenship Middle School. “ I also have a computerized chess game that they take home and play on the computer. They play quite a bit.”

Chess players practice as a team but also use their own time to better themselves at the game.

“Plan your moves before you use them,” said Lawson Sittre, a Frenship Middle School student. “I practice every day at school, at lunch and during my intervention period. I practice at home sometimes, too.”

Practice has a great effect on the outcome of a tournament, even for players at Tech.

“Preparation before you play is important,” said Ananya Roy, a third-year member of the Knight Raiders and a junior political science major from Atlanta. “Think about each move, even if you think it’s an easy move.”

The upper-level players and coaches have been involved in competitions for several years and have seen how the game has grown and changed, James said.

“I started playing when I was in fifth grade, and my tournaments were a lot smaller than this,” he said. “Lubbock has a very big chess community. The tournaments I played in Virginia were about half this size, but it was a great opportunity to start playing the game. I’m glad I can help do the same for kids in Lubbock, who will hopefully go on to play chess in high school and college, too.”

Hard work pays off, James said, and the Knight Raiders are an example of success in chess competitions, having a national championship title.

“We won the Final Four last year in April and we’re going back to defend that this April,” he said.

Georg Meier, a freshman management and international business major from Trier, Germany, is rated second in the country, said Haraldur Karlsson, adviser for the Tech Chess Club and associate professor of the geosciences department.

“I was chess professional for about four years and last November I became European Team Champion with the German team,” Meier said.

Meier, as well as other foreign players, saw Tech as a great opportunity to continue playing chess competitively.

“The Tech team is famous in the whole chess world,” Meier said. “I heard about this program and contacted Susan Polgar and then everything just started working out.”

The strategy learned in chess can also be applied to life, Messerschmidt said.

“Keep focused and don’t let the other players distract you,” he said. “The moves you make depend on the moves your opponent makes. Think ahead. It’s problem-solving; a life skill.”

Source: http://www.dailytoreador.com

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

Top seed of the Open section is GM Meier 2722, followed by GM Bykhovsky 2640, GM Moradiabadi 2594, GM Diamant 2538, GM Boros 2521, IM Aleskerov 2478, and IM Neimer 2421.

Stay tuned for full results.

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

The fifth-annual Lubbock Open & Scholastic chess championship will be hosted by Texas Tech’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, The Susan Polgar Foundation and the Knight Raiders on Jan. 28 at the Science Spectrum.

The tournament is an individual and team scholastic championship with rated and unrated sections. Players are allowed 30 minutes maximum per game.

Non-members of the U.S. Chess Federation who wish to play in a rated section must become a member at or prior to the tournament. Membership may be obtained at www.uschess.org or on site until 10 a.m.

On-site registration and check-in is from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. All pre-registered players must check in by 9:45 a.m.

Entry fees are $10 before Jan. 20, $15 before Jan. 27 and $20 on site.

Chess boards and sets will be provided, but participants may bring a chess clock.

For more information, call 742-7742 or email spice@ttu.edu. Entry forms and details are available online at www.spice.ttu.edu.

Source: http://lubbockonline.com

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

The 3rd Magistral Internacional Marcel Duchamp 2011 was held on 14-23rd December at the Club Argentino de Ajedrez, Paraguay 1858, Buenos Aires. The 13th FIDE category event was played as a double-round robin with six players.

The tournament featured a thematic opening to honour the legendary Argentine Grandmaster Oscar Panno. All games were started with the Panno King’s Indian variation – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.0-0 a6.

GM Georg Meier (co-captain of the SPICE Knight Raiders chess team), reigning European Team Champion with Germany, won the competition with 6.0/10 points despite the loss in the final round. A convenient setting for Meier was that his nearest follower GM Sandro Mareco was also defeated on the last day and remained half a point behind.

Final standings:

1. GM Meier Georg GER 2659 – 6
2. GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2583 – 5.5
3. GM Lemos Damian ARG 2542 – 5
4. GM Rodriguez Vila Andres URU 2481 – 5
5. GM Delgado Ramirez Neuris COL 2570 – 4.5
6. GM Flores Diego ARG 2602 – 4

Sandro Mareco and Diego Flores shared the first place in the last year’s Magistral Marcel Duchamp.

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

Yesterday was the 9th edition of the Get Smart! Play Chess! tournament in Lubbock. It was held at the Science Spectrum and about 110 players, from 6 to 60+ showed up to compete.

Here is the link to 70 pictures from the event, in memory of Quinton Smith, a high school junior in town who lost his life during a USCF National Tournament in Dallas a few weeks ago.

His principal, Dr. Sam Ayers, and coach, Jon Whitfill, came to the tournament to say a few words about him. A scholarship fund in his name has been set up.

https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/GetSmartPlayChess1232011

Chess daily news from Susan Polgar