Texas Tech Knight Raiders recognized

AUSTIN - Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight, who recently earned his 900th victory when the Red Raiders defeated archrival Texas A&M, is well-known for being the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history.

Knight, other LISD-related winners get awards
By Enrique Rangel
A-j Austin Bureau

Wednesday, January 30, 2008Story last updated at 1/30/2008 - 1:40 am

AUSTIN - Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight, who recently earned his 900th victory when the Red Raiders defeated archrival Texas A&M, is well-known for being the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history.

But what many basketball fans may not know is that Knight also has a long history of involvement in reading programs for low-income youngsters.

The Texas Association of Partners in Education wants to make sure that the whole world also knows about Knight's work with those kids.

On Tuesday night, the association, better known for its acronym, TAPE, recognized Knight at an Austin banquet for his work with Knight Readers, the program he started in 1994 while coaching at the University of Indiana.

"This means a lot to him because that is what he's tried to do," said Steve Downing, Texas Tech senior associate athletic director for sports programs, who received the award on behalf of Knight because the Red Raiders had a practice.

One of the other six other winners were:

• Texas Tech Chess Club (Knight Raiders): "This after-school club is unique in that it allows any student to participate in the sport no matter their physical or mental abilities," the program said.

Here is the full story.

TCA Chess in Education Workshop

TCA Chess in Education workshop, March 8, 2008, 1-5 p.m. (Houston), co-organized by Dr. Alexey Root and Luis Salinas.

Sponsors: Texas Chess Association (TCA), The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB), Texas Tech University (TTU), and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).


KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: RUSSELL HARWOOD (UTB) and Grandmaster SUSAN POLGAR (TTU)

Press release contact: Alexey Root alexey.root@gmail.com. Release date: January 30, 2008.

The TCA Chess in Education workshop is open for registration. Participant fee information: $15 for participants in advance, $20 at the door. Refreshments will be served. Advance fees to: TCA Treasurer Barb Swafford, 2709 Longhorn Trail, Crowley, TX 76036-4719; 214-533-0061, barbrounds@gmail.com.

Workshop Location: Held in conjunction with the Texas Scholastic Chess Championships, March 8-9, 2008. Hilton Americas-Houston & George E. Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida de las Americas Houston, TX 77010. 1-800-236-2905 and ask for chess rate.

Workshop Schedule:

1:00-1:30 Dr. Steve Lipschultz, Think Like A King School Chess Software, presents a Demonstration of An Interactive System to Establish Chess At Any School.
The Think Like A King School Chess Software System is used in 1500 schools nationwide, and has become the Official Scholastic Software of the US Chess Federation. See an in-depth demonstration of how it can be used to quickly build chess programs throughout an entire school district.

1:30-2:30 Keynote Speaker Russell Harwood, Chess Program Director UTB/TSC, presents, The Chess Boom in Brownsville, Texas, and Tips for Duplicating it Where You Live.

Scholastic chess is booming in Brownsville, Texas, and the surrounding communities. Of the 50 schools in the Brownsville Independent School District, at least 35 have active chess programs. Six different Brownsville ISD schools have won national chess championships, led by Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary’s seven national titles. Two elementary school students have tied for individual national championships, and many others have finished in the top five. The chess success of our local schools got the attention of Dr. Juliet Garcia, President of The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, who formed a chess program at UTB/TSC so that area students would have the opportunity to earn scholarships and compete in chess at the university level. The Brownsville Independent School District has gotten onboard, and now allocates about $400,000 per year to their chess program. Chess has become a source of pride to BISD, UTB/TSC, and our community, and is now part of our identity. How did all of this come about? How can these results be duplicated elsewhere? Are there other successful models in our area? How does the future look? These questions and more will be addressed during this informative presentation.

2:30-3:00 Keynote Speaker Susan Polgar, Director of SPICE at Texas Tech University, presents her experiences in chess and education.

Grandmaster Polgar is the only person – male or female- to win chess’ Triple Crown, comprised of Rapid, Blitz and Classical World Championships. She is the top-ranked woman player in the United States and was the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title. Susan currently is the director of SPICE at Texas Tech University and the head coach of the Knight Raiders’ chess team. She is arguably the most active promoter of scholastic chess in the United States, visiting countless schools and communities across the country. After a short presentation a Q&A session will follow.

3:00-3:30 Refreshment Break. During the refreshment break, Dr. Alexey Root, author of Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving, presents an activity from her book.

Looking to combine educational goals with chess? Dr. Root presents an activity from her most recent book that teaches the geometry of the board along with the particular way in which knights move, all wrapped up in a fun story. Come hear, and participate in, “Coco Can’t Wait.”

3:30-4:00 Jerry Nash, Scholastic and FIDE Director for USCF, presents Strategies to Introduce Chess as an Educational Tool: Coordinating the Five Communities.

Scholastic chess has seen a dramatic increase within the last twenty years. In 1988, the United States Chess Federation’s youth and scholastic members totaled approximately 7000. By 2002, the two age groups combined for over 53,000 members. The state of chess in education may be characterized by its status as two types of programs: after-school and curriculum instruction. By far the majority of scholastic chess programs fall within the after-school category. The coordination of four communities – educational, civic, business, and political communities – along with the chess community is critical for the development of opportunities to demonstrate the value of chess for instruction.

4:00-4:30 Thomas Johnston, scholastic chess coach and former president of the Gateway Chess League, presents Keeping Chess Fun! Activities for Your School’s Club.

Participants will learn how to get organized, where to find some great resources at little or no cost, how to get parents involved and how to get your school involved in chess and your club involved in the life of your school. “Fun” sometimes involves hard work so we will also explore a few ideas about how to increase the work and fun at the same time. We will also consider a few fun ways and places to play and teach chess. Mr. Johnston has been a scholastic chess coach at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis for more than 17 years and is currently a member of the advisory council of the Gateway Chess League, the largest scholastic chess organization in Missouri.

4:30-5:00 Clemente Rendon, TCA Vice President, presents The Future of TCA.
TCA continues to be one of the country’s strongest state chess organizations, with unprecedented growth and opportunities. In order to accommodate this growth, strategic planning is critical. An eagle eye’s view will be given, which includes the current status, goals, and focus that the organization will have for the next few years.


About UT Brownsville

The University of Texas at Brownsville has been a member of The University of Texas System since 1991. In cooperation with Texas Southmost College, The University serves more than 12,000 students at its campus located in Brownsville, Texas. In Partnership with Texas Southmost College, The University offers a wide range of courses from Associate and Baccalaureate degrees to graduate classes and continuing education. For additional information about UT Brownsville, please visit the University’s website at http://www.utb.edu/.


About Texas Tech University

With nearly 29,000 students yet a cozy-feeling campus, Texas Tech students get the benefits of a major research institution without getting lost in the crowd. Texas Tech offers more than 150 degree programs through ten colleges. Texas Tech has a top-ranked School of Law, a Graduate School, and a Health Sciences Center that leads the country in areas such as aging and border health. They’re all located on the same campus. In 2007, TTU established the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) with its mission being

• To promote chess as vehicle for enriching education
• To serve as the global center for chess research, education and development
• To support and promote competitive chess at the college level
• To recruit outstanding undergraduate and graduate students

For additional information about TTU, please visit the University's website at http://www.ttu.edu

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The University offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the University's website at http://www.utdallas.edu/.

About TCA

The Texas Chess Association (TCA) promotes chess throughout the state of Texas. It is the official United States Chess Federation (USCF) state organization for Texas. The TCA promotes chess in many ways, including selecting organizers for annual state-wide tournaments for both children and adults; sponsoring the annual scholastic chess championship and certifying the participants for the national Denker and Polgar tournaments; providing stipends for participants in various national and international tournaments; providing chess sets and boards for new scholastic chess clubs at discounted prices; and publishing an award-winning, bi-monthly magazine, Texas Knights. The TCA is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit the TCA website at http://www.texaschess.org/.

A game that's fit for Kings and Kids

Chess is a game that's fit for kings and kids
Experts say it builds strong minds

By Chad Brooks Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/27/2008 12:21 AM

In this day and age, when businesses will spend millions to develop the next hot video game, one simple board game endures.

Chess, considered the oldest skill game in the world, seems to be as popular as ever, especially among the younger generation.

To capitalize on that, Barrington's Yury Shulman Chess School recently hosted an exhibition match featuring three grandmasters from across the world.

Nearly 60 players -- more than half of whom were children -- got to take on three grandmasters: Shulman, Alexander Onischuk and Susan Polgar -- for a rare glimpse at how the minds of the greatest chess players work.

"You are lucky if you get one grandmaster and here you get three," Polgar said. "So that is very special."

Grandmaster, a lifetime honor, is the highest title a chess player can attain.

Barrington's Kiran Frey, one of the event organizers, said she's seen interest in the game among children grow by leaps and bounds in the past decade.

"It has come a real long way," Frey said.

She became involved in chess after her son, Rishi Sethi, started playing while attending Barrington's Grove Elementary in 1998.

At first, he was the only one in his school playing chess, Frey said.

After speaking with the principal, a chess club was started, and it became the first of many in Barrington Area Unit District 220. Today, there are programs in each of the district's 11 schools.

"It has been really, really amazing to see (the clubs) develop," Frey said.

Sevan Muradian, president of the Glenview-based North American Chess Association, said he too has definitely seen a resurgence in the game in today's youth.

"There are more and more programs in elementary and middle schools," Muradian said. "It is another great outlet for a child's creativity."

Besides seeing their kids have fun, Muradian said there's a host of reasons parents keep their kids playing.

"I think parents are realizing it is a very good mental stimulus for the child," he said. "They are able to use critical thinking skills while playing."

Edward McDougal of Northfield believes chess has had a big, positive impact on his 7-year-old's development.

"We could start to see it was shaping his brain and making him more disciplined with his schoolwork," McDougal said.

His son Eddie, along with four other children from the Kings and Queens chess school in Glenview -- including Palatine's Gurveer Singh -- took first place in the annual National Youth Action Chess tournament in St. Louis last November.

"It just gave him a boost of confidence to know that all his hard work has paid off," McDougal said.

Polgar, a four-time world champion and chess coach at Texas Tech University, travels the country and loves to see kids getting involved.

"Chess is a wonderful educational tool," Polgar said.

Here is the full story.

Over $100,000 in scholarships and prizes

The Susan Polgar Foundation, in conjunction with SPICE, successfully organized our largest event to date, the 3rd annual Susan Polgar National Open. Over 350 players from beginners to grandmaster competed in this event which was held in Brownsville, Texas on January 18-20, 2008.

Over $100,000 in scholarships, 9 state of the art laptop computers, cash and chess prizes were awarded.

Special thanks to Dan and Chris DeLeon, Victor Flores, Victor Bailey, Susan Breeding and everyone else who helped make this a fantastic event!

Community Outreach - Chess in the schools

January 12, 2008

SPICE, the English Department, the College of Education, the Knight Raiders, Dr. Rich Rice, Dr. Hal Karlsson and Jerry Perez sponsored and organized the Chess and Education workshop for teachers from various schools in Lubbock and nearby areas. Over 30 teachers from 11 schools came for this workshop.

Many more will take place in the near future.

SPICE outreach - U of Washington

by Gregory Alexander

For two days in a row, the student paper put Susan Polgar on the first page of the paper, The Daily (University of Washington). Here was the student reporters article regarding the event:

The crowd was diverse — men, women, students, adults and even children — but one thing was clear when chess grandmaster Susan Polgar entered the room: a celebrity had arrived. The Chess Club at the UW invited Polgar to speak on campus at the Mechanical Engineering Building last night, and she drew a large crowd.

Polgar, who broke down gender barriers in the male-dominated world of chess when she qualified as the first woman to compete in the Men’s World Chess Championship, touched on issues of gender, technology and education in her speech.

“She’s an incredible chess player,” said Brian Rowe, a UW alumnus who brought his young daughter.

A small, elegant woman with a steady blue gaze, Polgar fielded questions from around the room, which was so crowded that people leaned casually against the doors. The questions were as diverse as the audience, and Polgar answered them with the assistance of her husband, manager and fellow chess player, Paul Truong, who called her “one of the breakthrough[s] for women” in chess.

Polgar said that gender doesn’t matter during a game.

“You look at the board and moves [rather than the opposing player],” she said. “It’s not who you play, but what you play.”

A question arose regarding nationality and its link to a chess player’s style. Polgar dismissed the notion, remarking that you can’t tell an Icelandic from a Bulgarian simply by looking at their playing styles.

Polgar said that chess is not a game decided by nationality or gender but instead by “who blunders less and who takes advantage of the opponent’s blunders.”

The discussion moved later to the effect of technology on chess. Players should not be scared away from using computers to enhance their chess playing, she said. “Chess programs don’t harm chess players,” she said. Instead, chess software “enriches the chess community.” Chess software can level the playing field for people who may not have access to chess clubs like those that exist in metropolitan areas.

On the other hand, technology can also facilitate cheating, Polgar said, although most online servers can usually catch cheating. Certain tournaments make players go through X-ray machines like in an airport, she said after Truong described an incident in which a player used an earpiece to communicate with another person calculating moves with a computer.

As a child, Polgar spent six to eight hours a day solving puzzles, studying strategy and playing games. Her father was not a professional player, but he helped her practice.

Polgar and Truong have developed a curriculum that incorporates the tenets of chess into all subjects taught in a classroom. In the classroom and at home, chess can be used as a tool to teach anyone organization, logic and concentration, no matter his or her age, Polgar said.

“The most important thing for a young player is to have fun,” she said.

Source: http://chessdiscussion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=658&p=3923#p3923