Since the SPICE program started a few years ago, it has been growing and expanding at warp speed.
Through the special training program for the Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess teams, the 13 active members of the A team, B team, and women's team gained nearly 1,100 rating points in just this short time! That is an average improvement of nearly 90 rating points per player!
This is the reason why I keep on pushing the idea of proper training for young people! If they are taught the right way, they will improve in chess.
Valiant effort by the Knight Raiders at the Final Four of chess Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Sunday, April 18, 2010 Story last updated at 4/18/2010 - 12:27 am
The Texas Tech Knight Raiders edged out chess powerhouse University of Texas at Dallas to finish in third place at the Collegiate Chess Final Four held April 10-11 on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. This is a huge accomplishment as UTD won four of the last 10 national titles.
The University of Maryland Baltimore County won the 2010 national championship and President's Cup for the second year in a row, and sixth overall in the past 10 years.
University of Texas at Brownsville finished second, followed by Texas Tech.
UMBC and UTD came into the Final Four as the co-favorites. Both teams had an identical roster of three grandmasters and one international master, as well as an identical average chess rating of 2581. UTD has two grandmasters but chose to bring four international masters with an average rating of 2539.
The Texas Tech Knight Raiders is by far the lowest-ranked team with an average rating of only 2450 since it is only our first full recruiting year. The average rating of the Knight Raiders is 131 points lower than UMBC and UTB, and 81 points lower than UTD.
This is like bringing minor league baseball team to compete against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. It is David versus Goliath times three.
But our players fought valiantly in the strongest Final Four in collegiate chess history.
We were right in it in every match with chances to beat the three top-rated teams in the country. Every game went down to the wire. At the end, we came up short for the national title and had to settle for third, but I am very proud of the Herculean effort of our team.
Every team member contributed to the overall outstanding results. No other team has made it to the Final Four in its first try, and our students gave their all against the toughest competition.
This is a great experience for our team to grow from and I am confident we will make many more appearances in the Final Four in the upcoming years.
Here are the individual results of Knight Raiders at the Final Four:
Texas Tech’s Knight Raiders A Team earned 4.5 points to edge out chess powerhouse University of Texas at Dallas at the Collegiate Team Chess Championship held April 10-11 on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County won the tournament to claim the President’s Cup for the second year in a row.
“I am very proud of the effort of our team,” said Knight Raiders Coach Susan Polgar. “No other team has made it to the Final Four in its first try, and our students had a good performance against tough competition. This is a great experience for our team to grow from and I am confident we will make more appearances at the championship.”
Texas Tech earned a berth in the Final Four in its first year sending an A team to compete in the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship – or the chess version of March Madness – to battle 28 top chess teams including Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin for a spot at the championship.
The A Team
Davorin Kuljasevic, Croatia, graduate student in finance
Gergely Antal, Hungary, senior economics major
Gabor Papp, Hungary, senior finance major
Chase Watters, Texas, graduate student in microbiology
The Texas Tech Knight Raiders are in the Final Four in Brownsville this weekend at the Collegiate Team Chess Championship Written by Cory Chandler
Texas Tech is in the Final Four!
No, the Red Raiders did not take the place of the Michigan State Spartans, West Virginia Mountaineers, Butler Bulldogs or Duke Blue Devils in Indianapolis. There are no layups, heart-stopping free throws or desperation three-pointers from mid court for the national title.
The Texas Tech Knight Raiders are in the Final Four in Brownsville this weekend at the Collegiate Team Chess Championship, fighting for the coveted national title.
This is the first year Texas Tech sent an A team to compete in the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, the chess version of March Madness, to battle 28 top chess teams including Yale, Princeton, Stanford and UT Austin to earn a spot in the World Series of College Chess.
The Road to the Final Four
To get to the Final Four, the Texas Tech Knight Raiders trounced Princeton 4-0, UT Austin 4-0, Florida Atlantic University 4-0, and Stanford 3 ½- ½.
In its first recruiting year, the Knight Raiders A team earned a berth in the Final Four by finishing in a tie for second place in National Division I, snagging two firsts in chess history – no team has never made the Final Four in its first try, not to mention Susan Polgar is the only woman to lead a Division I men’s team to the Final Four.
Underdogs
Of the four teams competing at the tournament, the Knight Raiders are the lowest-ranked and least-experienced team. The team will face the University of Maryland Baltimore County, UT Dallas and UT Brownsville at the UTB campus Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11.
Wreck ‘em, Knight Raiders!
The A Team
Davorin Kuljasevic, Croatia, graduate student in finance
Gergely Antal, Hungary, senior economics major
Gabor Papp, Hungary, senior finance major
Chase Watters, Texas, graduate Ph.D. student in microbiology
Mikhail Botvinnik, one of the great world champions, said the following: "Chess is the art of analysis.” He also added: "Chess mastery essentially consists of analyzing chess positions accurately."
He is correct. It is very hard to improve properly if one does not know what or how to study / self evaluate. I was fortunate enough to learn chess the right way early on. With hard work over the years, I was able to win 4 separate World Championships, 10 Olympiad medals including 5 Gold, and stay in the top 3 in the world for around 25 years. Over the past decade, I have closely followed the transition and progress of chess among female. Chess is getting as popular as ever among girls. Women in chess have made big progress since I became the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title through traditional FIDE requirement. But there is still a long way to go.
Can girls play chess as well as boys? Can women play chess as well as men? The answer is yes. So how come there are not more female at the top of the overall rating chart? I strongly believe that it is possible but they need proper training. Male and female approach chess differently. We evaluate things differently. We have very different perspective about chess. Unfortunately, many young female chess players were not taught properly. There is no one size fits all in chess teaching method for boys and girls.
That is why I developed an exclusive system to teach girls based on my own experience and knowledge in chess. This is also why I believe that it is crucial for me to change the format of this event. After 5 days of intense training, a whole new chess perspective on the board will open up for you and it will help raise your understanding of chess by many folds, no matter if you are 1200 or 2200.
There are many chess tournaments year round but this will be the only opportunity for the qualifiers this year. This event will revolutionize women's chess in this country for years to come and I hope you will be a part of this chess revolution.
Below are the updated rules and regulations for the 2010 SPGI:
Rules and Conditions for the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational (SPGI) July 25 – 30, 2010 at Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock, Texas The annual Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational, the most prestigious all-girls event in the United States, will be held at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
The opening ceremony will be at 1:00 PM on July 25. There will be a brand new format this year.
• Instead of a six day tournament, there will be a five day intense world class training program with Susan Polgar, followed by a 6 round G/30 championship tournament. • The traditional Blitz, Puzzle Solving, Bughouse events will stay the same as previous years. • There will be many prizes awarded, including scholarship(s) to Texas Tech University.
Each state is allowed one representative. Official representative alternates may be substituted no later than June 15. (Susan Polgar and/or the new Polgar Committee may allow the host state to enter an additional qualified player.) Susan Polgar and/or the new Polgar Committee (PolgarCommittee@gmail.com) may allow exceptions to the June 1 entry/alternate deadline. Should the state affiliate fail to respond to the notice for this tournament, Susan Polgar and/or the Polgar Committee may determine the candidate from that state.
Players must be under the age of 19 as of August 15th of the year in which the tournament is held. Players must have been enrolled in a school (up to 12th grade) located in the state they represent, also of the year in which the tournament is held. Home-schooled students who are under the age of 19 on August 15th of the year in which the event is held or students who have never attended college on a full time basis prior to June 1 of the year in which the tournament is held, are eligible to represent the state in which they reside. Proof of eligibility will be the responsibility of the players and of the state official certifying the representative and alternate.
Exception: If a player graduates from high school early and is already attending college, she may still represent her state if nominated. This is the decision of each state affiliate. Players already enrolled in college are not eligible to receive the scholarship. In such cases scholarship(s) go to the next tournament winner.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:The participants of the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational DO NOT have to be high school students. Any qualifier under the age of 19 (by August 15th of the year in which the tournament is held) is eligible!
Players are required to furnish the organizer an emergency phone number and the e-mail address of a parent/guardian.
There is no fee to participate in the 2010 SPGI; however, players are responsible for their own travel, room and meal expenses. If players choose to stay and/or dine on TTU’s campus, inexpensive accommodations are available. Please note that all reservations and registrations MUST be made (and accommodation expenses prepaid) no later than June 15, 2010.
Trophies / plaques will be awarded to the winners of the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational Puzzle Solving Championship, Blitz Championship, and the Rapid Championship. The player with the highest combined score in the Puzzle Solving, Blitz and Rapid will be crowned the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational Grand Champion. Co-champions are recognized in the case of a tie, with each champion receiving a Grand Champion’s Plaque or Trophy. The Grand Champion (or Co-Champions) will automatically be invited to defend her/their title (must meet age requirement).
The player with the highest combined score in the Puzzle Solving, Blitz and Rapid will also receive a $1,000 scholarship to attend TTU (equivalent to $36,000 for an out of state student). The scholarship must begin the following year. A one game playoff (G/5) will be held in the case of a tie for the TTU scholarship.
The New Polgar Committee’s goal is to have all 50 states (including two representatives for California and two for Texas) and the District of Columbia represented. We strongly encourage each state and the District of Columbia affiliate to hold a scholastic championship tournament to determine each state’s champion and representative. Failing this, rating criteria may be acceptable.
A scholastic girls’ champion or the highest rated girls’ scholastic player in a state who has no state affiliate of the USCF should contact the Polgar Committee as soon as possible (PolgarCommittee@gmail.com).
Special Invitation: All past participants of the SPNI (Susan Polgar National Invitational 2004-2009) are invited to participate in the 2010 SPGI. The idea is to have the past participants learn my method of training so they can go back home and share their knowledge with the younger players. However, registration MUST be made no later than June 15, 2010 since space is limited.
Susan Polgar and/or the Polgar Committee (PolgarCommittee@gmail.com) and its members may elect to award wild cards each year for the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational.
Special qualifying events: The Polgar Committee willaward automatic qualifying spots to the reigning winners in each section of the annual Susan Polgar National Open for Girls (Arizona) and the annual Susan Polgar World Open for Girls (Las Vegas).
Contact info: The Susan Polgar Foundation can be contacted at 806-742-7742 (phone) or through SusanPolgar@aol.com (email).
NOTICE TO ALL STATE OFFICIALS: Please send the nomination from your state to the Polgar Committee (PolgarCommittee@gmail.com).
For information and rates to stay and/or dine on TTU’s campus, please send an email to SusanPolgar@aol.com.
Daily tentative schedule(All players will have a chance to work together as well as separately based on ratings):
Sunday, July 25
1:00 pm: Opening Ceremony
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Start of training
Monday, July 26
9 am – 12 pm: Morning Training
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Afternoon Training
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Puzzle Solving Championship and Bughouse
