Knight Raider chess team members thrive on and off the board

Knight Raider chess team members thrive on and off the board
Posted: September 4, 2010 - 11:01pm
Lubbock Avalanche Journal

The question of the week is how important is it for me to recruit excellent students for the Texas Tech Knight Raider chess teams?

The short answer is it is very important. Here are my criteria which I addressed in a previous column:

• Professionalism (Will the recruit take pride in what he/she does and give his/her all?)

• Work ethic (Will the recruit be willing to put in maximum effort academically and in chess training?)

• Coachability (Will the recruit be willing to be coached to improve his/her chess strength? There is no perfect chess player. Every player has room to grow.)

• Team player (Will the recruit put the team concept above personal accolades in team competition? Team unity and chemistry are extremely important for success.)

The accumulative grade of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess teams (A team, B team, and women’s team) last year was approximately 3.28, with 3 players earning a perfect 4.0. They also have a wide range of majors such as economics, finance, math, electrical engineering, psychology, law, Spanish, English, political science, biotech, and microbiology, etc.

In addition to getting good grades, they also worked hard to improve their chess skills. Through the special SPICE training program, the 13 active members of the A team, B team, and women’s team gained nearly 1,100 rating points in this short time. That is an average improvement of nearly 90 rating points per player! Their vast improvement resulted in winning five national, two state, and one regional chess championships in less than two years.

Besides a busy academic and chess schedule, many members of the Knight Raiders also volunteered countless hours teaching and promoting chess in the Lubbock community through schools, libraries, and senior centers, etc. I am very proud of my players and we will work hard to continue the tradition of excellence on and off the chess board.

BBC radio program

Last week I was on the hour long BBC radio program “World Have Your Say” with host Ros Atkins, former No. 1-ranked table tennis player in the UK Matthew Syed, former Utah Jazz NBA star John Amaechi, and others.

The very interesting topic was “Is there such a thing as natural talent?”

To listen to this entire show, visit www.ChessDailyNews.com and click on the “BBC Radio Special” icon.

Local chess activities

The new school year has started and chess is in full swing again. Below is the information for upcoming events:

• “Super Saturday” SPICE Fun Chess; Sept. 25 to Oct. 16.

Two levels: Novice and Intermediate.

Class dates: Sept. 25; Oct. 2, 9 and 16 (four sessions).

Hours: 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Texas Tech’s administration building.

Instruction will be provided by members of the Texas Tech Knight Raider Chess Team, based on Grandmaster Susan Polgar’s chess curriculum and direct guidance.

Registration fee: $79 by Sept. 20, after add $20 late fee. Send registration form to: Texas Tech University, SPICE, Box 45080, Lubbock, TX 79409.

For information, go to: www.spice.ttu.edu or email spice@ttu.edu

• Sixth “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Open: Oct. 23.

A Four-Round Swiss System Tournament (Game/30).

Event Site: Science Spectrum 2579 S. Loop 289.

• Spice Cup Open Chess Championship; Oct. 30.

A Four-Round Swiss System Tournament (Game/45).

Event Site: TTU Student Union.

• Spice Cup 2010 Scholastic Chess Championship; Oct. 30.

A Four-Round Swiss System Tournament (Game/30).

Event Site: TTU Student Union

• SPICE Cup FIDE Rated Open; Nov. 5-7.

A Six-Round Swiss System (G/90 with 30 second increment).

Open to all FIDE rated players and USCF 1600 and higher.

Event Site: Tech student union.