TTU President Guy Bailey congratulates Andre Diamant

October 5, 2010
Mr. Andre Diamant
c/o SPICE
Texas Tech University
Campus Mail: MS 5080

Dear Andre:

It is a pleasure to congratulate you on your excellent performance at the World Chess Olympiad held recently in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Your outstanding play and placement at the Olympiad are a testament to your astute knowledge of chess and the game's strategy of anticipating the moves of your competitors.

I enjoyed hearing that you wore your Knight Raider/SPICE shirts during the games. We are proud of you for the recognition your competition has brought to you and to Texas Tech. You are an excellent Ambassador for SPICE and for Texas Tech.

Congratulations again and best wishes to you and the Knight Raiders in your competition at the upcoming Texas State Championship and the PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship in December.

Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President

GB / lel

xc: Susan Polgar

TTU Freshman Diamant Shines at Chess Olympiad

Texas Tech Freshman Andre Diamant Shines at World Chess Olympiad
Knight Raider earns second-best individual score in the chess world's largest event.
Written by Cory Chandler
October 5, 2010

Texas Tech University freshman Andre Diamant recorded five wins and three draws representing his home country of Brazil in the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk World Chess Olympiad in West Siberia, Russia.

The 81.3 percent winning percentage was enough to give Diamant, a Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess team member, the second best individual score in the Olympiad. His rating performance of 2644 was the sixth best overall of the event that drew approximately 1,500 players, coaches and captains from 150 countries.

Diamant, a grandmaster, played on the fifth board for Brazil. He qualified for his first Olympiad appearance in 2008 in Dresden, Germany at the age of 17.

Chess is a part of the IOC (International Olympic Committee). There have been various discussions in recent years to include chess as part of the Summer or Winter Olympics. For now the Chess Olympiad enjoys the second position behind the Summer Olympics with approximately 150 countries battling every two years.

• 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing, China): 204 nations.
• 2008 Chess Olympiad (Dresden, Germany): 152 nations.
• 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin, Italy): 86 nations.

Next Andre and his teammates will represent Texas Tech at the SPICE Cup later in October at the Texas Tech Student Union Building, Texas State Championship in November in Corpus Christi, and the PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship in December in Milwaukee, Wisc.

“We are so proud of what Andre achieved on the world stage in Khanty-Mansiysk where tens of millions of chess enthusiasts followed the live action over a two-week period on the internet”, said Susan Polgar, director of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and head coach of the Knight Raiders. “This speaks volumes for the kind of international talent we attract to Texas Tech through SPICE.”

Diamant’s round-by-round results follow (1 = win, ½ = draw):

1 CM Kassis Antoine 2236 Libya 5,0 w 1
2 GM Zhou Jianchao 2660 China 5,5 s ½
3 FM Gameel Mohamed 2216 Yemen 4,5 s 1
4 CM Samhouri Bilal 2269 Jodan 6,0 w ½
6 IM Norri Joose 2330 Finland 2,5 w 1
8 Samakov Nurdin 2356 Kazakhstan 6,5 w 1
10 GM Palac Mladen 2561 Croatia 7,0 s ½
11 IM Sebenik Matej 2516 Slovenia 4,0 w 1

Visit http://ugra-chess.com/boardprizes.php for more information about Diamant’s performance and rakings.

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu.

About SPICE:

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) joined the Division of Institutional Diversity & Community Engagement in June 2010. SPICE works with Texas Tech students, faculty, LISD, and other communities to enhance chess, education, technology, research, and creative scholarship. College Chess is a critical bridge between Scholastic and Adult Chess. The successful promotion of College Chess to youth helps with the development of critical thinking, team and individual play, and leadership. SPICE not only works with youth across the Lubbock region but extends to many countries through the work of Susan Polgar. During the summer, SPICE held several camps on campus designed to introduce, challenge, and train students on the skills needed for chess and pursuing a higher education.

Texas Tech Olympiad Success

Texas Tech University Freshman Andre Diamant (Brazil) had fantastic results at the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad. He scored 5 wins and 3 draws (0 loss) for a percentage of 81.3% and rating performance of 2644. Here are his round by round results:

1	420	CM	Kassis Antoine	2236	LIB	5,0	w 1
2	57	GM	Zhou Jianchao	2660	CHN	5,5	s ½
3	442	FM	Gameel Mohamed	2216	YEM	4,5	s 1
4	400	CM	Samhouri Bilal	2269	JOR	6,0	w ½
6	358	IM	Norri Joose	2330	FIN	2,5	w 1
8	710		Samakov Nurdin	2356	KGZ	6,5	w 1
10	151	GM	Palac Mladen	2561	CRO	7,0	s ½
11	191	IM	Sebenik Matej	2516	SLO	4,0	w 1

Congratulations to Andre!

Greetings from Russia!

Chess champ attending 2010 Chess Olympiad in Russia
Posted: September 25, 2010 - 11:02pm

Greetings from Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia!

I arrived at the 2010 Chess Olympiad on Wednesday after traveling for two days. The trip was relatively smooth, just a lot of connecting flights. My route was Lubbock to Dallas to New York to Helsinki to Moscow to Khanty-Mansiysk! I will write more about this event and how it will affect SPICE in future columns.

The question of the week is can I explain a little more about the Chess Olympiad. Is it a part of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and how big is it?

The 2010 Chess Olympiad has just begun. It is currently taking place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (close to the West Siberian Plain).

Nearly 1,500 players, coaches, and captains of 262 men’s and women’s teams from nearly 150 countries are here for two weeks to battle for the individual and team gold, silver and bronze medals. Just to give you an idea how large the Chess Olympiad is, here are the statistics for this international competition:

• 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing, China): 204 nations.
•2008 Chess Olympiad (Dresden, Germany): 152 nations.
•2006 Winter Olympics (Turin, Italy): 86 nations.

Yes, chess is a part of the IOC. There have been various discussions in recent years to include chess as part of the Summer or Winter Olympics. Nothing has materialized yet. For now the Chess Olympiad enjoys the second position behind the Summer Olympics with approximately 150 countries battling every two years.

You can follow LIVE games and all updated information about the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk at www.ChessDailyNews.com.

Source: Avalanche Journal

The difficulty of not losing in Chess Olympiad

Magnus Carlsen' loss today reminds us of how difficult it is not to lose a game in Chess Olympiad. In such an important event where one plays for national pride, no serious player will just mail it in. Everyone comes to each game to fight.

Here are the top 3 players in the Men's (Open) and Women's Olympiad who played the most games (up to the Dresden Olympiad - Minimum 15 games) without a single loss:

Men’s (Open) Olympiad

Title - Name - Country - Total points scored - Total games played - Wins - Draws - Losses - Percentage

GM Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 32½ points 47 games 18-29-0 69.1%
GM Acs, Peter HUN 13½ points 19 games 8-11-0 71.1%
IM Minić, Dragoljub YUG 14½ points 18 games 11-7-0 80.6%

Women's Olympiad

GM Polgar, Susan (*) HUN - USA 43½ points 56 games 31-25-0 77.7%
WGM Kushnir, Alla USSR - ISR 23 points 25 games 21-4-0 92.0%
WIM Zvorykina, Kira USSR 17½ points 20 games 15-5-0 87.5%

(*) All games on board 1

Texas Tech Freshman to Compete in 2010 Chess Olympiad

September 20, 2010
Texas Tech Freshman to Compete in 2010 Chess Olympiad
Grandmaster will join nearly 1,500 players representing many of the World Chess Federation's 171 national federations.
Written by Cory Chandler

A 19-year-old member of the Texas Tech University Knight Raiders chess team will compete against some of the world’s best players at the 2010 Chess Olympiad that begins today and continues through Oct. 4 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Freshman Grandmaster Andre Diamant, the 2008-09 Brazilian national chess champion, will join nearly 1,500 players representing many of the World Chess Federation’s 171 national federations.

Diamant, who competed in Texas Tech’s 2009 SPICE Cup International Invitational Tournament before attending the university as a student, is the first Knight Raider to compete in an olympiad.

“I think that Andre’s inclusion in the Olympiad speaks volumes about the type of world-class talent we have been able to attract to Texas Tech and Lubbock,” said Susan Polgar, coach of the Knight Raiders and director of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE).

Polgar will join Diamant in Khanty-Mansiysk to promote Texas Tech, SPICE and to recruit additional top talent. She also is the co-chair of FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and ambassador for Tromso, Norway 2014 Chess Olympiad bid.

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu.

CONTACT: Paul Truong, director of marketing, SPICE, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-7742, or paul.truong@ttu.edu

Knight Raider team member heading to the 2010 Chess Olympiad

Knight Raider team member heading to the 2010 Chess Olympiad
September 18, 2010 - 11:01pm

Nineteen-year-old Texas Tech freshman Grandmaster Andre Diamant, 2008-09 Brazilian National Chess champion, is heading to the 2010 Chess Olympiad to compete against some of the world’s best players. The Chess Olympiad will take place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, Monday-Oct. 4. He is the first Knight Raider to qualify for this prestigious event. It speaks volumes for Tech and Lubbock to be able to attract this kind of world-class talent.

Nearly 1,500 of the best chess players from all over the world are projected to compete in this year’s Chess Olympiad and Women’s Chess Olympiad. More countries are expected to be represented in the Chess Olympiad than the summer or winter Olympics. FIDE (World Chess Federation) has 171 national federations. It is the second-largest sports organization in the world, behind only soccer.

According to CBS and other sources, there are approximately 45 million people in the United States who play chess and more than 700 million worldwide. There are also more children who play chess in this country than major sports such as football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, etc.

I will join Andre in Khanty-Mansiysk to promote Texas Tech, SPICE and to recruit additional top talent. I am also the co-chair of FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and Ambassador for Troms, Norway 2014 Chess Olympiad bid.

Source: Avalanche Journal

Tromsø Chess Olympiad 2014

Hungarian-American Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar has had an illustrious career, which includes winning 4 Women’s World Championships, and is the only player to win the triple-crown (Blitz, Rapid, and Classical World Championships). She became the #1 ranked female at the age of 15, and remained in the top 3 for nearly 25 straight years. In 1991, she broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman in history to earn the Grandmaster title through traditional FIDE requirement. She is also a five-time Women’s Olympic Champion, earning 10 overall medals – 5 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze.

She has promoted the game in various roles away from the board: an award-winning chess journalist; best-selling chess author; heading the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Texas Tech University; and leading the Susan Polgar Foundation, a non-profit organization supported by charitable donations that aims to promote chess and its educational benefits to youngsters, especially girls. The Susan Polgar Foundation has presented more than $1,000,000 in chess prizes and scholarships to young chess players since 2003. In 2009, Susan became the first woman to coach a men’s division I collegiate chess team to the Final Four.

“I have visited Tromsø and can personally say Tromsø is a beautiful city, well equipped to be an excellent choice for the Chess Olympiad 2014.” -Susan Polgar

The city of Tromsø, backed by the Norwegian Chess Federation, is committed to become the host city for the 41st Chess Olympiad in 2014.

With its 68 000 inhabitants, including 10 000 university students, Tromsø has all the amenities of “a small large city”. Chess players around the world will discover a friendly and open-minded population with hotels of excellent international standard, an attractive restaurant scene and a diversity of cultural activities. Tromsø has a very active chess environment, and hosts an annual international Chess festival, Arctic Chess Challenge, in August every year. The tournament will be further upgraded in the coming years in order to prepare for the potential Olympiad in 2014.

“Being elected as the host city of the Chess Olympiad in 2014 is a major ambition for our city”, says Tromsø mayor Arild Hausberg. “We promise the chess world a unique experience combining competent and experienced organizing skills in a friendly and exciting environment. And the event, if we succeed in winning the bid, will engage the whole city to the pleasure of the participants and the population. A comprehensive cultural program will be an integrated part of a Chess Olympiad in Tromsø”, concludes the mayor.

The preparation for the bid is well under way with both delivery of the international bid to FIDE in May 2010 and the subsequent international campaign. The bidding committee has been actively engaged for most of 2008. Active working relations with the Norwegian government have secured sufficient support. The bidding committee have troughout the national financial application and through the development of the international application to FIDE have had of a committee of Olympic and chess expertise. The chairman in this process was former managing director of the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee, (17th Winter Olympics 1994), Mr. Henrik Andenæs. Now succeeded by former Mayor of Tromsø (1999-2007) Mr. Herman Kristoffersen. Working alongside him you have a business professional, the President of the Norwegian Chess Federation, Mr. Jøran Aulin Jansson, as vice chairman. To coordinate the international campaign former vice president and legal adviser of FIDE, Mr. Morten Sand, is working as international adviser. General Manager is Mr. Børge Johan Robertsen.

What makes Tromsø exceptional is its magnificent nature. Located north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is blessed with midnight sun all through the summer, and has more polar Northern lights, “Aurora Borealis”, than anywhere else in the world. Being referred to as the entry-port to the Arctic, Tromsø still has a relatively mild climate, and lies a limited 3 hours flight away from London and Frankfurt, and less than 2 hours flight from the Norwegian capital, Oslo. This will give easy access to chess participants from all over the world.

http://www.tromso2014.no

Chess Olympiad Record

#	Years	Pts	Gms	+	=	-	%
4	1988, 1990, 1994, 2004	43½	56	31	25	0	77.7

STATISTICS YEAR BY YEAR
year	ttl	bd	code	ELO	pts	gms	+	=	-	%	ELOav	ELOp	Team pos.
2004	GM	1	USA	2567	10½	14	7	7	0	75.0	2429	2622	2.
1994	GM	1	HUN	2550	11	14	8	6	0	78.6	2310	2540	2.
1990	IM	1	HUN	2510	11½	14	9	5	0	82.1	2268	2530	1.
1988	IM	1	HUN	2490	10½	14	7	7	0	75.0	2304	2497	1.

Total record: 31 wins, 25 draws, 0 loss in 56 games over 4 chess olympiad, all on board 1.

Total medals: 10 / 5 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze

Letter from Chancellor Hance

Bringing the Chess Olympiad to Norway

Susan Polgar Named Ambassador in Chess Olympiad Bid

The director of SPICE signed on as an official representative for Norway's bid for the 41st Chess Olympiad to be held in 2014.

Written by Cory Chandler
July 20, 2010
www.ttu.edu

The director of Texas Tech’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and coach of Texas Tech’s Knight Raiders chess team signed on as an official ambassador for Norway’s bid for the 41st Chess Olympiad to be held in 2014.

Susan Polgar joins the world’s top-rated chess player, Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, and reigning World Chess Federation (FIDE) women’s Chess World Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, to bring the chess world’s largest event to Tromsø.

“I can announce with great pride that the chess ambassador program for the Tromsø bid now also includes Grandmaster Susan Polgar,” said Jøran Aulin-Jansson, vice chairman of the board for Tromsø 2014 and Norwegian Chess Federation President. “A journalist, organizer and promoter of the game, as well as a famous player, Susan brings an impressive range of experience to the team.”

Organizers noted Polgar’s career credentials, which include winning four Women’s World Championships and earning 10 overall medals as a five-time Women’s Olympic Champion. Polgar has never lost a game in a Chess Olympiad, they said, and still holds a record 56-game scoring streak on board 1. Susan was the first woman to earn the men’s Grandmaster title in regular competition.



In addition to being an award-winning chess journalist, the Hungarian-American Grandmaster is founder of the Susan Polgar Foundation, a non-profit corporation supported by charitable donations that aims to promote chess and its educational benefits throughout the United States for young people – especially girls.

“It is a great honor to have the most famous female chess player and personality in the world as part of our team and we are looking forward to developing this cooperation into a successful partnership for the 2014 Chess Olympiad,” said Morten Sand, international advisor for Tromsø 2014.

Polgar said she looks forward to the task of bringing the Chess Olympiad to Norway.

“I have visited Tromsø and can personally say it is a beautiful city, well equipped to be an excellent choice for the Chess Olympiad 2014,” Polgar said.

Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Tromsø Olympiad 2014

Tromsø Olympiad 2014

Press Release
Date: 20 July – 2010

Olympic and World Champion Susan Polgar becomes Official Ambassador for 2014 Chess Olympiad bid in Tromsø, Norway

Susan Polgar joins the world’s top rated chess player, Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, and reigning World Chess Federation (FIDE) women’s Chess World Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, as Official Ambassadors for Norway’s bid for the 41st Chess Olympiad to be held in 2014.

Susan Polgar’s remarkable career includes winning four Women’s World Championships and earning 10 overall medals (5 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze) as a five-time Women’s Olympic Champion. She has never lost a game in a Chess Olympiad, and still holds a record 56 consecutive game scoring streak on board 1. Susan was the first woman to earn the men’s Grandmaster title in regular competition.

In addition to being an award-winning chess journalist, the Hungarian-American Grandmaster is the head of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Texas Tech University, and founded the Susan Polgar Foundation, a non-profit corporation supported by charitable donations that aims to promote chess and its educational benefits throughout the United States for young people of all ages, especially girls.

Quotes:

Jøran Aulin-Jansson, Tromsø 2014, Vice Chairman of the Board, Norwegian Chess Federation President:

“I can announce with great pride that the Chess Ambassador program for the Tromsø bid now also includes Grandmaster Susan Polgar. A journalist, organizer and promoter of the game, as well as a famous player, Susan brings an impressive range of experience to the team.”

Morten Sand, Tromsø 2014, International Advisor:

“It is a great honour to have the most famous female chess player and personality in the world as part of our team and we are looking forward to developing this cooperation into a successful partnership for the 2014 Chess Olympiad.”

Susan Polgar, five-time Olympic Champion and four-time Women’s World Chess Champion:

“I have visited Tromsø and can personally say Tromsø is a beautiful city, well equipped to be an excellent choice for the Chess Olympiad 2014.”

For further information, please contact:
Morten Sand: morten@advokat-sand.no +47-90561288 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +47-90561288 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Jøran Aulin-Jansson: jj@jbpapir.com +47-91332242 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +47-91332242

The Dresden Experience

What it Feels Like...
To Recruit Chess Players in Dresden Germany
By Cory Chandler as told to Cory Chandler

Cory Chandler, a senior editor in the Office of Communications and Marketing, accompanied Texas Tech University’s Susan Polgar and Paul Truong to the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany. His mission: to recruit chess players from more than 140 countries to Texas Tech.

It’s 9:30 a.m. in Frankfurt and the airport is bustling with mid-morning vitality.

I’m yawning through an hour-old coffee buzz.

I spent the night with my legs pretzeled under me as a phalanx of babies fired off sporadic screams. Somehow, I couldn’t make myself go to sleep.

Now I’m staggering past duty-free shops, buffeted along on the currents of an unfamiliar language, feeling like I should be turning in for bed rather than starting my day. It is, after all, 2:30 a.m. in Lubbock.

And I still have another plane to catch.

But even through my daze, I can already see the signs of excitement. Waiting in the terminal to board, I notice two guys dissecting chess moves over a laptop. On the plane, I sit next to members of the Colombia team who are not only familiar with Susan Polgar, but know about Texas Tech because of the SPICE Cup tournament she’s hosted on campus the last two years.

In Dresden, I see billboards advertising the Olympiad to pedestrians, posters with pieces arrayed in everything from gnome outfits to Playboy bunny costumes, chess displays in store windows and even special tram lines boasting knights and bishops in their windshields.
There’s even a welcome booth at the airport.

These Germans are ready for some chess.

Name Dropping

Have no doubt that Susan is a celebrity in the chess world.

It’s half an hour before the Olympiad’s opening ceremony and the organizers have asked Susan to light the torch. I’m supposed to be inside, but thanks to a translation flub, my entry pass is sitting back at the airport. The volunteers who were supposed to give it to me when I landed mistook me for a reporter and sent me on to my hotel.

Until now, I’ve been relying on big hand gestures and significantly raised eyebrows to get my point across when communication breaks down. Apparently, this isn’t enough to describe my esoteric role – I’m not a player, volunteer or journalist, merely a university employee who has come to Germany to help Susan handle media relations for the Olympiad and help recruit students.

I can’t figure out an easy way to convey this.

But once the organizers hear I’m with Susan, ears perk up. I gain my own stature, and before I know it, I’m in a van with a bunch of Germans who are working phones trying to figure out how to get me past the security, which will be tight because of the German ministry officials expected at the event.

As we’re en route, one of the event volunteers turns to me and asks: “So, does Susan travel with bodyguards?”

Here is the full article.