Should chess be considered a sport?

A sport of sorts: Should chess be considered a sport?
by The Journal
February 14, 2012

Webster University recently announced it would be the new home of the nation’s No. 1 chess team. The team relocated from Texas Tech University, and the chess program will begin during the 2012-2013 academic year. Two Journal writers debate on whether or not the “gentleman’s game” should be considered a true sport.

No physical activity means the game is not a sport — Andy Arb
Andy Arb is a senior journalism major and staff writer for The Journal

To a die-hard sports fan such as myself, it may seem obvious that chess is not considered a sport. It’s played on a board while sitting in a chair and only requires lifting a one-ounce chess piece a couple inches after 15 minutes of strategic thought.

It takes zero athletic ability to play chess. I am not calling someone an athlete who doesn’t even move when they play their game. I consume more physical activity getting up from the couch for a bathroom break while watching a real sport on television than someone does playing chess.

In various discussions about why chess should be considered a sport, one has argued that it is physically demanding to sit for five-hour chess contests. Sitting through an hour-long lecture class can be as well, but that doesn’t make it a sport.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for those who play chess. It takes some serious mental preparation and strategic thought put into every move. But if I can play against a computer, it’s certainly not a sport.

On May 11, 1997, IBM’s chess computer Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match. Deep Blue won two games while Kasparov won one. Three matches ended in a draw.

I’d like to see a computer on a baseball diamond, basketball court, football field or hockey rink. If the very best in your “sport” cannot defeat a computer, then your “sport” clearly doesn’t require any physical or athletic ability at all.

Chess does require a lot of strategy and planning ahead, which is why a computer is capable of playing and defeating a chess champion. The strategy required to play chess is also a counter argument for those considering chess as a sport.

A lot of other games played on a board require strategy as well, but I don’t see people debating whether or not Battleship, Monopoly or Life should be considered a sport. Checkers, the closest equivalent to chess, doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention in debate over what is considered a sport.

The rules of chess are rather difficult, so not anyone could sit down at a chess table and start playing. It requires sophistication and intelligence, but that doesn’t justify the reasoning for why this board game should be considered a sport.

While sports affiliates like ESPN and Sports Illustrated may report on the next chess prodigies and who is the world champion, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sport. While it is entertaining, ESPN broadcasts the National Spelling Bee every year. I’d like to hear the reasoning for why people believe that is a sport.

Some define a sport as having a clear offense and defense, which chess does have. However, it lacks the physical and athletic ability that defines a sport.

Now, if chess was played similarly to the end of the “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” movie, then I’d be more likely to define chess as a sport. Sadly, it is not.

Chess just doesn’t have the physical aspect of the game to be seriously considered as a sport. In fact, it probably took more physical activity for me to write why chess isn’t a sport than for chess players to complete a match.


Unique characteristics define chess as a sport — Joshua Coppenbarger
Josh Coppenbarger is a sophomore journalism and film production major and assistant multimedia editor for The Journal

There seems to be tension when it comes to defining what can be a sport and what can’t. Women get enthusiastic when it comes to curling. Men find it baffling. Americans get angered when the Olympics won’t let American football into the games.

Chess is more than just a game — it’s a sport.

I wouldn’t recommend playing chess to lose weight, but where athletic skill lacks, chess utilizes patience, strategy and accuracy to win the game.

Oxford dictionary defines a sport as, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

The only problem here is chess lacks the ability to be athletic, yet some still consider it a sport.

Like all rules, chess is an exception. The International Olympic Committee believed chess was a sport, so they added the game to their list. It’s not practiced in the actual Olympic games, but chess has its own international league held bi-annually called Fédération Internationale des Échecs — or World Chess Federation.

After all, there’s only so much drama you can create to televise someone capturing the opponent’s queen. It’s more exciting to play than to watch.

Last December, Rex Sinquefield was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. No, the 62-year-old businessman can’t slam dunk, but he did help fund and establish the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, and the World Chess Hall of Fame — both of which are right here in St. Louis.

Even ESPN covers chess. In 2003, they showed a match between Grandmaster Garry Kasparov and computer-based chess board X3D. They also continuously profile players of the game.

So far, internationally and locally, these sports organizations consider chess a sport.

Athletes get up early in the morning to stretch, exercise and train so they can be in their best shape for their competitions. Chess players are no exception. When I used to play — more in elementary school than now — I often woke up early on the weekends, stayed after school to practice, and learn new ways to defeat an opponent for the upcoming tournament that weekend.

Chess is also taken so seriously that players all have their own rankings and are matched depending on the wins and losses of the player. I was never fantastic — I held a 710 for a little bit — though I did manage to snatch more than 10 trophies and plaques in my day.

The lack of physical activity seems to be the common argument against chess being a sport. Good thing chess doesn’t need to be played sitting down or even with a board.

In 2009, Jefferson County in New York held a chess biathlon where skiers raced to different parts of a hill to solve different chess problems, trying to be the first to finish without missing a problem or getting it wrong.

It may take a 3-D board such as one in “Star Trek” for players to move pieces from different levels to be more “active” to qualify as athletic. Perhaps bringing the pieces to life and having players be the chess pieces would suffice for them (see: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”).

There’s a multitude of ways for chess to be played and still be engaging enough for the sports fanatics to consider it a part of their league. We can’t help but to continue to play in its own traditional way.

So when Webster University announced it will be hosting the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence and all of its “A”-team members will attend school here, I couldn’t help but get excited.

Maybe now Webster students, and hopefully most of the world, can begin to see that chess is much more than a game and as more of a competitive sport.

Source: http://websterjournal.com

Chess Will Be A Competitive Event At LISD Schools

Chess Will Be A Competitive Event At LISD Schools
By: Brooke Thomas
CBS - TV / Lubbock, TX

Chess will now be a new competitive event at LISD schools

Its part of a partnership between the University Scholastic League and Texas Tech.

2nd through 8th grade students all across the state will compete in 30 minute chess competitions in the form of an exam.

They'll solve chess puzzles designed by chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar.

The first students to correctly solve 20 puzzles before the time runs out will win the competition.

"It teaches students responsibility. There's all sorts of the positive things that chess can do. This not only helps students but it also helps teachers in our schools," said Lynn Elms, Texas Tech Division of Institutional Diversity.

The chess program is the first competition Texas Tech has ever proposed to UIL.

The first event will be in January.

Source: http://everythinglubbock.com

St. Louis: the new home of collegiate chess

St. Louis: the new home of collegiate chess
By Ben Finegold, Grandmaster, special to the Beacon
Posted 4:02 pm Wed., 2.8.12

Webster University stepped into the national chess spotlight after pulling off a major coup by luring GM Susan Polgar and the SPICE program (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) to St. Louis. Susan is bringing her championship chess team from Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, to Webster, along with a number of top players. The Webster team will feature eight grandmasters and two international masters, which creates two formidable teams.

Susan said she felt that this would be a perfect location for her chess team as the Chess Club and Scholastic Center and World Chess Hall of Fame have already made St. Louis the center of chess in the U.S. Susan, her husband Paul Truong, and their family will move permanently to the St. Louis area in June, and the strong grandmasters will soon follow for the fall 2012 semester.

The city of St. Louis is the big winner here, as many of the students in these programs will be able to play in strong events at the Chess Club, and the development of both of these programs will continue to bring international attention to our city. Prior to these monumental announcements, St. Louis was clearly the center of chess in the U.S., and starting in the fall of 2012, I think it would be safe to call us the chess center of the world!

Source: http://www.stlbeacon.org

Polgar leaving Texas Tech, taking championship chess team with her

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - NBC TV

Texas Tech's chess team, the Knight Raiders, are ranked #1 in the nation, but their head coach and director Susan Polgar is moving to Webster University, and she's taking some of Tech's best players with her. Polgar says the main reason for the move is not enough funding.

Polgar said her goodbyes in a blog post on Friday, praising Texas Tech for their "incredible support" and offering to help them continue the program.

An internationally known, Polgar was named the #1 chess player in the world at age 15, and is described as one of the strongest female chess players in history.

She came to Texas Tech in 2007 to establish SPICE, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence. "We started from the ground up," said Polgar. "We had just a few students, but we now have 21 students in the SPICE program."

Recruiting players from around the world, Polgar built an unstoppable team that beat top universities like Yale and Harvard. In 2010 Knight Raiders division one made it to the Final Four Championship. In 2011 they won the championship, and this year they've once again made it to the Final Four and are expected to take the trophy home.

Polgar says it's that success that's causing the problem. "We kind of became the victims of our own success. The program grew so fast that the university had difficulty accommodating the fast growth of the program," said Polgar.

Her husband and professional business manager Paul Truong says with the fast growth, SPICE can't keep up with recruiting the best with the funding Tech allots to the chess program.

"A grandmaster is the highest title in chess, and around the world there is maybe 1,200. Tech could potentially have eight grandmasters next year if we would have enough funding," said Truong. "Imagine having eight Michael Jordans or eight Tom Bradys… it would be insane. Unfortunately we don't have funding, and if we don't have funding they go elsewhere."

Originally Tech gave SPICE $15,000 for scholarships, but after they won the championship last year the amount was doubled to $30,000. Polgar says that's simply not enough, and most rival schools will give $30,000 to one player alone. She says the only way the team was able to stay afloat for as long as it did was because of a very generous donation.

"It's not that they didn't want to support the program. I think being a state institution their hands were tied and they weren't at liberty to give as much as perhaps they wanted to," said Polgar.

Tech communication and marketing managing director Chris Cook says that's exactly the case. "With the most recent rounds of budget cuts, we're all experiencing a little tightening in the purse strings so to speak," said Cook. "We have other national championship programs. We did see the importance of the chess program, but you have to meet the needs of all programs while staying in the overall budget."

In addition to Polgar and her husband leaving, eight of the A-Team, or division one, players are following her to Webster University in St. Louis. Polgar says many of them came to Tech solely for the SPICE program, so it's not surprising they're making the move.

"For many of them it was a pretty natural and logical decision. For others who are closer to their graduation here at Tech it was logical to stay," said Polgar.

Polgar says Webster has international campuses and is a private institution that can give more money to the chess program. While her students are going with her – she still says the move is bitter sweet. "It was a very difficult decision I must say," she said. "We love Texas Tech. We love Lubbock and had a lot of support.

The following students have been accepted / committed to Webster University for the Fall 2012 (August):

Grandmaster Georg Meier - Germany - Sophomore
Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi - Iran - Graduate student
Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky - Israel - Junior
Grandmaster Andre Diamant - Brazil - Junior
Grandmaster Denes Boros - Hungary - Junior
International Master Vitaly Neimer - Israel - Sophomore
International Master - elect Faik Aleskerov - Azerbaijan - Graduate student

Polgar will continue coaching the Knight Raiders for the Final Four Championship in March.

After she leaves in June, Tech officials will be looking to hire a new coach and director for the chess program.

Source: http://www.kcbd.com

Leave our meat judging team and Law School moot court team alone

Tech gets checkmated
Submitted by Jon Mark Beilue on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 2:07pm

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

Polgar, SPICE to leave Tech, cites lack of resources for move

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

Susan Polgar makes a move

Susan Polgar makes a move; Texas Tech chess coach and grand master leaving for St. Louis university

Polgar, a world and Olympic chess champion, will transfer her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence to Webster University starting June 1.

Posted: February 4, 2012 - 9:34pm
By Adam D. Younglubbockonline.com Copyright 2012 Lubbock Online. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. February 4, 2012 - 10:34pm

Susan Polgar makes a move; Texas Tech chess coach and grand master leaving for St. Louis university

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar is making a move, uprooting the chess institute created in her name at Texas Tech and her national-championship-winning chess team to a private university near St. Louis, Polgar and officials for both universities confirmed.

Polgar, a world and Olympic chess champion, will transfer her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence to Webster University starting June 1, likely ending the institute’s five years in Lubbock.

In addition, all members of the reigning national collegiate champion Texas Tech “A” chess team will transfer to Webster and be enrolled at the university in the 2012-2013 academic year, Polgar said.

Polgar called the planned move to Webster a “tough decision” based in part on Webster’s enthusiasm and commitment to hosting a world-class chess institute and obstacles SPICE has encountered with Tech being limited as a state university, including budgetary constraints and other problems.

“We love Lubbock and we love Texas Tech, and we’ll always feel a connection,” she said. “I’m definitely proud of our record from making it to the final four of the national championship in our first year in division one to winning the championship last year.”

Polgar praised Tech administrators for their support of SPICE, but said problems at Tech were hindering the program from expanding as she would prefer, especially in scholarships.

She mentioned SPICE recently was interested but struggled in recruiting a handful of young, international and U.S. championship and grand master chess players.

“We simply weren’t in a position to say, ‘Yes, we have a scholarship for you here,’ ” she said. “Administrators did the very best they could do. However, Texas Tech, being a state institution, they had some constraints they couldn’t step over.”

Chris Cook, a spokesman for Tech, praised Polgar for her achievements at the university, but said the university is committed to expanding its chess program, even as the grand master departs.

“We’re excited about the future of our program,” he said, adding the university plans to begin the process of recruiting a new coach and director and to fill a newly created outreach coordinator position. Cook said the university also planned to increase permanent staff and scholarship funds for its chess program, though he did not have specific numbers late Saturday.

Webster, a university with an enrollment of about 21,000 students, was eager to attract SPICE as part of the university’s efforts to develop several worldwide centers for excellence, Julian Z. Schuster, Webster University provost and senior vice president, told The Avalanche-Journal on Saturday.

“Our mission is to become a premiere global university,” he said.

He said SPICE’s mission to serve as the nation’s premier center for chess education, research, technology and outreach would work well at Webster.

“Our partnership with Susan Polgar and SPICE at Webster will allow us to support and promote competitive chess at the college level,” Schuster said in a Webster news release. “Chess has always been a global game and this important step brings a global game in these global times to a truly global university. We are excited to further enhance the image of St. Louis as a global chess center.”

Polgar said she was impressed with Webster’s vision to invest in her program promoting excellence in a game more than 1 billion people play around the world.

“SPICE, therefore, is a perfect fit for Webster University’s global vision and presence, and I am extremely impressed with Webster’s commitment to excellence in chess and education,” she said in a statement on her blog. “I am also very excited to be in the St. Louis area, near the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, the hot spot for chess in the United States.”

On Saturday, Schuster denied Webster initiated efforts to recruit Polgar from Tech, but said his university was in talks with her over the course of several months as she considered pursuing several options to advance SPICE.

Polgar said the move to Webster started as casual conversations with leadership at the private school that developed into her believing Webster and St. Louis would be the best fit for her program.

She said she plans to continue as head coach of Tech’s Knight Raiders chess team in its efforts to win a national title for the second year in a row later this month and in March.

In her blog, Polgar offered her continued support to Tech, suggesting she could travel to the university two or three times each semester to assist in training remaining chess team members, recruiting new talent and allowing Tech to use the SPICE name.

“The ball is in their court,” she said.

Cook said Tech appreciates her offer.

Source: http://lubbockonline.com

Recruited players from all over the world

Polgar leaving Texas Tech, taking championship chess team with her
Posted: Feb 04, 2012 2:20 PM CST
Updated: Feb 04, 2012 2:57 PM CST
By Michael B. Duff

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Susan Polgar and her national champion chess team are leaving Texas Tech, headed to Webster University in St. Louis.

The Wall Street Journal quotes a Texas Tech representative who says, "We're disappointed that they've chosen to transfer rather than continue their education here but we do wish them the best in that. They've represented us well in chess."

Polgar said her goodbyes in a blog post on Friday, praising Texas Tech for their "incredible support" and offering to help them continue the program.

Polgar brought the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) to Texas Tech in 2007 and recruited players from all over the world.

Now these A-team players are set to follow her to St. Louis.

The following students have been accepted / committed to Webster University for the Fall 2012 (August):

Grandmaster Georg Meier - Germany - Sophomore
Grandmaster Wesley So - Philippines - Freshman
Grandmaster Ray Robson - USA - Freshman
Grandmaster Manuel Leon Hoyos - Mexico - Freshman
Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi - Iran - Graduate student
Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky - Israel - Junior
Grandmaster Andre Diamant - Brazil - Junior
Grandmaster Denes Boros - Hungary - Junior
International Master Vitaly Neimer - Israel - Sophomore
International Master - elect Faik Aleskerov - Azerbaijan - Graduate student

"No team in the long and prestigious history of college chess has had eight Grandmasters before," Polgar said.

A press release from Webster University describes Polgar as "one of the strongest female chess players in history."

Polgar is the winner of four world championships and the only world champion in history - male or female - to win the Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz and Classical Chess world championships).

She is the first woman to break the gender barrier to qualify for the Men's World Championship Cycle, earn the Men's Grandmaster title, and to receive the Grandmaster of the Year Award. In 2011, Polgar became the first female head coach to lead a men's Division 1 team (Texas Tech University) to the national title.

Source: http://www.kcbd.com

A BIG thank you to Texas Tech University

A BIG thank you to Texas Tech University

I would like to thank Texas Tech University for their incredible support for chess and SPICE in the past five years. I would also like to thank all the donors and supporters, without whom, SPICE could have never achieved this kind of success.

Chess will continue at Texas Tech and I will do everything possible to make sure that the transition with the new Director / Coach will be super smooth. My job is not finished yet as we still have a National Championship to defend in the end of March.

I am very proud to be a part of the Texas Tech family for the past 5 years. We have made a lot of history together. It has been an incredible experience and I will never forget all the wonderful memories.

As someone who has constantly looking to raise the bar and breaking through barriers in chess for nearly 40 years, I could not pass up the opportunity to work with Webster University on a global level. But it was one of the most difficult decisions because my family and I love Lubbock and Texas Tech.

I want to see Texas Tech continue the winning trend. That is why I made the offer to Texas Tech to maintain the SPICE program. I am even willing to come back to Texas Tech 2-3 times each semester for 2-3 days to help train the remaining players of SPICE and to help Tech recruit additional talents. I hope to have a positive answer soon. The ball is on Tech’s court.

There will be more SPICE programs in other universities in the near future. But my base operation will be in St. Louis. Once again, thank you for everything. This is not the end of an amazing chapter. It is just the beginning of something even more magnificent.

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
Director
Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE)

Webster University acquired SPICE and Champion US College Chess Team

Webster University
Department of Public Relations
470 E. Lockwood Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63119

Media Contact:
Susan Kerth
Interim Director of Public Relations
314.246.8232 (office)
314.220.9130 (cell)
susankerth14@webster.edu

Checkmate! Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and Champion U.S. College Chess Team Moving to Webster University

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3, 2012 – Building on St. Louis’ growing reputation as a world-class chess center, Webster University is making some exciting chess moves. The University today announced that chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar, World and Olympiad Champion, and her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), will relocate to Webster from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, on June 1, 2012. In addition, all members of the reigning national collegiate champion Texas Tech “A” chess team will transfer to Webster and be enrolled at the University in the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Chess is increasingly valued for its instructional impact,” said Webster President Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble. “Globally, educators recognize chess as a tool to cultivate interest and success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines. At Webster, SPICE and Susan Polgar will be leaders in promoting chess as a vehicle for global diversity and academic excellence, for enriching the education of children and for promoting women’s chess.”

“We are excited to be the new home of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence,” said Dr. Julian Z. Schuster, Webster University provost and senior vice president. “The mission of SPICE is to be the nation’s premier center for chess education, research, technology and outreach. Our partnership with Susan Polgar and SPICE at Webster will allow us to support and promote competitive chess at the college level. Chess has always been a global game and this important step brings a global game in these global times to a truly global university. We are excited to further enhance the image of St. Louis as a global chess center. ”

“According to recent statistics, there are about 1 billion chess players in the world,” Polgar said. “SPICE, therefore, is a perfect fit for Webster University’s global vision and presence, and I am extremely impressed with Webster’s commitment to excellence in chess and education. I am also very excited to be in the St. Louis area, near the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, the hot spot for chess in the United States, thanks to Mr. Rex Sinquefield.”

The chess players who will either transfer to Webster from Texas Tech or enroll as incoming freshmen include eight Grandmasters and two International Masters, and the team is expected to rank No. 1 in the nation in Fall 2012. “No team in the long and prestigious history of college chess has had eight Grandmasters before,” Polgar said.

Polgar, who is one of the strongest female chess players in history, is the winner of four world championships and the only world champion in history – male or female – to win the Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz and Classical Chess world championships). She is the first woman to break the gender barrier to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle, earn the Men’s Grandmaster title, and to receive the Grandmaster of the Year Award. In 2011, Polgar became the first female head coach to lead a men’s Division 1 team (Texas Tech University) to the national title.



With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

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The following students have been accepted / committed to Webster University for the Fall 2012 (August)

Grandmaster Georg Meier - Germany - Sophomore
Grandmaster Wesley So - Philippines - Freshman
Grandmaster Ray Robson - USA - Freshman
Grandmaster Manuel Leon Hoyos - Mexico - Freshman
Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi - Iran - Graduate student
Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky - Israel - Junior
Grandmaster Andre Diamant - Brazil - Junior
Grandmaster Denes Boros - Hungary - Junior
International Master Vitaly Neimer - Israel - Sophomore
International Master - elect Faik Aleskerov - Azerbaijan - Graduate student

They've represented us well in chess

Sorry, Texas Tech: You've Been Checkmated
Wall Street Journal
FEBRUARY 4, 2012

College athletes transferring to another school is common, but an entire program? Webster University announced Friday it had lured the Texas Tech chess team—including coach Susan Polgar and the "A" squad members who won the national title last spring—to the St. Louis-area school. Polgar, who noted a nearby St. Louis chess club as a U.S. "hot spot," will relocate to Webster in June. The players will enroll there for 2012-13.

"We're disappointed that they've chosen to transfer rather than continue their education here but we do wish them the best in that," a Texas Tech spokesman said. "They've represented us well in chess."

—R.B.

Knight Raiders Accomplishments

Here are just some of the Knight Raiders' accomplishments in the past four year since SPICE was established (12 national, 2 state, and 1 regional titles):

2008 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championships (Fort Worth, TX)
Board 1 Division I National Champion – IM Gergely Antal

2009 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championships (South Padre Island, TX)
Board 1 Division I National Champion – IM Davorin Kuljasevic
Board 3 Division I National Champion – IM Gergely Antal
Division IV National Team Champion (Osbourn, Haskin, James, Parkhomenko, Shah)
Texas Tech A qualified for the College Chess Final Four in its first try in Division I (Kuljasevic, Papp, Antal, Watters)

2009 Tournament of College Champions (Irvine, CA)
National Division I Individual Champion – IM Gergely Antal

2010 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championships (Milwaukee, WI)
Division II National Team Champion (Watters, Flores, Lelko, Cassidy, Osbourn)
Division IV National Team Champion (Haskin, Kamphorst, James, Roy)
Board 2 Division I National Champion – GM Andre Diamant
Board 3 Division I National Champion – GM Anatoly Bykhovsky
Texas Tech qualified for the College Chess Final Four for 2nd consecutive year (Kuljasevic, Diamant, Bykhovsky, Sipos)

2011 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championships (Fort Worth, TX)

Board 3 Division I National Co-Champion - GM Denes Boros

Board 4 Division I National Champion - GM Andre Diamant

Texas Tech qualified for the College Chess Final Four for 3rd consecutive year (Meier, Bykhovksy, Boros, Diamant)

2011 College Chess Final Four (Herndon, VA)

Division I National Team Champion (GM Bykhovsky, GM Kuljasevic, IM Sipos, GM Diamant, SM Aleskerov)

2009 Texas State Collegiate Championships (Houston, TX)
State Division I Individual Champion – IM Gergely Antal
State Division I Team Champion – Texas Tech

2009 Southwest Open – Regional (Fort Worth, TX)
Regional Division I Individual Champion – IM Gergely Antal

Head Coach: GM Susan Polgar

Coach: FM Paul Truong

Lindenwood Launches World-Class Collegiate Chess Program

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
For Immediate Release

Lindenwood Launches World-Class Collegiate Chess Program
University Offering Chess Scholarships, Forming Team for Competition

ST. LOUIS, January 31, 2012--Lindenwood University is putting out a call for some of the finest young chess players in America and abroad. And the university is willing to provide scholarship money to build the nation’s top collegiate chess program.

Located in the St. Louis metropolitan area just west of the City of St. Louis, Lindenwood University is a private four-year liberal arts school that is dedicated to excellence in higher education.

What is unique about Lindenwood’s plan is the number of competitors it plans to have in the program. Organizers say there could be 25-30 players on up to six different teams.

“We are planning to recruit some of the highest-rated competitors in the world,” said Tim Canavan, Lindenwood’s Director of Student Life Sports. “We are also going to recruit people who aren’t at the elite level yet, but want to get there. Our interest is competing, promoting the wonderful game of chess, and providing a way for young people to get a good education.”

Canavan said the university has been collaborating with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, which is known internationally for its quality. He praised the Chess Club for its guidance during the program’s developmental stages. Canavan said Lindenwood has retained the club’s Grandmaster-in-Residence, Ben Finegold, as coach.

“I was immediately impressed with the level of commitment Lindenwood has demonstrated to launching this program,” Finegold said. “It’s an exciting development for collegiate chess and also for the chess scene in the greater St. Louis area.”

Lindenwood already is on the recruiting trail and is building a collegiate schedule with plans to compete in the fall. Barger said the university already has designated a spot in the Evans Commons for practice and competition.

For information about a chess scholarship at Lindenwood University, call Lauren Nystrom at (636) 949-4949. For more information about the university, visit www.lindenwood.edu.

I would like to congratulate Lindenwood University for their bold and wonderful move. Bravo! GM Finegold is an excellent choice as coach for the Lindenwood Chess Program. He will no doubt do a great job.

SPICE to Host Fifth Annual Lubbock Open

(PressZoom) - Texas Tech University, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), the Susan Polgar Foundation and the Knight Raiders will host the fifth annual Lubbock Open, a five-round Swiss system tournament, open to all ages. This event is a U.S. Chess Federation-rated individual tournament.

All events will be held Saturday (Jan. 28) at the Lubbock Science Spectrum (2579 S. Loop 289). A United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership is required and can be obtained online at uschess.org or on site.

On-site registration and check-in will be held from 9 to 10:15 a.m. All pre-registered players must check in by 10:15 a.m.

Entry fees are $15 before Jan. 20, $20 before Jan. 27 and $25 on site.

For more information call (806) 742-7742 or visit SPICE.ttu.edu.

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at media.ttu.edu and on Twitter @TexasTechMedia.

Chess is fun

8-year-old Palmdale girl is already chess champion
By Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/03/2011 01:00:00 AM PST

Giggling under a pink hat bedazzled with sequins, 8-year-old Gia Peterson scanned the chessboard, wiggled her fingers and declared triumphantly, "Checkmate."

Her opponent, a news photographer, never stood a chance.

The Palmdale second-grader is a national chess champion, dominating the K-3 age group in the prestigious Susan Polgar World Open for Boys and Girls in 2010 and 2011.

She placed third in 2009, her first year of competition.

She's also the youngest in the country to win a high school tournament at age 6.

The previous record-holder was a 7-year-old boy in 1987 - who happens to be her half-brother.

"It doesn't matter how old you are," Gia said on a recent afternoon.

"I can think up to 11 moves in advance."

During the last World Open, held near Chicago in October, she beat a rival whose coaches were both grand masters.

The match lasted no more than half an hour. The year before, Gia took home a grand prize that included a college scholarship.

Her father celebrated the feat.

"Gia has talked about becoming a doctor," said Richard Peterson, a former financial analyst and chess tutor who became disabled in 2003 after sustaining a brain injury when a trailer collapsed on him.

"In no way is chess the goal - it is just a tool for the kids to get to where they really want to go," Peterson added. "It trains their minds, gives them critical thinking skills, and that's something that's simply not taught in school."

Gia's siblings - 12-year-old Michail, 10-year-old Dante, and 6-year-old Jayani - also are accomplished players, even though the youngest is still learning how to read and write. They also have a half-brother and a half-sister, both adults who were national champions in their youth.

All four of them won trophies during a scholastic chess tournament in Ridgecrest, Kern County, last month. Their combined record: 19-0.

"Chess is fun," said Dante, a three-time regional champion in his age group, whose signature strategy involves taking over the space in a chessboard until his opponent has nowhere to go.

Dwight Morgan, who has organized children's chess tournaments in Ridgecrest for 40 years, considers the Peterson kids - particularly Gia and Dante - among the best he's seen at their age.

"A couple of tournaments ago, Gia won the high school section and bested boys and girls from ninth grade through 12th grade," he said. "It was quite something to see these tall kids, 13 to 18 years old, holding small trophies while the petite Gia, who was only 8, had the biggest trophy of them all."

"To see a young girl doing so well is really great for the sport as far as encouraging other girls," he added, noting boys have tended to dominate the game.

Gia and Dante are the most competitive in the family. They partnered once and outscored rival teams with four players each.

It was Dante who brought chess back into the household after his father's accident.

"I didn't want to play chess because the pain was just awful," Richard Peterson said. "Whenever I tried to concentrate, it would make my head throb."

Dante, then a kindergartner, pursued his chess passion on his own and eventually "dragged" his mother, Deepika, to local tournaments. Soon, she was taking the rest of the children as well.

"Dante really wanted to go, but I remember when (then preschooler) Gia first sat down to play, she was so scared of all the people around her that she started crying," Deepika said.

The owner of a trophy-making business, Deepika tried to comfort the children if they got upset after a loss by telling them, "If you want a trophy, I'll make you one."

She never actually resorted to creating those consolation prizes though, because the children soon started winning regularly.

They honed their chess skills by reading books, solving problems on an educational CD, and competing online with adults.

Despite all that, the children are well-rounded, getting A's at school and playing tag and other activities with their peers.

Their family room has a huge collection of trophies and medals in one corner. More awards are stored in boxes inside the garage.

Peterson, who began to recover from his brain injury in 2008, hopes those accomplishments will ensure a bright future for the children, though he hopes the game will not be the sole pursuit of their adult lives.

"We want chess to be an avenue to other things," he said.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com

Knight Raider Shines on the World Stage

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: Nov. 16, 2011

CONTACT: Karin Slyker, karin.slyker@ttu.edu

(806) 742-2136

Knight Raider Shines on the World Stage

Grandmaster Georg Meier, co-captain of the Texas Tech University Knight Raiders, has defeated a former top 10 world professional chess player, Sergei Movsesian of Armenia. The win came in the final round of the 2011 European Team Championship.

Meier, a freshman from Germany, tied for second place last month in the 2011 SPICE Cup at Texas Tech, along with Cuban Grandmaster Leinier Doniguez, a former World Blitz champion.

Meier also tied for first and beat Grandmaster Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in the playoff at the 2011 SPICE Cup Blitz Championship.

“One of the top young talents in the world, Meier is the best German-born player in the past two decades,” said Paul Truong, marketing director for the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE). “Last year, he decided to give up his very lucrative professional career with Baden Baden, the top club team in Chess Bundesliga, to join the SPICE program at Texas Tech.”

He is now being trained by Grandmaster Susan Polgar, winner of four Women’s World Championships and five Olympiad Gold Medals.

Meier will play board one for the Texas Tech Knight Raiders, the No. 1 ranked collegiate team in the nation with four Grandmasters, at the 2011 PanAm Collegiate Championship in Dallas in December. He will also lead the Knight Raiders in their title defense at the 2012 Final Four in Washington, D.C.

Full standings of the 2011 European Team Championship can be found here: http://euro2011.chessdom.com/etcc-2011-standings-open-section.

A photo of Meier and Polgar is available here: https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/0SPICECup2011B#5667585805572112706

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu and on Twitter @TexasTechMedia.

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