First SPICE Training of the new semester

Training session with GM Bykhovsky, GM Meier, GM Boros, SM Aleskerov

The 2011 Texas Tech Knight Raiders A Team

L to R: Dr. Hal Karlssson (Iceland), SM Faik Aleskerov (Azerbaijan), GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (Israel), Me, GM Georg Meier (Germany), IM Vitaly Neimer (Israel), GM Denes Boros (Hungary), GM Andre Diamant (Brazil)

Checkmating Hardship

SPICE Checkmates Hardship
August 4, 2011

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence Invitational was a life-changing event for two young women.

Written by Melanie Hess

At Texas Tech, chess represents more than a challenging game and checkered board.

For two young women who visited Texas Tech last week to participate in the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) Invitational, it was a life-changing event. Meet Dyhemia Young and Vanita Young.

Dyhemia, age 15, has spent most of her life in the California foster care system. She was selected as a wild-card invitee by Susan Polgar. The SPICE invitational was Dyhemia’s first officially rated tournament. Vanita, a 17-year-old who lost both of her parents by her early teens, currently lives in Pennsylvania with her grandparents. Vanita beat out 600 other young women in her state to win a spot at the Polgar invitational.

But there was one problem. In the few weeks leading up to the invitational, neither girl was in a position to pay for travel expenses.

SPICE and many other generous donors, namely Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, helped sponsor the two young ladies, and at the end of the competition, Dyhemia and Vanita were awarded out-of-state scholarships worth up to $40,000 to attend Texas Tech once they graduate high school.

Dyhemia and Vanita, who are not related, recently shared their experiences of their time at Texas Tech with Texas Tech Today.

Q & A:

How did you feel when you found out you had been invited?

Dyhemia: It’s been really exciting. I was just, wow. That’s all I could say. “Wow! For real? Really?”

Vanita: I was definitely more excited than nervous. Since I was top at state, I had a big head for a while. I thought I could beat anybody, but when weeks turned into days, I got nervous.

How did you feel about the support you received from so many people?

D: When they asked me that question before, I nearly started crying. When I started talking about Susan, I never, ever, ever thought I was going to meet her in person. And then I met her, and now I’m teary-eyed because I’ve been here all week, and now I’m fixing to leave. I have learned so much.

How was your time with Susan Polgar?

D: I’d always heard of her. People spoke very highly of her, and then when I met her when we got off the plane, we talked. She gave me a ride all the way to the dorm and showed me around. She gave me some gifts, and I got so emotional I nearly cried. Well, I did cry. I was so emotional today. I think I cried about four different times for just about ten minutes straight. I’ve really enjoyed my time being here.

Again, I’m speechless. Susan, I think you know I am very thankful and happy to have you in my life. Oh my gosh, I’m going to have tears again, but Susan has done a lot for me while I’ve been here, and I am most definitely going to keep in touch with her when I do leave. I think so highly of her.

V: You would not believe the first time I saw her. I was at middle school nationals in Fort Worth and I was in the elevator with her. I was running late, and I didn’t know who she was at the time. I was in eighth grade. Then later people were talking about her and I asked, “Who’s Susan Polgar?” and they said, “top female,” and they showed me her and I was like, “Wait, I was on the elevator with her!”

What kind of training did you receive last week?

D: My class was kind of like Vanita’s, but she’s a higher level. We mainly focused on puzzle solving and basically making sure you know the main key things when you open, making sure you know your openings and key pieces, making sure each move you do is either to attack, or you’re defending. Then we played against each other in class using the tactics and notations. I had to learn notations. I don’t use them well, but I do know how to notate now.

It was like a 180-degree turn around from when I got here. My first game, it was like I was playing blitz. For real, I got down to the end and had to resign because the girl didn’t want to draw, and I knew I was going to lose. Then my second game was way better. I was down a bishop. I could have won if I had a bishop, but it was a good game. I gave the girl a run for her money. The game I played after that, I won. And the one I just played, I lost. But I had the girl show me the moves that I made that I should have not done. Luckily, she was my friend, so she was able to show me.

V: We had a lot of training this week. They were three-hour classes each, four classes altogether. We did a lot of analyzing, deep analyzing, and imagining things in your head without looking at the board. It was fun.

What was your favorite experience about last week?

D: I finally won a game! Oh, and I have my face on my own chess board. It’s my face on the board, and it says Dyhemia Young Cinderella! It has a list of all the people that helped me get here.

V: Meeting female chess players and working with top chess players. Susan and her husband have been amazing this week. I’ve learned so much from them in thinking steps ahead in my game. You know, when he said the tactic of visualize the pawn? I’d never thought of looking at the board like that, so I definitely learned something new.

What are your plans after high school?

D: Oh yeah. I’m going to college, I am going to college!

At first I didn’t know anything about Texas Tech, so I couldn’t really give an answer of whether I wanted to come here or not, but now I’ve read the brochure and spent some time here. I will always keep Texas Tech in mind, especially since I know I’d be on the same campus as Susan. I know if I needed anything, I could just call her and be like, “Susan, can you please come to my dorm? I need help!”

V: I definitely plan on going to college. I wouldn’t mind going to Texas Tech because I want to be in computer science as a computer engineer, and I want to be part of Susan’s chess team.

Polgar on Dyhemia and Vanita

Polgar said both girls represent hope for many other young women in difficult situations.

Speaking specifically about Dyhemia’s story, Polgar said last week’s experience was not only life changing for Dyhemia, but for many others.

“I think Dyhemia is a very special girl. The way I look at it is that she’s just one of the many Cinderella potentials, and her story can inspire thousands of other girls in difficult situations that they are in. It can become hope and encouragement.”

Source: http://today.ttu.edu

Savanna Naccarato places 9th out of 46 at the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls Invitational

Savanna Naccarato (center) with her mother, Rachelle (left), and GM Susan Polgar (right). Photo courtesy of the Susan Polgar Foundation.

by Jeff Roland

Reports started coming in a few days ago from Frank Niro (an Idaho resident), Tournament Director of the 8th Annual Susan Polgar Girls Invitational held this year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, July 24-29, 2011. Savanna Naccarato, an 8th grader from Sandpoint, Idaho was at one point, one of only four girls tied for first place after three rounds (with three rounds remaining) in this prestigious event. In round 4, and round 5, Savanna lost her games to higher ranked players, and won in the 6th round to end up with 4 points, and a 9th place (out of 46 players) finish. This is an outstanding result for an 8th grader in her first attempt.

Savanna qualified to play in this event by tying for first place in the 2011 Idaho Scholastic Girls Championship held in Boise, this past February.

Savanna and her family are very appreciative of all the support they have had for Savanna to represent Idaho at this event. The Bonner County Daily Bee helped promote a fundraiser yard sale, that actually brought in $800 toward expenses (some people dropped off money and didn't even buy anything at the yard sale -- they just wanted to support Savanna. And also community clubs and businesses and friends gave their support as well. The Spokane Chess Club also contributed as did the Idaho Chess Association.

Special thanks goes to Savanna's coach, National Master, John Graves, from Washington State, who has really worked hard and done a fabulous job preparing Savanna for this event. During the event he even called and texted between rounds.

Click here for May 11, 2011 article by Cameron Rasmusson, Staff for the Bonner County Daily Bee.

The event finished on July 29, 2011. Click Here for the crosstable.

http://www.idahochessassociation.org/index.asp

http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/news/local/article_aeb6ba7a-7b94-11e0-bc1b-001cc4c002e0.html

SP Girls' Invitational Final Standings

Final standings

##	Name	ID	Rtng	Post	-1-	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-	-6-	Tot	TB-M	TB-S	TB-O	TB-C
1	Apurva Virkud	13464694	1967	1987	W21	W20	W7	W8	W2	W6	6	20	23	90	21
2	Mandy Lu	13907446	1761	1778	W34	W13	W3	W9	L1	W10	5	22	24	90½	19
3	Kristen Sarna	13102097	1591	1620	W38	W23	L2	W18	W8	D4	4½	19½	21½	76½	16½
4	Maggie Feng	14105448	1728	1714	L23	W40	W29	W12	W9	D3	4½	18	19½	72	14½
5	Maraani Kamphorst	14521372	1815	1819	Z43	U---	W43	W15	W29	W13	4½	10½	10½	41½	12½
6	Claudia Munoz	13481236	1872	1856	W27	D19	W11	D10	W7	L1	4	21	24	86	16
7	Katherine Davis	14381402	1668	1667	W26	W30	L1	W11	L6	W18	4	20	22½	83	15
8	Clarissa Abella	13528222	1692	1685	W25	W24	W18	L1	L3	W19	4	19½	22½	84	16
9	Savanna Naccarato	14207292	1600	1607	W40	W44	W14	L2	L4	W24	4	19	20½	71	16
10	Evelyn Chen	13547567	1501	1552	D29	W17	W19	D6	W22	L2	4	18½	21	81½	15½
11	Diamond Shakoor	13972728	1293	1393	W36	W16	L6	L7	W28	W20	4	17½	19½	71	14
12	Vanita Young	13835092	1461	1478	W41	L14	W25	L4	W34	W22	4	16	17½	60½	13
13	Rebecca Deland	13470414	1349	1390	W45	L2	W23	D14	W21	L5	3½	19½	20	69	13½
14	Annastasia Wyzywany	13984743	1801	1763	W32	W12	L9	D13	D19	D15	3½	18	20½	74	14
15	Amelia Wyzywany	13984737	1466	1451	L30	W37	W34	L5	W25	D14	3½	16	18	59	11½
16	Sadia Qureshi	14024572	1607	1562	W33	L11	D30	W17	L20	W29	3½	15½	17½	62	12
17	Aiya Cancio	13850035	1255	1265	D31	L10	W33	L16	W40	W21	3½	15	16½	58	10
18	Heather Young	13153973	1345	1368	W39	W22	L8	L3	W23	L7	3	14	20½	75½	13
19	Ashritha Eswaran	14044705	1484	1491	W46	D6	L10	W31	D14	L8	3	14	20	69½	12½
20	Cheryl Liu	12848066	1580	1547	W37	L1	W32	L21	W16	L11	3	13	21	71½	12
21	Mina Takahashi	14333584	1254	1263	L1	W38	W26	W20	L13	L17	3	13	21	69½	12
22	Cristina Pieve Ferrer	14697376	1674	1620	W28	L18	W27	W24	L10	L12	3	13	20	70½	13
23	Logan Schoonover	14163285	1015	1084	W4	L3	L13	W36	L18	W33	3	13	19½	69½	10
24	Joy Chen	13499884	1295	1293	W35	L8	W28	L22	W26	L9	3	13	19	69	12
25	Tori Whatley	13269020	1006	1018	L8	W33	L12	W42	L15	W35	3	11½	16½	55½	9
26	Rea Katarina Chroneos	14431605	921	1031	L7	W35	L21	W27	L24	W34	3	11	17	61	9
27	Anjana Murali	14490650	1179	1178	L6	W46	L22	L26	W32	W30	3	11	17	55½	8
28	Bryn Dolan	14090925	928	938	L22	W39	L24	W35	L11	W37	3	10	16	55	9
29	Elisabeth Gondolo	13236653	593	826	D10	W31	L4	W30	L5	L16	2½	17	22	73	11
30	Isabel James	13435414	1124	1155	W15	L7	D16	L29	W31	L27	2½	15	19	65½	10
31	Sneha Chikkala	13008090	1271	1208	D17	L29	W36	L19	L30	W40	2½	11½	15	56	8
32	Chenyi Zhao	14465305	1082	1052	L14	W41	L20	D40	L27	W36	2½	11	14½	48½	7½
33	Helen Vaughn	13832662	864	838	L16	L25	L17	W39	W42	L23	2	12½	16	50	5
34	Alexandra Mann	14138695	1021	995	L2	W45	L15	W43	L12	L26	2	12	17	59	8
35	Ananya Murali	14692845	Unr.	729	L24	L26	W37	L28	W43	L25	2	12	15	49½	6
36	Marleah Mullen	14417932	101	240	L11	W42	L31	L23	W39	L32	2	11	15	48½	7
37	Sarah Cheatham	14220140	622	625	L20	L15	L35	W45	W38	L28	2	10½	14	43½	5
38	Janna Borg	13284210	645	584	L3	L21	L39	W41	L37	W42	2	9½	14	44½	4
39	Faith Munoz	13999788	320	367	L18	L28	W38	L33	L36	W45	2	9½	12½	39	5
40	Esther Whitney	14084916	823	830	L9	L4	W45	D32	L17	L31	1½	13	17½	57	5½
41	Jade Hibdon	13967740	339	316	L12	L32	L42	L38	D45	W43	1½	7	11	35	2
42	Dyhemia Young		Unr.	111	L44	L36	W41	L25	L33	L38	1	10½	13½	33	4
43	Aksithi Eswaran	14583755	503	445	Z5	H---	L5	L34	L35	L41	1	5½	10½	29	4½
44	Mary Kerr	14437867	179	231	W42	L9	U---	U---	U---	U---	1	1	5	20	6
45	Jenaye Hibdon	13967755	338	297	L13	L34	L40	L37	D41	L39	½	9	12½	39	1
46	Evelyn Kerr	14201134	574	572	L19	L27	U---	U---	U---	U---	0	3	6	20	0

About 400 pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/SPGirlsInvitational2011

Not even a black eye is going to keep me from winning

Students use chess to help them learn skills needed for success

Posted: July 27, 2011 - 12:30am | Updated: July 27, 2011 - 12:34am

By CHANA ELGIN Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

If life is a game, two Young girls are on their way to success.

Meet Dyhemia and Vanita Young. Although not related, and besides their last names, the two have more in common than one may think.

Both are charter school students; both have been involved with child services and both are skilled in the game of chess.

“I’ve been playing chess since I was in sixth grade, so probably 12 years old,” Vanita said. “I used to just move the pieces, but one day it clicked and all started making sense.”

The 17-year-old from Philadelphia is in Lubbock this week attending the Texas Tech Susan Polgar Girls Invitational. The top-rated girl from each state is invited to Texas Tech for three days of intensive training and three days of tournament play. Special invitations were also sent to a select group of girls, including Dyhemia.

Opening ceremonies for the eighth annual tournament begin today at 9:30 a.m. Players’ ages range from 5-18 years old.

Vanita is calm, but smiles when her logical skill level is discussed.

“I hope I’m going to win.”

Dyhemia cannot be ignored when she enters a room. Sixteen years old, hair loosely pulled back in a ponytail, the California teen said she is ready to play.

“I look at my life as a chess game,” Dyhemia said. “I need my pieces - my family - to be protected.”

Currently residing in a group home in San Francisco, Dyhemia said her journey to Lubbock was not a normal one.

In a news release sent to local media, it was revealed the help of a missing persons unit was needed to track down Dyhemia for an invitation to be received at all.

“I was just in between homes at the time,” she said. “I am stunned people went to the trouble they did to get me here.”

Dyhemia said Jada Pinkett-Smith’s agent sent her group home’s leader a text explaining an interest on behalf of the celebrity to assist in the trip for Dyhemia financially.

U.S. Sen. Bob Brady of Pennsylvania acted in a similar way offering to send Vanita to the invitational inspired by the aspiring Texas Tech student’s story.

“Scholarships are handed out to the winners of the tournament and I would love to come to Tech one day,” Vanita said. “It’s warm here and people are very friendly.”

Vanita and Dyhemia are both without their biological parents. Dyhemia lives with about 20 other girls in the San Francisco area and Vanita lives with her grandfather in Philadelphia.

Maintaining eye contact and a straight face, as if she had practiced, Vanita said the situation with her parents is something she still thinks about on a daily basis.

“My mom abandoned me and my dad when I was 2 and he died when I was 13,” Vanita said. “I play chess, and I don’t have to think about what’s going on in my personal life.”

Dyhemia smiles and makes large motions with her hands as if they were an outlet for her enthusiasm, explaining her personal situation. She gives little detail, rather a conclusion of sorts for what she said sums up her life.

“I put my trust in very few people and just keep my focus on my goal,” Dyhemia said. “People aren’t always going to like where you’re going, but you do what’s best for you and today that’s chess for me.”

She falls silent as she points to a bruised eye on her otherwise glowing face.

“And only a few days before I was coming to play chess,” she said. “Not even a black eye is going to keep me from winning.”

Paul Truong, the public relations and marketing coordinator for the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, said he was impressed with the girls’ dedication and spirit throughout the past days of training.

“I came to the United States from Saigon with no money and what seemed like too many obstacles to overcome,” Truong said. “Chess helped me get to where I am today and by hosting these tournaments, we’re giving girls like the ones here the same chance.”

Today, he is an assistant coach to the No. 1 nationally ranked Knight Raiders, fresh off a title win in April.

“Like our team, these girls are good kids,” Truong said. “Chess players aren’t your typical athlete-mold and they aren’t majoring in basket weaving 101. Again, like our team, we are selective who comes to the invitational because we know what we’re looking for- logic, higher analytical thinking and perseverance.”

Vanita said she maintains A’s and B’s in her schoolwork load at Walter D. Palmer Charter School on the East Coast. She said her favorite classes are math and science.

“I’m not so great at the writing stuff,” Vanita said looking over the brim of her thin-framed glasses.

Dyhemia took a proud moment when she said she has a passion for athletics, including track and boxing.

“I guess it’s good to be well rounded,” Dyhemia, a chess player since fifth grade, said. “Smart and athletic is a combo you can’t beat.”

Both said this was their first trip to Lubbock and first time at the invitational.

Truong said all of the girls at the invitational are of a special nature and should be proud of their talents.

“It’s not a matter of if anyone is worthless at playing chess,” Truong said. “It’s the chance that they’re getting an opportunity they might not otherwise have.”

Source: Avalanche Journal

Front page of the LA Times: Cinderella finds her chess slipper at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas

This is in the front page of the LA Times today!

It takes many moves to find missing young chess whiz

When news came that Dyhemia Young had been invited to a prestigious chess tournament, the 16-year-old San Franciscan had vanished. Her mentor, founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, was worried.

By Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times

July 23, 2011

Reporting from East Palo Alto, Calif.—

When Dyhemia Young was invited to compete in a prestigious all-girls chess tournament, at first it looked like the biggest hurdle would be raising the money to get her there.

The Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational takes place each year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and the price tag for flights and accommodations was around $1,600 — a hefty sum for a 16-year-old from San Francisco's hard-knock Bayview District.

The top-rated girl from each state is invited to the annual event. Polgar, the first woman to earn the title of grandmaster, also issues two "wild card" invitations to gifted players who haven't cracked into official competition. It's a world some liken to preparing for the Olympics, with its need for money, lessons and dedicated parents.



But when Adisa Banjoko, founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation and Dyhemia's mentor, tried to call her in mid-June to tell her the good news, he realized the money would probably be a lot easier to find than the chess player.

Dyhemia, the very definition of wild card, had disappeared.

None of the phone numbers Banjoko had for her worked anymore, and he hadn't seen her since school let out. No one at John O'Connell High School, where he is a security guard and Dyhemia was a student, had seen the striking junior with the almond eyes, bright smile and sharp mind.

"I reached out to other kids who had gone to O'Connell on Facebook," he recounted. "I figured between Facebook and people who worked there, if that's not going to pull it off, that's bad."

Banjoko describes his protege as "a really good girl with a tumultuous home life. She's a very delicate plant in very harsh weather conditions. It's not whether or not she's a good flower. It's 'are we going to get the conditions right to help her bloom?' So far we haven't."

Dyhemia has played chess on and off since fifth grade, when her social studies teacher taught her how to navigate the 64 squares. She played for a year with Banjoko and the Hip-Hop Chess Federation in ninth grade, and he was struck by her skill. Last year, though, she began to back off.

The federation melds music, martial arts and the game of kings to teach young people the skills to help them through their difficult lives — traits like patience, planning, thinking ahead. Banjoko runs the West Coast operations; Lisa Suhay, a children's book author from Norfolk, Va., leads the East Coast effort.

With Dyhemia scarce and time running out, Suhay hit the computer. A Google search of the girl's name went nowhere, but a check of Google images June 24 gave Suhay and Banjoko their first lead: a missing person's poster from 2008.

"Missing Juvenile," its headline blared, above black-and-white photos of a wistful 13-year-old. "LSW: Blue jeans, possibly with a red jacket. Hair is in a pony tail." And finally, a phone number for the San Francisco Police Department.

Suhay emailed the poster to Banjoko. "Missing persons on her from '08," she wrote. "This our girl?"

The answer was yes, and Banjoko's heart sank. "I'm not ready for her to come up missing," he said. "I'm not ready for her to be out of state or end up dead."

Suhay dialed the number and was transferred to Det. Joseph Carroll, with the missing person's unit. "I'm going to make the strangest request you are going to get all week," she told him. A half hour later, he called back. "I've got a line on her," Carroll said. But it would take nearly a month for them to connect.

Dyhemia has been in and out of the foster care system for the last three years. Recently, it turned out, she had done a brief stint in juvenile hall — officials will not disclose why — before being sent to the East Palo Alto Teen Home on June 30. That's where Carroll tracked her down last week.

More here.

Passing up baseball for chess

Shaker Heights' Trey Modlin gets chess scholarship from Texas Tech
Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 3:54 PM
By Brian Lavrich,
Sun News Sun Press

The average sports fan in Shaker Heights probably recognizes Trey Modlin for his exploits on the baseball field, which comes as no surprise.

Modlin, an outfielder, hit .386 with 20 RBIs as he helped the Raiders reach a Division I regional semifinal.

However, those who really know Modlin, know his true love is chess. He’s earned a scholarship to play chess at Texas Tech University.

“My dad taught be at the age of 4,” Modlin said. “From there, I kept playing. It’s a great hobby. It really challenges the mind.”

Modlin helped the Shaker Heights chess team advance even farther than the baseball team as they tied for first in the state tournament.

Modlin first got interested in Texas Tech when his friend, Rebecca Lelko, introduced him to the program. Lelko, a Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin graduate, is at Texas Tech on a full ride chess scholarship.

“She told me about the tournaments they play in and the team,” Modlin said.

Modlin considered playing baseball at Oberlin College, but couldn’t pass up his first love of chess.

“I really liked the campus,” Modlin said. “I really liked the buildings and overall feel of the campus. The students seem real nice.”

Modlin said he’s thinking about majoring in either math or political science.

“It will be a whole new experience with west Texas,” Modlin said. “It’s definitely in the desert region. It will be interesting. I can’t wait until August.”

But Modlin will definitely miss Shaker Heights.

“I’ll miss the community here,” Modlin said. “We have a great neighborhood with great people and families.”

Source: http://blog.cleveland.com

Pop Culture

I just received the following email from a friend of mine. Here is what she wrote:

'I wanted to share this sweet story with you :-) I hope that you will enjoy it.

My daughter Margot just walked in the house after an early morning dental appointment. I had e-mailed my dentist about the event we had with (you) Susan as she has 2 small boys who like chess. Unfortunately, they had a softball game so they couldn't attend.

However, she (my dentist) forwarded my e-mail to some of her friends with kids who were free that night. One took her little girl who is 7 years old (Ella V.).

After the event the little girl looked at her mom and said, "Mommy, this was better than meeting Justin Bieber!" '


(7 year old Ella is standing next to me with the black shirt)

Never give up, the relentless pursuit of excellence

Never give up, the relentless pursuit of excellence
Lubbock Avalanche Journal

Posted: June 25, 2011 - 11:36pm

This week, I am re-publishing an interesting article by Mr. Phil Innes, publisher of the Vermont Views Magazine. He always has a unique and interesting take about chess. Enjoy!

Why I am sick and tired of reading about Susan Polgar?

You see her here you see her there, you see her everywhere in print from coast-to-coast, and now or at least very soon, on varieties of television programs, including very prominent ones. A hundred articles already this year in mainline print media. Are you sick of this too?

We have seen her in Mexico City surrounded by 30,000 fans; then in Florida surrounded it seemed by that many media people during a successful attempt on the Guinness Book of records simul, in Texas opening SPICE, a new metro chess HQ, at Texas Tech University and even on the cover of Parade and Lifestyles magazines with prominent celebrities from our time and before.

Are you approaching your Polgar-limit?

Frankly, I am getting sick of it. This woman is traveling about the country promoting chess development for young people, especially young women, and successfully getting herself into mainstream media twice per week.

I ask myself all sorts of questions about my resentment; “Is it because I don’t like chess promotions?” and “Am I jealous?” and “Do I somehow, as a secret factor kept from my conscious self, not want to see chess promoted?” and “Is it because she is female?” or “because she is not born here” and “insert your own miserable question,” why one has Polgar-exhaustion.

And I answer to all these questions; “NO.”

It is because she seems to be the only person doing it. Now – I know about other people who promote chess, there is the excellent Jude Acers and I know about the historic George Koltanowski, the very sort of American Staunton who promoted chess, but the Polgar phenomena in the States is at a greater level. Quantitatively she is achieving an average of two major media write-ups per week, vastly exceeding all other players and institutions combined.

Why should I resent this? Because I compare it to the paid staff of US Chess Federation, some 30 people, who achieve two articles in major media, not per week, but per year.

Ostensibly both the Susan Polgar Foundation and the United States Chess Federation exist for the same purpose – to further chess into mainstream culture. Yet anyone reading these statistics, or even the newspapers, and who had a few dollars to promote chess, would make their choice as a no-brainer! Which of the two actually can be said to promote chess into mainstream culture in a superior way? My ten dollars is going to get 100 here and 2 there…

In effect I am asking “what’s the matter with the rest of us?”

Next week my friend, Mr. Paul Truong, director of marketing and public relation for Texas Tech SPICE, is going to send me two more articles beginning “Susan did …” and this is an obnoxious practice, no? I really want to send him something beginning, “This week Maurice….” or “coming soon, a Brit GM tour of the States, taking in the following cities…” and of course the friendly jibe “take that! Mr. T.” but damned if I am good enough to do it!

But I am going to try to put one in his eye, and so should you, dear reader.

This Polgar woman has proven that it can be done. She has demonstrated that Americans have a huge interest in the well-being of their sons and daughters, and are conscious of what benefits them, and to whom they can relay this aspiration and trust.

She has also demonstrated that it does not take a million dollars to begin, or ‘going Hollywood’ and relying on glamour. In person Susan Polgar is a quiet spoken individual, modest, attentive to other’s opinions, but most of all, dedicated. Am I a bit “struck?” Sure! But I am also a mean, sometimes a very mean realist.

In short, this person is not cute, she is compelling.

So what’s the matter with the rest of us?

We should follow this lead and compete on several broad fronts, and do so without distortions by simply representing the real nature and character of our game as genuinely as we can – with complete confidence that the general public is receptive. If I have learned anything from these exposures to Susan Polgar, it is this!

We should not do this in order that I can write my friend Paul Truong, wiping his eye! He would be the first to applaud the effort (whatever the result). We should do this because we have to-date misled ourselves that it cannot be done. Somehow we convinced ourselves in this country that unless Robert James Fischer is looking over your shoulder… and that the American public has no interest otherwise… we convinced ourselves that Americans cannot generate grandmasters and that we could not follow Olympiad victories in the thirties which provided four gold medals from four attempts.

This Polgar woman disproves both our objections as to our capability and to the public’s reception of chess, and for all these reasons I hope her share of the chess-development market is sensibly diminished in proportion, while the volume of her reported contributions increases.

Chess Girls

Susan Polgar Inspires "Chess Girls"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b011vhdc

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar's life is portrayed in the new BBC radio documentary "Chess Girls."

Written by Melanie Hess

Susan Polgar’s parents defied the government in communist Hungary to school their daughter in a highly unusual way– chess, eight hours a day, every day.

Now a grandmaster, Polgar’s story of ascension to worldwide fame through her childhood as a unique education experiment is portrayed in BBC’s recent production, “Chess Girls.”

Polgar, who is well known for breaking the gender barrier in chess by becoming the first female grandmaster, had anything but a normal upbringing. The BBC radio documentary, which premiered June 16, shares the exceptional progression of Polgar and her two sisters, Judit and Sofia.

“My father had that idea even before I was born. When he had children he’d like to raise them in a special way,” Polgar said, “focusing on a certain area and trying to excel, rather than kind of being mediocre in many things.”

“Chess Girls” dramatized the irregularity of Polgar’s schooling and noted that the media was often surprised to hear the Polgar girls genuinely say they were happy.

Polgar said her family was often criticized, but she never felt negatively about her early days.

“My childhood was good,” Polgar said. “It was certainly very natural because it was the only environment I knew, so that was very normal for me.”

At 15 years old, Polgar was ranked as the number one women’s chess player in the world.

“I was pioneering in open competition,” Polgar said. “At that time, it was simply revolutionary because most women simply admitted that they are not as good as the men, just like in physical sport. Even though, chess is not a physical sport, but a mental exercise. Therefore, that has been a major theme of my career, to fight for gender equality.”

In her current position as the director of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and Knight Raiders coach, Polgar employs many of the same techniques her father used to help her achieve her status today.

“I incorporated all the different knowledge I acquired over the years,” Polgar said. “And I am trying to share the best of it with our chess team members here.”

Source: www.ttu.edu

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b011vhdc

Pack your bags! You're heading to Lubbock!

Ronnie Polaneczky: Knights gather to fulfill girl's chess dream

June 18, 2011|By Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist

YOU KNOW the best part of my job? Calling someone who's been in a pickle and letting her know that her troubles are over.

That was my happy task yesterday, when I phoned Vanita Young and told her to pack her bags, she was going to Texas.

"Oh, my God! That's crazy! Thank you!" said Vanita, 17, when she learned that a benefactor would pay her way to the prestigious Susan Polgar (Girls') Chess Invitational next month in Lubbock (at Texas Tech University).

The rainmaker? Philly's own U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who read my column about Vanita over breakfast yesterday and then phoned his aide Ken Smukler to say, "We've got to make it happen for this girl."

Smukler called Joe Watkins at Students First PA, a pro-charter- school group, because Vanita attends a charter school - she's a junior at Walter D. Palmer at Broad and Master streets.

"If these guys are so in favor of charter schools, they need to support the kids who go there," said Brady.

Watkins agreed and the deal was done, within hours.

"You write a helluva story, what can I say?" Brady said.

In this case, the story's irony was heartbreaking: Vanita had been selected to attend the most prestigious girls' chess event in the country - only one girl is invited from each state - but could not afford to attend it.

Especially cruel is that chess, Vanita told me, is the thing that pulls her through sad days. And she has had her share of them.

"It's been a tough life for her," said her grandmother, Algloria Evans, who with husband, Raymond, has raised Vanita from toddlerhood. Vanita's mom abandoned her, and her dad, who battled the bottle, died in 2007. Father and daughter were close and his death took a toll.

Vanita "was already devastated about not having her mother around," Evans said. "When she was little, she called every woman 'Mommy' because she missed her mom so much. I said to her, 'I know I am your grandmom, but until your mom comes back, you can call me Mommy.' "

Vanita's mother never returned.

"She's a wonderful girl. She has worked very, very hard for this honor," said Evans.

No wonder her story inspired so many readers - many of whom phoned the After School Activities Partnership after my story ran, offering help.

"We've had people calling all day, and we've have to tell them that [Brady] has already come through," said ASAP executive director Maria Walker, who initially contacted me about Vanita. Her group runs the chess programs that have nurtured Vanita's love of the game.

"We don't want to be taking money for Vanita if the need has already been fulfilled."

That didn't matter for reader Paul Sevcik, who still wants to donate $20.

"I'm a former teacher," he told me. "I know how big a deal it is when kids find the motivation to really excel at something. I want to encourage that."

Brady thinks Vanita should spend surplus donation money on first-class seats to Texas and a nice hotel room.

"Let her reward herself," he said. "Why the hell not? She's a great kid. She's worked hard. She deserves it."

Knock 'em dead in Lubbock, Vanita. We're pulling for you.

Source: http://articles.philly.com

Vanita loves numbers ("She's one of my best students," says her math teacher, Andy Isom), and hopes that chess success will nab her a scholarship to Texas Tech, where she'd major in computer science.

Past stories:

http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/06/triumps-over-adversities.html
http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/06/polaneczky-dont-let-2g-checkmate.html

BBC’s “Chess Girls” Tells Unique Story

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: June 21, 2011
CONTACT: Melanie Hess, melanie.hess@ttu.edu
(806) 742-2136

BBC’s “Chess Girls” Tells Unique Story of Grand Master Susan Polgar

Susan Polgar’s parents defied the government in communist Hungary to school their daughter in a highly unusual way- chess, eight hours a day, every day.

Now a Grand Master, Polgar’s story of ascension to worldwide fame through her childhood as a unique education experiment is portrayed in BBC’s recent production, “Chess Girls.”

Polgar, who is well known for breaking the gender barrier in chess by becoming the first female Grand Master, had anything but a normal upbringing. The BBC radio documentary, which premiered June 16, shares the exceptional progression of Polgar and her two sisters, Judit and Sofia.

“My father had that idea even before I was born. When he had children he’d like to raise them in a special way, “Polgar said, “focusing on a certain area and trying to excel, rather than kind of being mediocre in many things.”

“Chess Girls” dramatized the irregularity of Polgar’s schooling and noted that the media was often surprised to hear the Polgar girls genuinely say they were happy.

Polgar said her family was often criticized, but she never felt negatively about her early days.

“My childhood was good,” Polgar said. “It was certainly very natural because it was the only environment I knew, so that was very normal for me.”

At 15 years old, Polgar was ranked as the number one women’s chess player in the world.

“I was pioneering in open competition,” Polgar said. “At that time, it was simply revolutionary because most women simply admitted that they are not as good as the men, just like in physical sport. Even though, chess is not a physical sport, but a mental exercise. Therefore, that has been a major theme of my career, to fight for gender equality.”

In her current position as the director of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and Knight Raiders coach, Polgar employs many of the same techniques her father used to help her achieve her status today.

“I incorporated all the different knowledge I acquired over the years,” Polgar said. “And I am trying to share the best of it with our chess team members here.”

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

Polaneczky: Don't let 2G checkmate Vanita's future

Ronnie Polaneczky: Don't let 2G checkmate Vanita's future
Posted on Fri, Jun. 17, 2011
By Ronnie Polaneczky
Philadelphia Daily News
Daily News Columnist

WHILE CITY big-shots have been agitating over the school district's $629 million budget gap, a quieter financial worry is tugging at Vanita Young's heart.

Vanita, a lovely, soft-spoken junior at the Walter D. Palmer Charter School, needs $2,000 if she wants to attend the nation's most prestigious all-female chess tournament next month.

Two-grand is piddling coinage compared to what the district is facing. But it's astronomical to Vanita, 17, whose circumstances have been so tough that attendance at the tournament could actually alter the course of her future.

Proving that what happens after school matters as much as what occurs in the classroom.

"If Vanita can't go, because of just $2,000, it would be devastating," said Douglas Cox, her chess coach at Palmer. "No one deserves this more than she does."

The event is called the Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational and, in the world of chess, it's a BFD, as the kids like to say.

From July 24-29, 50 girls will be mentored by Polgar, the world's first female chess grand master (who's like Madonna to those fond of rooks). Then they'll compete for $120,000 in scholarships and prizes during the annual chess-fest at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, Texas, where Polgar directs her eponymous Institute for Chess Excellence.

Each year, thousands of girls vie for the honor to represent their state. After Vanita beat out more than 600 girls at the PA State Scholastic Chess Championship last March, she got the exclusive call to attend the invitational.

"It's the best thing that ever happened to me," Vanita said yesterday, as her school's chess team, the Dark Knights, practiced nearby. "Any time I have a bad day, I think of winning and feel happy again."

Feeling happy is no small feat for Vanita, who was abandoned by her mom at age 2 and whose beloved dad - "He tried hard," she said - battled the bottle before dying suddenly of diabetes complications in 2007.

Vanita learned of his death right after triumphing at a chess competition hosted by the nonprofit After School Activities Partnership, whose mentors are like Vanita's second family. She'd discovered ASAP and chess years before, and couldn't stay away from the game.

Not even after she was assaulted while walking to her home in West Philly, where she lives with her dad's parents, Raymond and Algoria Evans. She'd just come from Clark Park, where she'd played chess with other amateurs who are regulars there.

"He wasn't even a player, but he was watching me in a way I didn't like, so I left," she said.

He followed her and grabbed her, but she was able to break free and the man was caught.

Vanita quickly resumed her playing because, she said, "It's always there for me. There's a whole family of people who care about me. It lets me go into deep thought."

"She's really focused," said Jennifer Shahade, Philly's hot, national chess star and author... She mentors ASAP's chess players and has been impressed by Vanita.

"Not a lot of girls take chess seriously," she said, "but she's determined."

Not just about the game but about what it might do for her. Vanita loves numbers ("She's one of my best students," says her math teacher, Andy Isom), and hopes that chess success will nab her a scholarship to Texas Tech, where she'd major in computer science.

But first she has to get to that pricey invitational. A dress-up-day fundraiser at her school netted $300. But she needs another $1,700 to pay for her and a chaperone to spend an exhilarating week at the invitational, mixing it up with girls like Vanita - quiet, focused, numbers-obsessed and eager to share their love of chess with the world.

"When I have kids, I want them all to be chess grand masters," said Vanita. "It helps you be a good, smart person."

Wanna help? Send a donation in Vanita's name to ASAP, 1520 Locust St., Suite 1104, Phila., PA 19102. More info: 215-545-2727.

Source: http://www.philly.com

Polgar family in BBC Radio Documentary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011vhdc

Afternoon Play

The Chess Girls (Susan, Sofia, and Judit Polgar)

The emergence of the Polgar sisters in the 1970s and 80s rocked the chess world. In a heavily male dominated game, the three Hungarian girls (Susan, Sofia, and Judit Polgar) broke record after record. The youngest, Judit, was talked of as a potential world champion.

The Chess Girls is the story of their parents, Laszlo and Klara Polgar, and how they defied the Communist authorities to conduct a remarkable educational experiment. Laszlo Polgar, convinced that any healthy child can be trained to become a genius, set out to prove his theory with his own children.

This is a drama-documentary with excerpts from an interview with Laszlo and Klara Polgar recorded for the play. The writer, Lavinia Greenlaw, takes their account and re-creates the lives of the young Polgar family in their tiny Budapest flat. The fictional Laszlo is played by Kerry Shale, and Klara by Sally Orrock.

Director: Chris Ledgard.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b011vhdc