A Game-Changing Move

A Game-Changing Move
June 29, 2012

One of the best chess players in the world -- male or female -- has landed at Webster University. And she's bringing plenty of backup.

Grandmaster Susan Polgar, who has done for chess what Billie Jean King has done for tennis, is transferring the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) from Texas Tech University to Webster.

Additionally, all members of the Polgar-coached Texas Tech "A" team, which won the Division I college chess national championship each of the past two years, will transfer to Webster and be enrolled at the school for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Polgar officially joined Webster on June 1, while most members of her team will arrive in August. Polgar signed the contract to come to Webster in early January when it became clear Texas Tech couldn't fund her rapidly-growing program.

"We were hoping Texas Tech would be able to grow with the sudden success of the program, but unfortunately it didn't seem to be the case that they were able to commit to the resources we needed, especially scholarships," Polgar said. "After we won our first national title last year, we were hoping that would bring the breakthrough and the support we were looking for. Unfortunately, it didn't."

Polgar began looking for alternatives last summer. She said she met with about six universities during the summer, and Webster emerged as the clear-cut choice. Polgar said the university "committed a good number of scholarships to make sure our students can graduate. They have an all-around package that's attractive and allows the program to grow."

"When we met with Webster Provost Julian Schuster and President Elizabeth Stroble, we were just blown away by their vision, enthusiasm and support to bring the SPICE program to Webster," Polgar said. "We were sold after we met with them."

Schuster, who has played chess his whole life, said he learned of Polgar's interest in changing universities from a mutual friend. Schuster and Stroble felt adding a chess program that includes players from Germany, Brazil, Israel and the Philippines perfectly fit Webster's global philosophy.

"It's a part of the Webster mission to prepare students for individual excellence and the global citizenship. This initiative perfectly fits in accomplishing both," Schuster said. "Global citizenship because by bringing such a diverse group of individuals, we do underscore our commitment to the global citizenship.

"Individual excellence because chess is a game of space and time, but there is a component in which you need to think fast, be logical and strategic. All of those are necessary ingredients for achieving individual excellence. So, we are just reinforcing what we have committed to do by using chess as a game, a sport and a tool to bring people together."

Stroble said Webster's addition of Polgar and her chess squad has attracted a massive amount of attention from both the media and the St. Louis community.

"There's huge interest in 'Wow, I want to meet Susan Polgar. I want to watch those players play. I want to play one of those players. I want to brush up my game myself,'" Stroble said. "There's an impact on young students in public/private schools in St. Louis, saying, 'Could your chess team help our chess club or chess team?'"

With the addition of Polgar and her elite squad, St. Louis has solidified itself as one of the top chess cities in the U.S. St. Louis is home to the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, a 6,000-square-foot chess education facility in the Central West End.

Polgar, 43, was born in Hungary and brings a wealth of chess knowledge and experience to both Webster and the St. Louis community. She was the world's top female player by the time she turned 15 and broke the gender barrier when she qualified for the "Men's" World Championship in 1986. In 1991, Polgar became the first woman to earn the title of chess grandmaster.

Polgar started SPICE from scratch at Texas Tech five years ago and quickly built the program into a national powerhouse. She hopes to continue the program's success at Webster and would like nothing more than to capture a third straight national championship.

"We expect to be the No. 1-ranked team in the country when the students arrive in August," Polgar said. "...We hope to do many important national and international events that will put Webster on the map in the entire chess community around the world, which is about a billion people."

Schuster said Webster's new chess team will have an impact on more than just the university and the St. Louis area.

"This is not St. Louis Chess Club -- it is more than that. It is the endeavor. It is a process in which we sincerely hope to touch lives and businesses of as many people as we can," Schuster said. "We are going to be purposeful and intentional to use the talents of Susan, her colleagues and team members to reach out to those communities and to open doors to those kids which were not opened before."

Source: http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com

Webster University adding chess excellence

Webster University adding chess excellence

May 2, 2012

ST. LOUIS – Susan Polgar introduced the possibility of change shortly after her chess team's achievement, the choice either to stay or leave each player's decision alone.

On Dec. 30, the grandmaster and Texas Tech coach addressed her 18-member squad in a conference room at a hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. It was minutes after they had competed at the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships and clinched their third consecutive appearance in the college chess Final Four.

An opportunity was available. Webster University, a small private school in suburban St. Louis, had offered Polgar a position to start a chess program. Scholarship funding for her team at Texas Tech was limited, so in recent months she had explored options elsewhere.

During the meeting at the hotel, Polgar stressed the importance of self-evaluation. She told her students there was a chance to create at Webster, but she also advised them to choose what was best for their own futures. As in preparation for a chess game, she told her players to approach the options with logic before making a decision.

More than four months later, Polgar and nine students who were present in that room – including each member of the two-time defending national champion Division I team – are preparing for their transition to St. Louis. With it, they will face challenges involved with change as they attempt to build a program together. With it, they will face opportunity as they grow through shared anticipation and struggle.

Polgar likes to say that change is the only constant in life. Soon, she and the rest of her team will discover what their new chapter will teach them.

"Sometimes, change is good," Polgar, who plans to move to St. Louis in early June, told FOXSports.com. "Sometimes, life creates circumstances that you have to be proactive and look for the change and just go with it. … Circumstances change, and you have to be ready to adapt to the changes. As long as the changes are not going in a negative direction – it's at least comparable or better – there's no reason to feel bad about it. You have to accept it as part of life."

Change has been part of Polgar's life, and it has made her one of the world's most recognized figures in chess. She was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, and she quickly became one of the game's rising stars. At age 12, she earned her first world title by claiming the World Chess Championship for girls under 16. At age 15, she became the world's top-rated female player. And at age 16, she became the first woman to qualify for the World Chess Championship.

Polgar, 43, moved to New York City in 1994, and she continued to build her reputation within the game. In 2003, the United States Chess Federation named her "Grandmaster of the Year," the first woman to receive the honor. And in 2007, Texas Tech hired her to lead a chess program within a region more known for its passions of oil and football.

With time, though, Texas Tech became a power under her guidance. Her Division I team captured its second consecutive national championship in early April in suburban Washington, D.C., making Polgar the first woman to lead a men's Division I team to consecutive titles.

By that point, though, Polgar knew more change would come for her and her squad. The previous year, shortly after Texas Tech had claimed its first national championship, Polgar had hoped the university would promise more funding for scholarships for her students, some of whom she had recruited from countries such as Brazil, Israel and Azerbaijan. The program had survived with the help of a private donor, but assistance was running out.

As months passed, little changed with the situation. She grew less optimistic that they money would come. So early last summer, Polgar began looking. She spoke to about six schools, with Webster being the last one, about making a switch.

"We love Texas Tech, and we appreciate the opportunity the university gave us here," Polgar said. "We just feel they weren't able to commit timely for the scholarships for our students. I personally thought at least a moral obligation to my students, whom I recruited personally from all around the world. … It seemed about a year ago, it clearly seemed the funding was not there toward their scholarships."

Meanwhile, Julian Schuster, Webster's provost and senior vice president, sensed an opportunity. Last summer, he learned through a grandmaster in Texas that Polgar was considering a move. A former chess player, Schuster became interested in the game's value as a tool to sharpen students' critical and creative thinking skills. He wanted to start a program at Webster.

Late last year, Schuster approached Polgar with an offer to make the 47-acre campus in Webster Groves, Mo., her new home. Her background had intrigued him: He considered her an "educated chess player" and "arguably one of the strongest female players in the history of the game." He promised ample funding for her students, an environment within an urban setting with a strong chess culture and a global reach with international campuses in countries such as Austria, China, Thailand, Switzerland, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

Polgar was pleased with the pitch presented by Webster leadership. By January, an agreement was made: She would lead the school's program.

"Change is never easy," Schuster said. "You go from known to unknown. You know with the unknown there is always an anxiety. … The biggest challenge is with great power comes great possibility. They have repeated as champions in the last two years. We at Webster would expect that they continue the winning streak. It is not easy being first. … The challenge is to continue on the trajectory of success."

There also is a challenge knowing what will be left behind at Texas Tech. Polgar and Paul Truong, an assistant coach, have bittersweet feelings about the move. They are eager for the opportunity at Webster.

But they also realize they created a recognized program in west Texas that made an impact through outreach chess events and by hosting numerous local, regional and national competitions. New routines must be made with their move to St. Louis.

But they also understand change presents a chance for growth. Polgar views the transition as no different than any other life cycle: Visions, like the people who carry them, mature with time. And on occasion, a move is necessary to allow a dream to reach its full potential.

"We can adapt to this very easily, because we are all chess players," Truong said. "As chess players, you have to adapt to constant changes. It doesn't matter how much preparation you put into a game – you can guess your opponent will play a certain opening or prepare something for you and you prepare something to counter that – but when you get to the board, things can change rapidly.

"There are big surprises. You don't have time to go back to the drawing board – you have to make decisions on the board instantly. … For chess players, it's like, OK, you see a problem in front of you, and you have to find a solution."

Polgar anticipates some time will be required to grow comfortable at Webster. There will be small adjustments, like finding new friends and new doctors and even a new hairdresser. But there will be a larger transition as well: She will work to maintain the success her program enjoyed at Texas Tech, all while shaping a new legacy.

After all, anticipation will follow her to the Midwest. The New York Times compared her move to a school previously without basketball hiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Truong has likened the team's depth to having eight Tom Bradys or Michael Jordans on the roster. Polgar will work to meet a standard of her own creation, and observers will anticipate results fast.

But in the process, she will receive help from students who trust her. They value their connection. The Webster announcement surprised some, but others were eager to join what U.S. News & World Report has ranked as a Tier 1 institution.

Both Polgar and her team – she estimates she will have at least 14 players when most students report to campus in mid-August – will live the transition together. Change has taught them to be flexible. Change has taught them to move forward with an open mind.

"It wasn't a tough decision, exactly," said grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky, a sophomore from Israel who will join Polgar at Webster this fall. "I just love my coach, and it was pretty much my decision. It didn't take me too long."

Source: http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com

The SPICE success

The success of SPICE

In the first year of competing in division I, the SPICE - Knight Raiders earned a spot in the College Chess Final Four, finishing in 3rd place, ahead of UT Dallas.

In the second year competing in division I, the SPICE - Knight Raiders won the College Chess Final Four ahead of UT Dallas, UMBC, and UT Brownsville, and became the first bottom seed team in history to win the biggest prize in College Chess.

In the third year of competing in division I, the SPICE - Knight Raiders is ranked as the #1 College Chess team in the United States (with 5 GMs and 2 IMs) and will look to defend its title on March 30 - April 1 near the nation's capital.

After the first full year of the SPICE program, the Knight Raiders gained about an average of close to 100 rating points! In addition, members of the Knight Raiders have a grade point average of approximately 3.35 - 3.40.

In a stretch of about 6 months starting the summer of 2010, the SPICE program produced 3 Grandmasters, Kuljasevic, Antal, and Papp. The legendary SPICE tournaments (5 SPICE Cup and 3 SPICE Spring Invitational) also produced GM and IM norms (Finegold - GM title, Rensch - IM title, Yang - all 3 IM norms and title, Hess - GM norm, Mogranzini - GM norm, Antal - GM norm, etc.).

And after the first four full years of competition, the SPICE warriors won a total of 14 national, 2 state, and 2 regional titles!

Now the SPICE program is making history again by fielding the #1 team in the country for Webster University in St. Louis starting in June 2012 with 8 GMs, 2 IMs, 1 FM, and 1 WIM so far with more in the process of applying.

Here are all the SPICE titled players so far by the order of joining the program:

IM-GM Gergely Antal (Hungary) SPICE 1st titled player and 2nd GM
IM-GM Gabor Papp (Hungary) SPICE 3rd GM
IM-GM Davorin Kuljasevic (Croatia) SPICE 1st GM
IM Istvan Sipos (Hungary)

GM Andre Diamant (Brazil) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (Israel) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Georg Meier (Germany) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Denes Boros (Hungary) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Elshan Moradiabadi (Iran) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Wesley So (Philippines) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Ray Robson (USA) - Webster University 8/2012
GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (Mexico) - Webster University 8/2012

IM Vitaly Neimer (Israel) - Webster University 8/2012
FM/IM-elect Faik Aleskerov (Azerbaijan) SPICE 1st IM - Webster University 8/2012

FM Jake Banawa - Webster University 8/2012

WIM Inna Agrest - Webster University 8/2012

This is the chess equivalent of the entire championship University of Alabama football team and coaching staff up and transferring

Sinquefield should focus on chess, not public school, boards
By BARB SHELLY
The Kansas City Star

Before Rex Sinquefield became a multimillionaire and a political kingmaker, he was a chess player.

And whatever you think of Sinquefield’s libertarian views and shameless flaunting of his fortune to influence Missouri government, know this: He is revered as a chess patriarch.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, a sparkling chess palace that Sinquefield renovated out of a 1897 building, has 700 active members and is host to the nation’s top tournaments. It has a grandmaster in residence and it helped persuade the nation’s top-rated player, Hikaru Nakamura, to move to St. Louis.

Sinquefield, a retired investment fund manager, engineered the move of the World Chess Hall of Fame from Miami to St. Louis. He and his wife, Jeanne, purchased the chess library of the brilliant recluse, Bobby Fischer, which includes notebooks Fischer used to prepare for his legendary match against Russian Boris Spassky.

Because of Sinquefield, dozens of schoolchildren in the St. Louis area play chess. And now the nation’s top-rated chess team has announced it is moving from Texas Tech University in Lubbock to Webster University in St. Louis.

This is the chess equivalent of the entire championship University of Alabama football team and coaching staff up and transferring to Creighton University in Omaha.

Hungarian-born chess champ Susan Polgar, who coaches at Texas Tech, says she is bringing five grandmasters and two international chess masters with her, and an additional three grandmasters are expected to join the team next year as freshmen.

I emailed a news clipping about this to my son, who plays on a chess team at a university that happens to be where Sinquefield did his graduate work.

“Wow,” he emailed back. “That is huge news.”

It’s rare that I am able to tell my son something he doesn’t know, much less get a “wow” out of him. So I thank Sinquefield for that.

Polgar told me Sinquefield wasn’t instrumental in arranging the move, but he was a factor. “We felt it was a nice coincidence,” she said. “We will be in the Mecca of chess in America that grew out of nowhere thanks to the generosity of Mr. Rex Sinquefield.”

Julian Schuster, the provost at Webster, a private, non-profit university, said the school aspired to become a “truly international university,” and chess, being an international sport, fits with that mission.

The school will at first provide scholarship aid for chess players out of its merit scholarship pool, Schuster said.

“We will also approach donors and other interested organizations and foundations,” he added.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com

Chess queen to St. Louis

Chess queen to St. Louis
February 4, 2012 By Mike Lear

St. Louis is already a chess Mecca, and it is about to add to that reputation.

Four-time world chess champion Susan Polgar is bringing her Institute for Chess Excellence from Texas Tech to Webster University, and that includes her 2011 collegiate championship team.

Next year’s Webster team will boast eight grandmasters; a collegiate first.

St. Louis is already home to the U.S. Chess Championships, the country’s top rated player and the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Source: http://www.missourinet.com

Top collegiate chess team moving to Webster U

Top collegiate chess team moving from Texas to Webster U.
BY STEPHEN DEERE AND VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN
STLtoday.com | Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2012 12:00 am

WEBSTER GROVES • It's hard to imagine that the local competitive chess scene could get any more spirited.

St. Louis is home to the U.S. Chess Championships, the country's No. 1 rated player and the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Soon you can add the nation's No. 1 collegiate chess team to that list.

On Friday, Webster University announced that Hungarian-born Susan Polgar — winner of four world championships — is moving her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence from Texas Tech University to Webster.

Polgar is bringing her 2011 collegiate championship team with her.

And that's not the only recent chess addition.

Lindenwood University leaders say they will begin offering chess scholarships this fall to build a collegiate chess team.

Almost overnight, St. Louis has gone from having a few players meeting in coffee shops and bookstores to being among the premier chess cities in the country.

That's thanks in large part to retired businessman and philanthropist Rex Sinquefield who built the multimillion-dollar Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis in the heart of the Central West End a few years ago. Some chess experts have called Sinquefield the most significant benefactor of chess in America, and they credit him with putting St. Louis on the map.

The club prompted Hikaru Nakamura — the top-rated player in the country and No. 6 in the world — to move to St. Louis.

"A NO-BRAINER"

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.

"We are really excited," Wilmering said. "For us, it means a lot of top players are coming to St. Louis."

Next year's Webster team will include eight grandmasters — something no other collegiate team has ever had, Polgar said. The team is expected to rank No. 1 in the nation this fall, according to a university press release.

The school has committed to giving the students scholarships, but a spokeswoman wasn't sure how many, or for how much.

Webster had discussed building a collegiate chess club for about a year, said Provost and Senior Vice President Julian Schuster, adding that Polgar had reached out to university officials through some mutual friends.

"It was a no-brainer," Schuster said.

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 Texas Tech, where it grows from "literally nothing" in 2007 to its status today. But in the end, she felt that St. Louis was a better home.

"We felt we had better opportunities to grow in St. Louis," Polgar said, adding that the chess club "was definitely a big plus."

More here.

Champion college chess team moves to Webster University

Champion college chess team moves to Webster University
St. Louis Business Journal
by Greta Weiderman, Web Editor
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012, 2:43pm CST
Last Modified: Friday, February 3, 2012, 3:24pm CST

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar, World and Olympiad champion, and her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, will relocate in June to Webster University Webster University Latest from The Business Journals Webster U. beats million fundraising goalShoptalkWebster University teams up with The Muny Follow this company from Texas Tech University Texas Tech University Latest from The Business Journals UNT student housing community gets MEnervest chief appointed to Texas Tech board of regents CEO: 2 Live Crew a joy Follow this company in Lubbock, Texas, Webster officials said today.

All members of the reigning national collegiate champion Texas Tech chess team will transfer to Webster and attend during the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Chess is increasingly valued for its instructional impact,” said Webster President Elizabeth Stroble. “Globally, educators recognize chess as a tool to cultivate interest and success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines.”

Polgar said there are around 1 billion chess players in the world and that her institute is a good fit for Webster’s global vision.

“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,” she said.

Polgar is the winner of four world championships and the only world champion in history to win the Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz and Classical chess world championships). She is the first woman to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle, earn the Men’s Grandmaster title and receive the Grandmaster of the Year Award.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com

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, and to bring some of the world's best young talents to SPICE in St. Louis. My goal is to help the next generation of talented young players excel in chess while obtaining a fantastic college education.

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

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