Chess team qualifies for Final Four

Chess team qualifies for Final Four 
by Sam Masterson 
January 23, 2013

The Webster University chess team tied itself and four other schools for first place in the 2012 Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship. In the competition, Webster’s A and B teams fought through six rounds of chess against the top college teams in the country.

Webster brought the No. 1 and No. 3-ranked teams in the country with its A and B teams, respectively. In a feat accomplished only once before in the 66-year history of the World Series of College Chess, both Webster teams tied for first. Forty-four different colleges competed in the tournament, which was held Dec. 27-30 at Princeton University (N.J.).

As co-champions with three other institutions, Webster and these schools all earned spots in the College Chess Final Four, or President’s Cup, which is held April 6-7 in Herndon, Va. Webster’s A and B teams, however, will be forced to combine into only one team of six members. College Chess rules allow for only one team per school to compete in the Final Four.

Susan Polgar, Webster chess coach and founder of SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence), said she selected the final team based on the players’ competitive performances during the past few months.

The Pan-Am Intercollegiate co-champions and Final Four competitors are Webster, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Illinois.

Polgar said Illinois is a surprise team that upset the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Tech University. Polgar won the President’s Cup in 2011 and 2012 while at Texas Tech.

Preparing for the Final Four

Polgar has selected her final team of six to compete in the Final Four, but she withheld the players’ names so that opposing teams can’t adequately prepare for Webster.

That gives her team a leg up on the strategy side, since the other Final Four teams will most likely keep the same lineup they used at the Pan-Am Championship. Georg Meier, sophomore and team co-captain, believes Webster has a mental advantage as well.

“I was a professional player for a while, and I was playing for different teams and my national team, so I do not have any problems with pressure,” Meier said. “We got where we are because most of us have been playing for 10 or 15 years, and on a very high level.”

Meier and Wesley So, freshman SPICE player, agree that Webster deserves the No. 1 ranking and can win the 2013 President’s Cup — even with a shortage of experience in collegiate chess competition.

Webster is a young team, as four of the five players on the A team are freshmen. Polgar said she hasn’t seen the youth hurt the team at all.

“It was their first experience of the kind (in the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Championship),” Polgar said. “Even though they are very accomplished chess players individually, this collegiate style is their first. I help them in any way I can. A lot of them are not from the U.S., so I give 100 percent of myself to them and they are trying to do their best for me.”

Resumes of individuals on Webster’s team demonstrate why Webster is regarded as the best squad in the country.

—Freshman Wesley So is the No. 1-ranked Philippine player, No. 3-ranked player under 21 years old in the world and No. 66-ranked overall player in the world.

—Freshman Ray Robson is the No. 10-ranked under-21 player in the world and the No. 8-ranked player in the U.S.

—Freshman Manuel Leon Hoyos is the No. 1 player in Mexico and the reigning U.S. Open Champion — the first Mexican-born player to earn the title.

Wesley So and six of his teammates have represented their respective countries in the Olympic Games. Five players competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Polgar has no shortage of experience at the collegiate level. In the past two years as the coach at Texas Tech, Polgar led her team to victories in the 2010 and 2011 President’s Cup. 

Meier, who was on that team, said Polgar’s success stems from her being more than a coach.

“She is very good at keeping the team together and (having) an idea of what is going on,” Meier said. “It’s not so much about individual training but going for the good of the team, and Susan has been doing a very good job.”

Source: http://websterjournal.com

NYT spotlights Webster U's chess masters

New York Times spotlights Webster U's chess masters 
St. Louis Business Journal by Greg Edwards, Reporter

Date: Monday, January 7, 2013, 11:28am CST

Greg Edwards

Reporter- St. Louis Business Journal

Webster University’s chess teams were spotlighted in the New York Times this weekend for their first-place performances at the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship Dec. 27-30 at Princeton University.

Both the A and B chess teams at Webster tied for first place with teams from three other universities, including the University of Illinois. Teams from the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Maryland were other two. Forty-four schools competed.

“So why were there more strong players than ever? Part of the answer is that players today are becoming grandmasters at younger ages than they did 30 and 40 years ago,” the Times wrote. In addition, schools see chess as a way to set themselves apart.

“Webster is an example of this philosophy. Last year it hired Susan Polgar, a former women’s world champion who was the coach at Texas Tech. When Polgar took the job at Webster, she also persuaded many of the players she had recruited for Texas Tech to follow her.

“At the championships, Webster’s teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 3 and included eight grandmasters: Wesley So of the Philippines, Georg Meier of Germany, Manuel León Hoyos of Mexico, Fidel Corrales Jimenez of Cuba, Anatoly Bykhovsky of Israel, Andre Diamant of Brazil, Denes Boros of Hungary and Ray Robson of the United States.”

You can read more here.

Webster A and B team tied for 1st at 2012 PanAm

Webster University

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

Webster University’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ Chess Teams Tie for First Place in 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship 

Webster Now Advances to the Final Four of Collegiate Chess

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 2, 2013 – No. 1-ranked Webster University’s “A” and no. 3-ranked “B” chess teams tied for first place in the 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship – also known as the World Series of College Chess – last week at Princeton University. The top four schools will now advance to the College Chess Final Four, to be held April 6-7 in Herndon, Va. Since only one team per school can qualify for the Final Four, six players from Webster’s “A” and “B” teams will be selected to represent the University in the Final Four.

Webster’s “A” team was the top seed in the World Series of Chess, while the “B” team ranked third. Both teams are coached by Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar, World and Olympiad Champion, and director of SPICE, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, at Webster University.

Webster’s “A” team members include:

• Grandmaster Wesley So, Webster freshman, currently ranked No. 1 in the Philippines and No. 3 under 21 player in the world
• Grandmaster Ray Robson, Webster freshman, ranked No. 8 in the U.S. and No. 10 under 21 player in the world
• Grandmaster Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Webster freshman, ranked No. 3 player in Cuba
• Grandmaster Georg Meier, Webster sophomore, ranked No. 4 in Germany
• (Alternate) Grandmaster Manuel Leon Hoyos, Webster freshman, ranked No. 1 in Mexico and reigning U.S. Open Champion

Webster’s “B” team members include:

• Grandmaster Anatoly Byhkovsky, Webster junior, ranked No. 21 in Israel
• Grandmaster Denes Boros, Webster junior, ranked No. 28 in Hungary
• Grandmaster Andre Diamant, Webster sophomore, ranked No. 12 in Brazil
• International Master Vitaly Neimer, Webster sophomore, ranked 46  in Israel   

44 top college chess teams competed for the prestigious national title, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, University of Chicago, NYU, Penn State, University of Texas (Dallas), University of Texas (Austin), University of Texas (Brownsville), Texas Tech, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Arizona State, Washington University in St. Louis and Lindenwood University. 

The first PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship took place in New York in 1946. Webster University was the first team in history to enter the World Series of College Chess as the No. 1 seed in the first year competing in this event.

Webster will enter the Final Four as the #1 seed. The other three universities which also earned a berth in the Final Four include the University of Illinois, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and University of Texas in Dallas.

About Susan Polgar and SPICE

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar, World and Olympiad Champion, and her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) relocated to Webster University from Texas Tech University on June 1, 2012. In addition, all key members of the reigning national collegiate champion Texas Tech “A” chess team transferred to Webster and are now enrolled at the University. Webster’s No. 1-ranked chess team includes eight Grandmasters and two International Masters.

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. At Webster, SPICE and Polgar are 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. In 2011, Polgar became the first female head coach to lead a men’s collegiate Division 1 chess team (Texas Tech University) to the national title, a feat she repeated in 2012.

About Webster University

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.

# # #

Open Letter to Key Members of College Chess

 

TO: Rusty Harwood

Chair, College Chess Committee

Copy: Al Lawrence (TTU), Alan Sherman (UMBC), Jim Stallings (UTD), Yasser Seirawan (Lindenwood), Paul Truong (Webster)

Dear Rusty,

In lieu of the unfortunate situation which took place at the latest PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship in Princeton regarding the "humanitarian" issue, I suggest one of the following to avoid this episode from ever happening again in the future:

- Permanent rule change

or

- Teams which may have this problem will need to make arrangements with their potential opponents prior to the start of the tournament to avoid this possibility

After a decision is made by the College Chess Committee, rules must once again be strictly enforced with no exception to ensure the spirit of fair play for all. Once rosters and lineups are finalized, no change should be allowed. This type of issue must be handled beforehand. Because this was not properly or timely executed at Princeton, multiple teams were unnecessarily effected when everything could have been avoided in a cordial and professional manner in the first place.

No team which plays by the rules should be penalized for no fault of their own. Webster University is compassionate about this sensitive human issue. We always put the welfare the students first. However, we play by the rules and we expect for the rules to be enforced.

When I faced the exact same situation with the exact same student some 8-9 months earlier, I found a solution to avoid conflict without bending any rule or asking for any exception. It can easily be done without creating disadvantages, discomfort, or unfairness to other teams in this prestigious event.

Thank you for addressing this sensitive issue.

Best wishes,

Susan Polgar

Director, Webster University - SPICE

Head Coach, Webster University Chess Team

Top-Ranked Webster Chess Team Prepares to Cap 2012 at Pan-Am Championship

Top-Ranked Webster Chess Team Prepares to Cap 2012 at Pan-Am Championship 
Dec 21, 2012 

While many will be spending the last week of December on holiday break, the Webster University chess team will be pursuing another title.

It’s already been a fantastic first year for the chess team, both on individual and team levels. Members of the team have shined representing Webster as well as their own countries throughout the year.

Now they hope to cap this banner year off as the top-ranked college team heading into the 2012 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Championship Dec. 27-30, 2012, at Princeton University.

Also known as the “World Series of College Chess,” this tournament will feature more than 30 top college teams vying for the national title. Webster will send three teams to the tourney.

The top four finishing teams from the Pan-Am will qualify for the Final Four, which will take place around the beginning of April 2013 in Washington, D.C.

The first PanAm Intercollegiate Chess Championship took place in New York all the way back in 1946, but Webster University will be the first team in history to enter the World Series of College Chess as the #1 seed in its first year competing in this event.

Good luck to the Webster chess players!

http://blogs.webster.edu

Webster University at the 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship

 

The 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship will take place in Princeton, NJ in just about 4 weeks. Here are the tentative lineups for the 3 teams from Webster University (pending minor changes after the official December 2012 rating list is published).

 

Team 1

GM Georg Meier (Captain)

GM Wesley So

GM Manuel Leon Hoyos
GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez

GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (Co-Captain)

Team 2

GM Ray Robson

GM Andre Diamant

GM Denes Boros

IM Vitaly Neimer

Team 3

FM Jake Banawa

WIM Inna Agrest

Maraani Kamphorst

Vanita Young

Official College Chess Rules

Intercollegiate Eligibility Requirements:

Rule 1

For college and university teams, titled players (International Masters, International Grandmasters, International Woman Masters and International Woman Grandmasters) are eligible to participate if they satisfy at least one of the following stipulations: #1 or all three conditions listed in #2.

1. Are less than 26 years old as undergraduate students, or under 30 years old as graduate students, as of September 1 of the academic year in which the tournament takes place.

2. Satisfy all of the following three conditions:

a) Are full-time, degree-seeking students (e.g., at least 12 semester credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 semester credit hours for graduate students)

b) Have a grade-point average of at least B (e.g., at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale)

c) Have satisfied conditions 1 and 2 for at least one full semester at their team’s college or university prior to the event.

Rule 1 applies to all college events — individual or team. There are no age restrictions on players not having the four above-mentioned international titles.

Rule 2

College and University players shall be enrolled at least half-time (e.g. 6 semester credit hours) during the semester of eligibility. For the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Championship, traditionally held between Christmas and New Year’s each year, players must be enrolled in the fall semester preceding the event.

Rule 3

College and university players shall be eligible to play for a total of six years, where a year is defined as being either a traditional academic year of a fall and spring term or a fall term or a spring term, e.g., a player enrolled in spring of 1998, spring of 1999 and fall of 1999 is considered enrolled for three years under this rule.

Rule 4

College and university players shall be enrolled in a degree-seeking program with a cumulative grade point average of at least a C.

Rule 5

College and university players shall be resident at their campuses either in on-campus housing or in housing within reasonable commuting distance from campus, e.g., a player taking distance learning courses from another country shall not be eligible to play.

Rule 6

Colleges and universities offering chess-related scholarships shall maintain records about the individuals awarded such scholarships, their time of attendance, the degrees received if any, and the grade point average attained.

Rule 7

Faculty, staff and alumni are not eligible to compete in the National Collegiate Chess League Team Championship conducted over the internet each spring.

The following are suggestions offered for guidance:

Faculty conflicts. A faculty member serving as a consultant or director to a university or college chess program should adhere to the following guidelines:

• To admit no player to their program who does not, in their judgment, demonstrate a serious likelihood of achieving a degree.
• To not offer independent study courses to members of the chess team.
• To not recruit players from other chess programs.
• To scrutinize carefully undergraduate students applying for a second baccalaureate.

Non-compliance:

1. Winning teams should file a report to document compliance with these regulations with the USCF.

2. Any team’s standing may be challenged for non-compliance by a competing team through a written complaint sent within 30 days to the Executive Director or the Scholastic Director of the U.S. Chess Federation. That official shall gather the relevant documentation of the complaint, make a recommendation as to disposition, and send it to the USCF Executive Board for resolution.

2d. Team Requirement:

1. The Pan-Am Intercollegiate Team event is a strict team-on-team competition. Pairings are done by considering each team an individual entity.
2. A team is made up of four players plus up to two optional alternates.
3. When alternates play, they must do so starting on the lowest boards. Any regular team member may sit out when an alternate plays; other team members move up accordingly.
4. Teammates must play in descending rating order, except that 50-point transpositions are allowed. Board order must remain the same throughout the event. Each team must submit a roster before the close of registration indicating the fixed lineup.
5. Teams are ranked in order of the average of four highest individual ratings – this includes the alternates. The team average rating is used for wall chart ranking and class-prize eligibility.
6. Unrated players must be placed below rated players.
7. A team must have a minimum of three players to compete for prizes. In the event that only two players arrive from a school before round 1, they will be allowed to compete provided their teammates are expected to arrive. If these teammates do not arrive, then the two who did arrive are ineligible for all prizes.
8. There may be no mixed teams. For example, if two schools arrive with only two players, the four may not form a team, even if they volunteer to forego prize eligibility.
9. A school may send an unlimited number of teams. There is no rule regarding the composition of multiple teams (e.g. they may be balanced or in order from highest to lowest rated), only that individual members of each team must be in strict descending rating order. Multiple teams will be designated as “A,” “B,” “C,” etc., with “A” designating the team with the highest average rating. 
10. All teams must designate a coach or captain (he/she need not be a competitor, just affiliated with the team’s school). The role of the coach/captain is: 
11. To turn in his team line-up to the TD at least one hour before the round begins.

• To see that his/her team arrives on time for each match.
• To see that his/her team plays in correct board order.
• To advise his/her players whether or not to accept or offer a draw.
• To report the result of the match to the TD.
• To check the wall charts for accuracy.

Note: “Package deals,” such as offering draws on boards 1 and 4 to the opposing team captain, are not permitted.

2e. Ratings of Players:

1. American players use their USCF ratings reflected in the December Rating Supplement, which is made available before the Pan-Am. TDs should have access to the online USCF rating supplements.
2. Unrated players do not affect the team average.
3. Foreign players who have national or FIDE ratings must present evidence of this rating, and then the rating will be converted. The conversion table is as follows:

• Canada (CFC): Add 50
• Quebec (FQE): Add 100
• Most other nations: Add 200
• New USCF/FIDE conversion formulas:
• FIDE Under 2000, USCF = FIDE rating x 5/8 + 720
• FIDE 2000 and above = FIDE rating x 1.16 – 350

If a foreign player has two or more ratings (USCF, FIDE, national, etc.), the highest rating after conversion will be chosen. There is no rule that states a team must use the same rating system on each board (e.g. all FIDE or all national).

2f. Conduct of the Tournament:

A team may not deviate from its given roster after sign-up. If it is found that players were placed out of order, and the error was the TD’s, the proper order will be established in the next round. In this case, previous results will count, both for the team and for individuals. If players were placed, or played out of order, and the error was the team’s, then the team may face forfeiture.

To the extent possible, the top boards should be roped off to highlight the top contestants and also to prevent congestion. Some events have highlighted these boards by isolating them in a central area.

Organizational announcements should be made just prior to the beginning of each round.

2k Tie-breaks:

Tie-breaks are used to award places and trophies only. Cash prizes are divided equally in any tie.

If two teams are tied for first, they are considered co- champions. Tie-breaks are used to determine which team name “goes first” in articles, and which team gets the larger trophy. The recipient of the second place trophy can have it send it for a new engraving declaring that team “co- champion.” If three or more teams tie, tie-breaks are used to determine first, second, third, etc. places. If two teams or individuals tie for a prize other than first place team, tie-breaks are used for place plus trophy allocation (no new engraving need be sent).

When team match points are equal, the following order of tie-break systems will be used: U.S. Amateur Team East (USATE). In the USATE system, you multiple your wins against each individual opponent’s final score. Thus, if you defeated a 1st round opponent by a 3-1 score and they ultimately scored 2-4 in the Pan-Am, your team would then get 6 tie-break points (3×2). If you drew 2-2 in round two against a team that would ultimately score 5.5-.5, then you get 11 tie-break points (2×5.5).

For individual board prize determinations, the tie-break procedure is total points scored, then

• Winning percentage
• Median
• Solkoff
• Sonnenborn-Berger
• Cumulative
• Kashdan
• Result between tied players
• Most Blacks
• Result between teams of tied players
• Coin flip

3. Ceremonies:

3a. Opening Ceremony:

The organizer is encouraged to arrange a brief opening ceremony an hour prior to the start of the first round. A reception should be prior to the opening ceremony. A minimum of $1000 is required to fund this function.

Local dignitaries, deans or faculty from the host school, and the press should be invited. Past experience has shown that local officials have great interest in participating in such ceremonies. Proclamations from a host college, mayor, county executive, and governor might be available upon request from their respective offices.

3b. Awards Ceremony & Prizes:

The organizer is responsible for an awards ceremony in keeping with the stature of a national championship.

The list of prize winners must be posted as soon as possible. The awards presentation order should be announced at the start of the ceremony.

Money prizes shall be given out in the form of checks by the organizer to the proper team recipient (or affiliate) at the awards ceremony if the winner is present. Prizes may be awarded early if the winner has to leave before the awards ceremony. In the event that prize winners have to leave and games are still in progress affecting the prize, the organizer may choose to send all or part of the prize by mail.

The recommended minimum prize fund in the intercollegiate section is $4,000. Division prizes are based on average team rating. Guaranteed prizes are preferred, though based-on prizes are acceptable. Division ratings are as follows:

Division I 2200 and above Division III 1800-1999

Division II 2000-2199 Division IV Under 1800

Trophies, plaques, or clocks should be given out in addition to all cash prizes for top board scores and top foreign teams (non-USA).

An additional prize for each of boards 1-4, called “class board prizes,” should be awarded. Prizes are determined by the highest number of points scored.

4. Miscellaneous:

4a. Chess Notation:

Chess notation (or use of a Mon Roi unit) must be kept consistently and legible by all players.

The organizer should provide carbon scoresheets for all games. These are the property of the organizer, and clean copies must be turned in.

Organized side events add to the attractiveness of the Pan-Am. Such activities traditionally include the Pan-Am Speed, Chess Championship. A Pan-Am Open (a regular, open event), and simuls or lectures by famous players are highly recommended.

4b. Posting of rules:

A copy of the Pan-Am Rules should be posted on the College Chess Website.