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
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