#1 again in 2013

Sep 6, 2013, 12:58pm CDT
Webster Chess team: We’re No. 1
Matthew Hibbard
Social Engagement Manager
St. Louis Business Journal

Webster University’s chess team has only completed two weeks of the school year, but they’re already getting high marks in the chess community.

The chess team was ranked the No. 1 Division I team in the United States by the U.S. Chess Federation, according to Susan Polgar, Webster’s coach, chess grandmaster and World and Olympiad champion.

Polgar said the top rating allows Webster to attract the best chess players in the world and further brands St. Louis, and specifically Webster, as a chess powerhouse.

“Everyone wants to be the top seed,” Polgar said. “It’s a great honor.”

Although the distinction puts the chess club in the spotlight, it also comes with added pressure to keep its No. 1 status. To keep the positive momentum strong, Polgar plans to harness the power of her 14 chess players.

That team includes two chess champions, Wesley So and their newest member, Le Quang Liem. Liem joined the team this semester from Vietnam, Polgar said.

“It’s always a big challenge as a coach to make sure individual stars work together as a team,” she said. “Adding new team members changes the chemistry.”

If she can get that chemistry just right, Webster may have what it takes to keep that No. 1 status till the end.

Polgar and her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence relocated in June 2012 to Webster University.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com