Welcome to the life of a female coach in a male dominated world!

Webster - SPICE Top 10 Facts

1. Webster University chess team has been ranked #1 in Division I College Chess since its inception in August 2012 (with 4 freshmen and 1 sophomore in the A team)!

2. Webster University A team has never relinquished the top ranking!

3. Webster University A team has never lost a match!

4. Webster University won the last 2 straight Final Four Championships, both by 2.5 points, the largest ever margin in College Chess history!

5. Webster University won the last PanAm InterCollegiate Chess Championship with a perfect 6-0 score, and won all 3 Final Four matches, to close out the season with an unprecedented perfect 9-0!

6. Webster University sophomore Wesley So won the World University Championship, and is ranked #15 in the world!

7. Webster University freshman won the World Blitz Championship, and is ranked in the top 40 in the world!

8. Webster University sponsors and hosts the annual SPF Girls' Invitational, the most prestigious all-girls event in the U.S., as well as the prestigious annual SPICE Cup.

9. Students of Webster University actively volunteer in the community to bring chess into schools. They, as a team, also maintain a very high GPA.

10. The SPICE chess program has won 4 consecutive Final Four Championships, and has not lost a match in 4 straight Final Four Championships!

In spite of the clear facts that no other university even came close to the unprecedented achievements of Webster University - SPICE, and its students, we have NEVER won the College of the Year honor. Can you imagine Connecticut or Florida State not getting the top honor after winning the division I basketball and football national championships?

But in chess, that honor went to a team which did not make the Final Four last year, and a team which finished 3rd this year. There was even rumbling about not allowing any female coach (me) in men's division I chess.

That idea quickly went away after seeing how chess fans react, especially on Social Media. One fellow male coach even told me that the ONLY reason why my teams win is because of my looks, and it has nothing to do with my coaching ability and credentials!

Welcome to the world of College Chess in America! Welcome to the life of a female coach in a male dominated world!

Titled won by Webster University - SPICE 

World Championships (2)

June 2013

- 2013 World Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Le Quang Liem)

July 2013

- 2013 World University Championship: 1st place (GM Wesley So)

National Championships (23)

August 2012

- 2012 U.S. Open Championship: 1st place (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)
- 2012 U.S. Open Rapid (g/15) Championship: 1st place (GM Andre Diamant and IM Vitaly Neimer)
- 2012 U.S. Open Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Andre Diamant), 2nd place (GM Anatoly Bykhovsky)

December 2012

- 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Both A and B team tied for 1st place
- 2012 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top reserve player (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)

April 2013

- 2013 College Chess Final Four: 1st place (GMs Georg Meier, Wesley So, Ray Robson, Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Manuel Leon Hoyos, and Anatoly Bykhovsky)

June 2013

- 2013 National Open: 1st place (GMs Wesley So and Manuel Leon Hoyos)
- 2013 National Open Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Wesley So)
- 2013 National G/10 Championship at National Open: 1st place (GM Wesley So)

August 2013

- 2013 US Open G/15 Championship: 1st place (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)
- 2013 US Open Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Manuel Leon Hoyos)

October 2013

- 2013 US National G/30 Championship: 1st place (GM Georg Meier)
- 2013 US National G/60 Championship: 1st place (GM Georg Meier)

December 2013

- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: 1st place (A team won with a perfect 6-0 score)
- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top board 1 (GMs Le Quang Liem, Fidel Corrales Jimenez)
- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top board 2 (GM Anatoly Bykhovsky)
- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top board 3 (GM Wesley So)
- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top board 4 (GM Ray Robson)
- 2013 PanAm Intercollegiate Championship: Top overall performance (GM Wesley So)

April 2014

- 2014 College Chess Final Four: 1st place (GMs Le Quang Liem, Wesley So, Georg Meier, Ray Robson, Fidel Corrales Jimenez, and Anatoly Bykhovsky)

June 2014

- 2014 National Open Blitz Championship: 1st place (GM Wesley So)

July 2014

- 2014 World Open: 1st place tie (GM Illia Nyzhnyk)

August 2014

- 2014 US Open: 1st place tie (GM Illia Nyzhnyk)