How far the team has come compared to other universities

Tech chess team hosts first meeting of year, discusses recruiting methods
By Caitlan Osborn
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, September 3, 2009
Updated: Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Knight Raiders chess team gathered for its first meeting of the year Wednesday and discussed the formation of the women’s team and recruitment of international students through the Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence.

Texas Tech’s first academic chess institute, created by world grand master and former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar, has formed a women’s team, which has brought an increase of female team members to the institute.

Lilia Doibani, a first-year law student, said she transferred to Tech primarily for the promotion of women’s chess through SPICE.

“I think it is a great idea,” she said, “because not many women play chess, and it is a great way to attracting more women to chess.”

Doibani also said she likes that the Knight Raiders are working to involve everyone in the chess institute.

“They work to promote chess throughout the community, and now they have their first women’s team,” she said. “They are doing a great job with recruiting.”

Hal Karlsson, a Knight Raiders faculty adviser, said the SPICE institute is one of the main reasons why chess players are transferring to Tech from other universities and has been a cause for an influx of international students among the Knight Raiders. Three out of four members on the A team are transfer students from European countries: IMs Gergely Antal, Davorin Kuljasevic and Gabor Papp.

Tech also has been increasing chess scholarships in hope of recruiting more international members to the institution.

“Davorin is actually our first graduate student we support all the way, which we have never done before,” Karlsson said. “This is a new angle to recruiting students.”

Karlsson also said international students are a large asset to the Knight Raiders team.“They are our star players,” he said. “They have the ratings and will help the team become (more successful).”

Doibani said she is proud of what has been achieved by the Knight Raiders in a short period of time and hopes the new strategies will increase its achievements as the year continues.

“The greatest thing is what has been achieved in so few years by Tech and how far the team has come compared to other universities,” she said.

Source: Daily Toreador