My Thoughts About Some False Chess Narratives

2.5 years ago, the SPICE program moved from Texas Tech to Webster University. There were over 500 news stories about this move, including all of the biggest media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, Yahoo News, USA Today, NPR, etc. But there were a few glaring incorrect pieces of information which most did not catch. Here are two of the biggest ones:

#1 It was said that ALL team members moved from Texas Tech to Webster University.

Wrong! Less than half transferred, the ones who were most affected because of lack of scholarship money. Many of them could not graduate if they did not transfer.

#2 It was said that because ALL players moved from Texas Tech, Webster University instantly became the #1 ranked team in the nation.

Wrong again! The top 5 players for Webster University in August 2012 when the team was officially formed were:

1. GM Wesley So (freshman)
2. GM Georg Meier (sophomore)
3. GM Ray Robson (freshman)
4. GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez (freshman)
5. GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (freshman)

As you can clearly see, 4 of the top 5 players on the A team were freshmen. They never went to or even applied to Texas Tech.

The next false chess narrative is because Webster University offers more scholarship dollars, and our program is bigger, this is why we win. This “theory” has been debunked so many times before. No, Webster does not offer more comparable scholarship dollars. UTD, UMBC, TTU, and UTB offer similar levels of scholarships, and all are higher than Webster. In fact, if you take average chess players from 1000 to GMs at 2500, our scholarship dollars are less than the other big schools.

So why is there a huge interest for chess players of all levels to come to Webster? While many chess programs struggle to recruit, we have a long list of players, including IMs and GMs, waiting patiently to get in, and each student has to go through a rigorous screening process.

The answer is obvious. It is because of our unique training system / program. When the students come to Webster, in addition to receiving an excellent education, they also learn so many things, on and off the chess board. We build champions, but not just in chess.

In addition, we won 2 Final Four Championships at Texas Tech, 2 years prior to coming to Webster, with the smallest scholarship budget by a big margin compare to other big schools. After we left Texas Tech, the chess program received a significant increase in scholarship dollars without producing a PanAm or Final Four Championship. Therefore, the whole narrative is a complete nonsense.

I have heard some of the most ridiculous excuses ever about the success of Webster. Here are just some of the most outrageous ones:

1. We are able to recruit better because of Susan’s looks.
2. It is unfair to have a female head coach because it distracts male players and coaches.

Seriously? We are in 2015 and some still think this way.

Here is another ludicrous narrative not supported by facts. Some people say because Webster’s A team is so strong, we always make the Final Four. Let’s look at the real facts.

In our first PanAm in December 2012, Webster A & B team tied for 1st.

In our second PanAm, Webster A finished 1st, while B team (average rating was 56 & 58 pts below UTD & TTU) finished 4th, and C team (average rating was 263 & 265 pts below UTD & TTU, and 120 pts below UTB) finished 6th.

In our third PanAm which just finished less than a week ago, our A team won, while our C team (202 pts below UTD, 157.5 pts below UMBC, and 197.2 pts below TTU), a team without any GM (2 IMs, 1 WGM, 1 FM and seeded 9th) finished in a tie for 2nd, and our B team finished 5th.

Of course very few gave credits to our students who gave everything they had in training and during the intense competition. They worked their behinds off because they take their chess uniforms very seriously. Each time they compete, they know that they represent their beloved university, Webster, their families, and themselves. They are a well-disciplined, motivated, and determined group. It is a pity that many chess politicians always find ways to knock others down instead of recognizing the hard work and fair play of these young people.

The good thing is these students know that I have their backs and I will always fight to protect them. In addition, the administrators at Webster also appreciate their tremendous efforts and sacrifices. It is a team effort. Now may the truths be known! 🙂