Recruited players from all over the world

Polgar leaving Texas Tech, taking championship chess team with her
Posted: Feb 04, 2012 2:20 PM CST
Updated: Feb 04, 2012 2:57 PM CST
By Michael B. Duff

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – Susan Polgar and her national champion chess team are leaving Texas Tech, headed to Webster University in St. Louis.

The Wall Street Journal quotes a Texas Tech representative who says, “We’re disappointed that they’ve chosen to transfer rather than continue their education here but we do wish them the best in that. They’ve represented us well in chess.”

Polgar said her goodbyes in a blog post on Friday, praising Texas Tech for their “incredible support” and offering to help them continue the program.

Polgar brought the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) to Texas Tech in 2007 and recruited players from all over the world.

Now these A-team players are set to follow her to St. Louis.

The following students have been accepted / committed to Webster University for the Fall 2012 (August):

Grandmaster Georg Meier – Germany – Sophomore
Grandmaster Wesley So – Philippines – Freshman
Grandmaster Ray Robson – USA – Freshman
Grandmaster Manuel Leon Hoyos – Mexico – Freshman
Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi – Iran – Graduate student
Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky – Israel – Junior
Grandmaster Andre Diamant – Brazil – Junior
Grandmaster Denes Boros – Hungary – Junior
International Master Vitaly Neimer – Israel – Sophomore
International Master – elect Faik Aleskerov – Azerbaijan – Graduate student

“No team in the long and prestigious history of college chess has had eight Grandmasters before,” Polgar said.

A press release from Webster University describes Polgar as “one of the strongest female chess players in history.”

Polgar is the winner of four world championships and the only world champion in history – male or female – to win the Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz and Classical Chess world championships).

She is the first woman to break the gender barrier to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle, earn the Men’s Grandmaster title, and to receive the Grandmaster of the Year Award. In 2011, Polgar became the first female head coach to lead a men’s Division 1 team (Texas Tech University) to the national title.

Source: http://www.kcbd.com