Newswise — Richardson, Texas (March 30, 2011) — The nation’s chess powerhouses will square off at their own Final Four games this weekend. Three of those teams come from a state known for more physical sports: Texas.
The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), UT Brownsville (UTB) and Texas Tech University are headed to Washington, D.C., to compete against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Competition takes place April 1-3 at Booz Allen Hamilton headquarters.
“Every time our team sits down at the boards, we expect to win,” Chess Program Director Jim Stallings said. “Our goal is to bring the Final Four trophy home to UT Dallas.”
UT Dallas has earned a place in each Final Four since the competition’s inception in 2001. The team has won or tied for first place five times. The six young men who make up the UT Dallas team spent an average of 12 hours per week this season practicing their moves while maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average, which is mandatory to keep their chess scholarships.
“We’ve been working very hard to prepare for the Final Four,” said Grandmaster-elect Julio Sadorra, a sophomore at UT Dallas. “Between studying our competitor’s games, reading books on chess and working individually with our coach Rade Milovanovic, we’re ready.”
Last December, third seed UT Dallas pulled off a surprise win at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship, finishing with a perfect 6-0 score. The win guaranteed their seat at the Final Four.
UT Dallas formed a chess team in 1996. They finished in ninth place at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship the same year. Since then, the team has seen 19 Grandmasters and International Masters join its ranks. The University built its team with international recruiting, offering scholarships and travel opportunities to master-level players.
“We compete in many tournaments, not only around America but around the world,” team member Alejandro Ramirez said. “We’ve traveled to Cuba and to China to many different universities to train against the best of the best. “I have traveled to more than 30 different countries to play chess.”
In fewer than two decades, chess has become a part of UT Dallas culture. Since 2001, the University has offered two online courses for academic credit on how to use chess as a teaching tool. A recent campus enhancement project literally set chess in stone at the institution: four 256-square-foot chess boards were inlaid on the University’s new main concourse.
On Tuesday, the University sent the team to Washington, D.C., in style, hosting a pep rally complete with cheerleaders, the pep band and Temoc, the school’s mascot.
“UT Dallas takes chess seriously,” Stallings said. “Cultivating a chess culture is intentional here, because chess embodies the ideals we promote in our student body. Great chess players are intellectually curious and are good sportsmen, qualities we encourage in our 17,000-plus student body.”
For more information on The University of Texas at Dallas and its chess team, visit : http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2011/3/30-9811__article-wide.html -- Click on interviews with players.
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