BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – APRIL 11, 2010 – The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Chess Team placed second at The President’s Cup, the “Final Four of College Chess,” on Sunday, April 11 at the Education and Business Complex – Salon Cassia.
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“I would say this was a successful tournament for us with how we optimized ourselves considering how strong all the teams were,” said Grandmaster Timur Gareyev, 21, a UTB/TSC sophomore Marketing major from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Final Four teams finished in the top four at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship hosted by UTB/TSC in December on South Padre Island.
“I think this is the strongest Final Four ever,” said Grand Master Sergey Erenburg, 27, a senior Mathematics and Financial Economics major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “We had to play our best. I really liked the campus. We found it really nice and a good atmosphere for studies.”
UTB/TSC won both matches Saturday, April 10, with a 2.5 to 1.5 victory over Texas Tech University and a 3 to 1 win over The University of Texas at Dallas. Sunday morning’s match with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County ended with a 2 to 2 score.
Several of UTB/TSC’s administrators watched some of the matches throughout the tournament, which was played on campus for the first time.
UTB/TSC President Dr. Juliet V. Garcia said the competition’s teams were evenly matched.
“We didn’t want the tournament to end because it was such a high and a historic moment,” she said.
UTB/TSC’s performance improves its third place finish at the 2009 President’s Cup held at The University of Texas at Dallas.
“We definitely have room for improvement and inspiration to do just as good and go greater in heights,” said Gareyev.
Nine of the University’s 17 Chess Team members are from the Rio Grande Valley. All the students receive some form of financial support for pursuing their interest in chess at UTB/TSC, said Chess Director Russell Harwood.“We’ve got a great bunch of students and they are great people,” Harwood said.
Chess students conduct community chess lessons and also teach the game to area school children. The University reached out to the chess community by having its first Lawn Chess Tournament as a prelude to The President’s Cup on Tuesday, April 6 on the Student Union Lawn.
The University’s chess program began in 2001 and will mark its 10th anniversary in 2011. This will coincide with next year’s 20th anniversary of the partnership between The University of Texas System and Texas Southmost College that created UTB/TSC.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County | |||
 Board 1 |  GM Sergey Erenburg Board 2 |  GM Giorgi Margvelashvili Board 3 |  IM Sasha Kaplan Board 4 |
1. 1999 World Champion, Under 16, Spain 2. Winner, 2001 Round Robin Youth Stars, Cat. 12, Switzerland 3. 1st Place (tied), 2008 SPICE Cup, Round-robin, Cat. 15 4. 1st Place (tied), 2006 Biel Chess Festival, Switzerland 5. Performance 2748, Holland, 2007 6. Participant, 2004 FIDE World Championship, Libya 7. 2004 Chess Olympiad, Spain 8. 2005 Team European Championship, Sweden 9. 2007 Team European Championship, Crete | 1. 1st Place, 2004 Israeli Championship 2. 9th Place, World Blitz Championship 3. 2nd Place (with Isreali national team), 2005 European Championship 4. Participant, 2006 World Cup 5. 1st Place, 2004 Dresden Open 6. 1st Place (tied), 2006 Amsterdam Open 7. 2005 World Team Championship 8. Winner — 2007 and 2008 New Jersey Futurity, 2008 Cleveland Open, 2008 Atlantic Open and 2008 New England Masters | 1. 2009 World Junior Championship 2. 2008 Georgian Vice Champion 3. 2004 European Championship, Under 14 | 1. 2007 Israel Junior Champion, Under 20 2. 2008 Army Champion 3. 2nd Place, Herzeliya International Round Robin Tournament |
A medium-sized honors university granting bachelor’s, post-bachelor’s certificates, master’s and doctoral degrees, UMBC offers academically talented students a strong foundation in the liberal arts, close mentorship from professors who are also leaders in their fields and abundant co-curricular activities. The Carnegie Foundation ranks UMBC in the category of Research Universities with high research activity. UMBC was named the top up-and-coming national university and ranked fourth in undergraduate teaching among national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s “2010 Best Colleges Guide.” UMBC’s prominence and well-established industry partnerships help to provide outstanding graduate school and career opportunities for its students. UMBC offers 42 majors, 41 minors and 17 certificate programs in the physical and biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, mathematics, information technology, humanities, and visual and performing arts. At the graduate and professional levels, UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy. Located on 530 wooded acres in suburban Baltimore, UMBC is just 15 minutes by car from downtown Baltimore and 30 minutes from Washington, DC. The atmosphere on campus is friendly and spirited, energized by a genuinely diverse population of more than 9,900 undergraduates and over 2,900 graduate students. They participate in more than 210 student groups, and the college hosts a wide variety of performances and sporting events. Nearly threequarters of UMBC’s first-year students live on campus. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu. Director: Dr. Alan T. Sherman • Associate Director: GM Sam Palatnik • Coach: Igor Epshteyn |  WGM Sabina Foisor Alternate 1. Qualified, 2008 World Women’s Championship, Russian Federation 2. 2004 European Vice Champion, Girls Under 16, Turkey 3. Bronze Medal, European Championship – Girls Under 14, Montenegro, 2003; Girls Under 18, Croatia, 2007 4. Six-time Romanian Champion, Girls 5. Three-time Rapid European Champion, Girls 6. Two-time Romanian Champion (2006-7 with team), two-time Vice Champion | ||
The University of Texas at Dallas | |||
 IM Marko Zivanic Board 1 |  IM Daniel Ludwig Board 2 |  Board 3 |  Board 4 |
Home state or country: Serbia Chess accomplishments: International Master Academic accomplishments: computer science major, senior Other interests or hobbies: soccer | Home state or country: Florida Chess accomplishments: International Master Academic accomplishments: statistics major, freshman Other interests or hobbies: cross-country team | Home state or country: Philippines Chess accomplishments: International Master Academic accomplishments: psychology major, freshman Other interests or hobbies: table tennis, soccer, basketball, reading | Home state or country: New Zealand Chess accomplishments: International Master Academic accomplishments: business administration major, junior Other interests or hobbies: table tennis, soccer, pool |
UT Dallas comprises seven schools, offers an array of interdisciplinary degree programs, and features a student population as diverse as its areas of study. With a current enrollment of more than 15,000 students and a world-class faculty that includes one Nobel laureate, members of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and active, news-making researchers, UT Dallas aims to provide Texas and the nation with the benefits of educational and research programs of the highest quality. For more information, visit www.utdallas.edu. Director: James Stallings • Assistant Director: Luis Salinas • Coach: IM Rade Milovanovic |  IM Salvius Bercys Alternate Home state or country: New York Chess accomplishments: International Master Academic accomplishments: finance major, junior Other interests or hobbies: tennis | ||
Texas Tech University | |||
 Board 1 |  IM Gabor Papp Board 2 |  Board 3 |  Chase Watters Board 4 |
Home state or country: Croatia Chess accomplishments: International Master; 4th Place, 2002 World Youth (U-16) Academic accomplishments: finance graduate Other interests or hobbies: soccer | Home state or country: Hungary Chess accomplishments: International Master; 1st Place, 2003 World Youth Team, Turkey; 3rd Place, 2000 European Youth, Spain; 2nd place, 1999 European Youth (U-12), Greece Academic accomplishments: finance undergraduate Other interests or hobbies: sports, travel | Home state or country: Hungary Chess accomplishments: International Master; 1st Place, 2009 Tournament of College Champions, Indianapolis; 1st Place, 2009 Texas State Collegiate Championship, Houston; 1st Place, 2003 European Team Championship (U-18), Hungary; 4th Place, 2001 European Youth (U-16), Greece Academic accomplishments: economics undergraduate Other interests or hobbies: soccer, travel | Home state or country: Texas Chess accomplishments: 2nd Place, 2008 Lubbock Open; 1st Place, 2007 SPICE Cup Open Academic accomplishments: 3rd-year medical microbiology doctoral student, Master of Science in Biotechnology, Bachelor of Science in Biology Other interests or hobbies: mad science, yoga, offbeat strategic board games |
Founded in 1923, Texas Tech University has more than 30,000 students pursuing 150 bachelor’s, 100 master’s and 50 doctoral degree programs through 11 colleges. Texas Tech is the only university in the state to house a university, medical school and law school on the same campus. Its Phi Beta Kappa chapter received the highest possible rating for 2008-9 from the national Phi Beta Kappa Society. Located in Lubbock on Texas’ High Plains, the university’s Spanish Renaissance-themed campus was described by author James Michener as “the most beautiful west of the Mississippi until you get to Stanford.” Its public art collection ranks among the ten best in the United States. Texas Tech faculty members are nationally known for their work in a variety of fields such as wind energy, food safety and water conservation. They have contributed to Nobel-prize winning climate panels and helped build calorimeters for the CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and Compact Muon Solenoid. Law school graduates regularly score among the highest in the state on the bar exam and Texas Tech students won national honors in moot court, debate, chess, meat and livestock judging competitions in 2009. Director: GM Susan Polgar • Coach: GM Susan Polgar | |||
The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College | |||
 Board 1 |  GM Mauricio Flores Board 2 |  Board 3 |  FM Max Cornejo Board 4 |
Home state or country: Uzbekistan Chess accomplishments: Grandmaster, three-time Uzbekistan Vice Champion, Asian Champion (U-14), two-time Olympiad participant for Uzbekistan team Academic accomplishments: business administration, junior Other interests or hobbies: basketball, music | Home state or country: Chile Chess accomplishments: Grandmaster; 3rd Place (tie), 2009 Continental; 2006 and 2008 Pan-American Champion; 2006, 2007 and 2008 Absolute Chilean Champion Academic accomplishments: ARCC Scholar in Astrophysics, physics major, sophomore Other interests or hobbies: music | Home state or country: Paraguay Chess accomplishments: Grandmaster, 2005 Pan-American Champion (U-16), 2004 Absolute Paraguayan Champion, three-time Olympiad participant for Paraguay Academic accomplishments: business administration major, sophomore Other interests or hobbies: soccer, tennis, music | Home state or country: Peru Chess accomplishments: International Master; 2nd Place, 2008 South American Championship Academic accomplishments: business and finance major, junior Other interests or hobbies: tennis and soccer |
A UNIQUE BLEND At the confluence of two cultures, UTB/TSC has history and high-tech, exquisite buildings and natural beauty. Located at the extreme southern tip of Texas and right on the U.S.-Mexico border, the university offers a unique bicultural educational experience. At UTB/TSC, we believe knowledge knows no boundaries. YEAR-ROUND SUBTROPICAL BEAUTY Brownsville sits along the Rio Grande River, just 30 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico and South Padre Island. The Rio Grande Valley has the greatest diversity of bird life in North America, including indigenous green parrots that call from campus trees. Palms are native, and nearby farmers grow some of the best citrus in the United States. Temperatures are mild year-round; outdoor activities never stop. HISTORY AND CULTURE The Fort Brown Campus is located on the site of historic Fort Brown. UTB/TSC’s newest buildings have the latest amenities, yet their designs harmonize with the fort’s architecture and the sparkling resacas (oxbow lakes) to reflect the Mexican-American favor of the Valley. UTB/TSC is located across the street from an international bridge to Matamoros, Mexico. American students visit Mexico casually, and the university community includes many international students and faculty. Most classes are in English, but several programs feature Spanish-language course offerings. Spanish is spoken as often as English in everyday conversation. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE UTB/TSC Scorpions are making their mark in the world. Current students and recent graduates have performed at Carnegie Hall, participated in exclusive undergraduate internships at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. The most prestigious graduate schools in the United States seek out Scorpions to join their programs. UTB/TSC has more than 150 programs of study, from certificates and associate degrees to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. Renowned and caring faculty guide more than 17,000 students toward achieving their goals in diverse fields, such as the health professions, classical music, the sciences, and education. The special partnership between the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College allows us to offer open enrollment and the lowest fees in The University of Texas System so that every student can reach for their dreams. We have a program of study that is right for you. |  WIM Nadya Ortiz Alternate Home state or country: Colombia Woman International Master; top-rated female in Colombia; 1st Place, 2005 Pan-American Champion (U-18) Academic accomplishments: computer science major, junior; 2009 UTB/TSC Academic Award for Computer Science; top female chess student in 2009-10 Other interests or hobbies: traveling |  WIM Luciana Morales Alternate Home state or country: Peru Woman International Master, three-time Pan-American Champion (U-16, U-18, U-20), two-time Olympiad player for Peru Academic accomplishments: government and communication major, senior; 2010 New York Times Student Journalism Institute, Tucson, Ariz.; 2009 Who’s Who Among College Students in America Other interests or hobbies: photography, reporting | |
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