Texas Tech national champs bolt to Webster University

By Chris Chase


The Texas Tech coach, Susan Polgar, and her seven chessmasters who won their second straight national championship this month will all return next year to defend their title. But they'll be doing it at a different school.

In an unprecedented move in the world of college competition, Texas Tech's entire team will transfer to Webster University in the chess hotbed of St. Louis, home to the World Chess Hall of Fame. The private university promised more funding for the team and access to a new, 6,000-square-foot learning center in the city.

Won't they all get red-shirted for a year?

Originally posted by SmittyTime
Won't they all get red-shirted for a year?

You don't lose anything if you transfer to a lower division.

I think there were financial issues at Tech.. also I don't know if chess falls under NCAA sports rules...

Not taking anything away from the Polgar name, but Susan does not have the reputation of being the most ethical person in the game.

She's permabanned from the USCF over an email hacking scandal.

Also one of my chess buddies, F. Rhine got an email that he'd won a copy of Dvoretsky's Analytical manual from her site for some kind of contest.

The manual never came.

Mr. Rhine, repeatedly emailed asking about the book and they kept giving excuses about the book not being printed (which wasn't true, I've owned the damn thing for a year myself.)

Anyway, He, the USCF and the Texas SPICE institute are among a long list of chessfolk who have been burned off the board by the elder Polgar sis.


Fred Rhine is a great player, btw. He's a national and correspondence master, and had a this game published in Chess Informant:

Originally posted by dcpk
In an unprecedented move in the world of college competition, Texas Tech's entire team will transfer to Webster University in the chess hotbed of St. Louis, home to the World Chess Hall of Fame. The private university promised more funding for the team and access to a new, 6,000-square-foot learning center in the city.

So, what are these guys "studying" at these universities that they can jump ship at a whim? Entertainment studies? Telemarketing? Sociology, even?

Richard

Originally posted by nimzo5
I think there were financial issues at Tech.. also I don't know if chess falls under NCAA sports rules...

NPR did an interview with Polgar, which you can listen to here: http://n.pr/Hqoesx

They said that chess does NOT fall under NCAA rules. There is no way something like this could happen with football, basketball, etc.

I guess Texas Tech promised scholarships to students, then never delivered.