Entire Chess Team Transfers Out of Texas Tech

Webster University in St. Louis, MO, lured the students and their coach with promises of full scholarships, improved facilities and bigger team budget.

In a move that is unprecedented in the history of college athletic programs, the entire Texas Tech Chess Team is transferring to the Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. This is an especially harsh blow to the university, as the team is just coming off an impressive run at the National Chess Championships which was capped off by their second consecutive title win.

Just hours after capturing their second national crown, Texas Tech head coach Susan Polgar resigned from the school, leaving for Webster University and taking all of her players with her.

The team, which, besides Polgar, is comprised of seven members, will move to their new home starting next fall. Polgar, who has headed the program since 2007, has a storied record in the sport herself.

[She is] a self-taught prodigy from Hungary who became the top-ranked female player in the world at 15 and has multiple world records related to the game. She developed Texas Tech into an unlikely chess powerhouse since her arrival in 2007.

The team’s members, like Polgar herself, hail mostly from outside the United States, with students from Iran, Germany, Israel, Hungry and other countries, making up the list. When asked, the students said that they felt no reservations about the move, explaining that they were lured with a guarantee of full scholarships for team members and a promise to them access to a state-of-the-art learning facility in the heart of the city.

St. Louis is home to the World Chess Congress Hall of Fame, which made Webster a natural fit for an already-successful program looking to spread its wings. Although it wasn’t the only college courting Polgar, Webster presented an unbeatable funding package, in addition to other perks. One of the things that made the decision to leave Texas Tech easier was the fact that since chess competition wasn’t governed by the NCAA, the current team members wouldn’t have to sit out a year before being eligible to compete for their new school.

Polgar claims that the program grew so rapidly that Tech was unable to keep up. There was simply not enough funding, and she felt that she had to put her players’ interests first.

Therefore she–along with her team members–feel that St. Louis is “the center of chess in America,” and therefore the “perfect fit” for her and her entire team.

Comments

Chess Detective

April 16, 2012 at 9:11 pm

“Just hours after capturing their second national crown, Texas Tech head coach Susan Polgar resigned from the school, leaving for Webster University and taking all of her players with her.” This is a lie. She still works at Texas Tech.

[She is] a self-taught prodigy from Hungary who became the top-ranked female player in the world at 15 and has multiple world records related to the game. She developed Texas Tech into an unlikely chess powerhouse since her arrival in 2007. This is a lie. Her father taught her and based his work on training her and her other two sisters to master chess. He wrote a book about it.

Webster University in St. Louis, MO, lured the students and their coach with promises of full scholarships, improved facilities and bigger team budget. This is a lie. Paul Truong went scratching at their door. A chess friend of Susan Polgar, Provost Julian Schuster, let them in but Webster did not invite Polgar.

This is an especially harsh blow to the university, as the team is just coming off an impressive run at the National Chess Championships which was capped off by their second consecutive title win. This is a lie and a funny joke. Chess is a loss leader and a game for parasites who only want money and fame. If you want smart kids, teach them mathematics not chess.

Only time will tell when Webster University finds out what they let in their doors: a bunch of con-artists and liars.

Reply
Charlie

April 16, 2012 at 9:26 pm

Chess Detective,
Are you Sam Sloan?

Do you have any facts backing up your claims? This article contradicts most of the articles about Polgar moving to Webster. Why? They can’t remember all of their lies?

Is it true that Polgar claims that the chess program grew so rapidly that Tech was unable to keep up? There was simply not enough funding, and she felt that she had to put her players’ interests first or was she and Paul too greedy demanding more salary? What do you know? Is it true that Paul Truong was involved in a real-estate embezzlement scheme that defrauded retired rich people in New York and Florida of millions of dollars? Please tell us.

What is going to happen to Gregory Alexander now that he has given the Secret Service the hard drives filled with evidence proving that Susan Polgar and Paul Truong lied to the court during the Fake Sam Sloan trial? Will the Secret Service visit them in St. Louis? Will Webster University like talking to the Secret Service?

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Entire Chess Team Transfers Out of Texas Tech | Education News | Chess IQ

April 17, 2012 at 3:01 am

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