Kosintseva, Berczes, Margvelashvili on New UT Dallas Chess Team

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

The UT Dallas chess team started the 2013-14 season with a strong showing at the 79th Annual Southwest Open, which was held Aug. 30-31 in Irving. The top spots in the tournament went to UT Dallas students, including Grandmaster (GM) George Margvelashvili, a finance graduate student who finished first. GM Julio Sadorra, a senior studying business administration, tied teammate GM David Berczes, an international political economy freshman, for second and third.

“We are ready for another good year,” said Jim Stallings, director of the UT Dallas chess program. “With new recruits joining our team, combined with our returning players, this is the strongest we have ever been.”

Margvelashvili, whose home country is Georgia, is among the new players entering the University this year. Also new to the team are Berczes from Hungary; GM Nadezda Kosintseva, an accounting major from Russia; GM Leonid Kritz, a finance graduate student from Germany; Woman International Master (WIM) Mariam Danelia, an international political economy freshman from Georgia; and Ryan Moon, an economics freshman from Duluth, Ga.

“We are very excited to now have a total of eight players with a Grandmaster title, the highest chess rating possible,” said chess team coach Rade Milovanovic. “They are a talented group of young men and women from across the world.”

The team will play next in the U.S. Class Championships, Sept. 28-29 in Houston. (www.chessdom.com)

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Cool chess event to honour coach Bruce Pandolfini

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hello everyone,

Remember chess coach Bruce Pandolfini? Yes, the same Bruce Pandolfini who has written several chess books and who was in the movie 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' (played by Ben Kingsley). For The 11th Annual ChessFest, students are invited to match wits with the UT Dallas chess team and to attend a talk from one of the world’s most recognized chess coaches.

National chess master Bruce Pandolfini has written dozens of instruction books and is a highly sought after chess teacher. To the general public he is most recognizable for the 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer. In the movie, actor Ben Kingsley plays Pandolfini, who was the mentor for chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin.

Pandolfini will deliver “How I Became A Professional Chess Teacher” on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the library’s McDermott Suite.

Leading up to that event, UT Dallas Grandmaster Julio Sadorra will play blindfolded against challengers in Chess Plaza on Wednesday at 11 a.m. The plaza is located between the Student Services Building and The Naveen Jindal School of Management. This free event features a set of giant chess pieces, aptly named “Chess Grande.”

Members of the internationally competitive chess team will also illustrate some famous games in chess history. Grandmaster Julio Sadorra of the UT Dallas chess team will play blindfolded against challengers in Chess Plaza.

ChessFest is a collaboration and celebration of chess organized annually by UT Dallas’ Chess Program and the Eugene McDermott Library. After his talk, Pandolfini will receive the UT Dallas Chess Educator of the Year Award. Past chess luminaries who have received the award are Dr. Stephen Lipschultz, 2009, Dr. Jonathan Rowson, 2010, and Elizabeth Shaughnessy, 2011.

Pandolfini is one of the founders of the Chess-In-The-Schools program in New York and the creator of the Fireside Chess Library. His books include The ABCs of Chess: Invaluable, Detailed Lessons for Players at All Levels, and Chess Target Practice: Battle Tactics for Every Square on the Board. He is also a columnist for Chess Life, a popular publication for chess enthusiasts.

His legacy includes his role as an analyst for PBS’s coverage of the 1972 classic match between chess immortals Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.

“We are greatly pleased to welcome an honoree with such a legendary reputation as Bruce Pandolfini to UT Dallas,” said Jim Stallings, UT Dallas’ chess program director.

“His approach is to teach students how to think. In Pandolfini’s own words, he teaches how ‘to read other people and to understand oneself.’”

The public is invited to a free reception Thursday at 6:15 p.m. To RSVP, send an email to Jim Stallings at james.stallings@utdallas.edu or call 972- 883-4899.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com