McDermott Library To Hold ‘ChessFest 2002’
In Honor of UTD's National Chess Champions

RICHARDSON, Texas (March 5, 2002) — The McDermott Library at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), in conjunction with the UTD Chess Club, will host the first “ChessFest” on campus March 20-24 in honor of the university’s national champion chess team.

“We approached Dr. Tim Redman (UTD chess program director) with the idea of putting together a series of events designed to let more people on campus and the immediate community learn about the chess program and meet these extraordinary students,” said Dr. Larry Sall, director of UTD Libraries. “We look forward to Dr. Redman’s lecture in the library auditorium, the “Challenge the Champions” simultaneous match in the library lobby and the related events.”

To augment the ChessFest activities, the McDermott Library has purchased a large collection of new chess books, and several will be on view throughout the week in the lobby display case.

ChessFest will begin with a lecture by Redman, a professor of literary studies in UTD’s School of Arts & Humanities, entitled “Chess at UTD - What and Why?” from 10-11 a.m., Wednesday, March 20, in the McDermott Library Auditorium (MC 2.410).

On Friday, March 22, UTD Chess Club members, including grandmaster Yuri Shulman, will take on all challengers in the McDermott Library lobby. This is an opportunity for anyone to play against some of the best collegiate players in the nation. Various UTD chess team members will play up to five challengers at the same time.

Redman said ChessFest is an excellent opportunity for the UTD community to show support for the team as it prepares for one of the most important collegiate tournaments of the year.

“On April 5, the UTD Chess Team will travel to Miami to play in the 2^nd President's Cup - also known as the Final Four of Chess -- against teams from Harvard, Stanford and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County,” Redman said. “We won first place last year by a half-point, and the competition will be tougher this year. Participating in ChessFest will show student, faculty and staff support for the team.”

In addition to winning the first Final Four of Chess last year in Dallas, UTD tied for first place in the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship (the most prestigious tournament of its kind held in the Western Hemisphere) for the second year in a row and was named “Chess College of the Year” by the U.S. Chess Federation.

March 21
Human Chess Set
4-5:30 p.m. – Campus mall area (between Student Union and McDermott Library)
Grandmaster and UTD Chess Team Captain Yuri Shulman vs. Opponent TBA

March 22
“Challenge the Champions”
2-6 p.m. – McDermott Library Lobby
Members of the UTD’s championship chess team take on all comers in a simultaneous exhibition. Free and open to the public to come and challenge the champions.

March 23
Training Camp
10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Lunch break from noon to 12:45 p.m.) in McDermott Library Auditorium (MC 2.410)
Established camp for youngsters, friends and families held for the first time in the McDermott Library.
1-2:30 p.m. – General lecture open to all UTD students and staff in the McDermott Library Lobby

March 24
Internet Chess Match
2-6 p.m. – Log on to www.uschesslive.org at 2 p.m. to see the UTD Chess Team play an Internet chess match against another collegiate team. There will be four games concurrently played by four UTD Chess Team members.

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.