RICHARDSON, Texas (April 20, 2004) — The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), which has won or tied for first place in three of the last four Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Tournaments, has awarded scholarships to the top two finishers at the 2004 U.S. Chess Federation National High School Chess Championship held in Dallas last weekend.

The winners of the scholarships, each of which has a cash value of about $45,000 to non-Texas residents, were David Justice, 16, of Franklin, Tenn., and Daniel Rensch, 18, of Mesa, Ariz., who tied for first place. Justice, a sophomore at Page High School, and Rensch, a senior at Fitch Academy, each will receive full tuition and fees for four years and a housing allowance of $1,000 per year. The only stipulation is that they must meet UTD’s rigorous entrance requirements at matriculation.

Justice and Rensch each garnered 6½ points out of a possible seven in the national high school tournament, which held April 16–18 at the Hyatt Regency DFW Hotel and included more than 1,500 chess enthusiasts from across the country. The competition was so heated that there was a five-way tie going into the final round on Sunday.

About UTD

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 13,700 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.