baltimoresun.com
At UMBC, chess is king
With queens and bishops, they rule the Final Four
By Joe Burris
sun reporter
April 5, 2008
As the Down and Dirty Dawg pep band blared Michael Jackson‘s Thriller and the theme to Hawaii Five-O, scores of University of Maryland, Baltimore County students marveled at the scene unfolding in the student commons, complete with cheerleaders, the school mascot, the school dance team and a chess set with pieces 6 feet tall.
“Are we allowed to play with those?” asked UMBC sophomore Rupa Patel of Annapolis, as classmates posed for cell-phone photos with the oversized pieces and hoisted them from square to square as if staging an impromptu game.
“Only at UMBC, I guess,” said freshman Kat Patterson of Silver Spring.
Her words were echoed by many who attended the chess pep rally earlier this week, arranged to stoke enthusiasm as the school prepared to host the President’s Cup today and tomorrow – the Final Four of college chess.
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UTD will crush everyone.