A long way home for chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar
Matthew Hibbard
Social Engagement Manager – St. Louis Business Journal
Jan 6, 2014, 5:11pm CST
Updated: Jan 6, 2014, 5:31pm CST
For Susan Polgar, getting back home to St. Louis has turned into quite the game.
The chess grandmaster (and Webster University coach) was in Los Angeles with her husband to meet potential sponsors for Webster University’s chess program. They were supposed to arrive back in St. Louis by 7 a.m. yesterday, but they’re not here. They’re in Santa Fe.
Polgar’s flight out of Los Angeles was cancelled due to the bad weather. That flight was re-booked for 4 p.m. today, but that too was cancelled. She tried routes to Dallas, Memphis, Chicago, Indianapolis, but no luck.
“Finally, I found a route through Santa Fe, then Dallas, then Kansas City,” Polgar said. “From there we will rent a car and drive to St. Louis.”
She said the lines at the airport were “insane” and so many people were losing their tempers. “Even the airline people were frustrated,” she said.
Polgar said she plans to be back in St. Louis tomorrow (if no additional cancellations get in her way.)
While her travels may not be the best, the team she coaches has cause for celebration. Webster University’s three teams were among the Pan-Am’s top six finishers at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, with its A team taking home the title and winning all its matches. Webster’s B team tied for fourth, and the university’s C squad took sixth place.
Webster U took the national collegiate title in 2013 and is the “overwhelming favorite” to win this year at the Final Four in April.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com
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