http://chessdiscussion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=658&p=3923#p3923
Posted by Gregory Alexander
For two days in a row, the student paper put Susan Polgar on the first page of the paper, The Daily (University of Washington). Here was the student reporters article regarding the event:
The crowd was diverse — men, women, students, adults and even children — but one thing was clear when chess grandmaster Susan Polgar entered the room: a celebrity had arrived. The Chess Club at the UW invited Polgar to speak on campus at the Mechanical Engineering Building last night, and she drew a large crowd. Polgar, who broke down gender barriers in the male-dominated world of chess when she qualified as the first woman to compete in the Men’s World Chess Championship, touched on issues of gender, technology and education in her speech.
“She’s an incredible chess player,” said Brian Rowe, a UW alumnus who brought his young daughter.
A small, elegant woman with a steady blue gaze, Polgar fielded questions from around the room, which was so crowded that people leaned casually against the doors. The questions were as diverse as the audience, and Polgar answered them with the assistance of her husband, manager and fellow chess player, Paul Truong, who called her “one of the breakthrough[s] for women” in chess.
Polgar said that gender doesn’t matter during a game.
“You look at the board and moves [rather than the opposing player],” she said. “It’s not who you play, but what you play.”
A question arose regarding nationality and its link to a chess player’s style. Polgar dismissed the notion, remarking that you can’t tell an Icelandic from a Bulgarian simply by looking at their playing styles.
Polgar said that chess is not a game decided by nationality or gender but instead by “who blunders less and who takes advantage of the opponent’s blunders.”
The discussion moved later to the effect of technology on chess. Players should not be scared away from using computers to enhance their chess playing, she said. “Chess programs don’t harm chess players,” she said. Instead, chess software “enriches the chess community.” Chess software can level the playing field for people who may not have access to chess clubs like those that exist in metropolitan areas.
On the other hand, technology can also facilitate cheating, Polgar said, although most online servers can usually catch cheating. Certain tournaments make players go through X-ray machines like in an airport, she said after Truong described an incident in which a player used an earpiece to communicate with another person calculating moves with a computer.
As a child, Polgar spent six to eight hours a day solving puzzles, studying strategy and playing games. Her father was not a professional player, but he helped her practice.
Polgar and Truong have developed a curriculum that incorporates the tenets of chess into all subjects taught in a classroom. In the classroom and at home, chess can be used as a tool to teach anyone organization, logic and concentration, no matter his or her age, Polgar said.
“The most important thing for a young player is to have fun,” she said.
Hi all,
Susan and Paul visited the UW campus for a Q&A session on Wednesday, and it was a rousing success. Various leaders from the NW chess community showed up. Mrs. Kleist from the Seattle Chess Club gave a short presentation on the history of the Seattle Chess Club and offered the college students free club memberships. After Carol’s presentation; Peter Miller, the UW Co-President discussed what the club is doing this quarter, and I quickly turned the floor over to them.
Even though I was able to reserve a room at the last second due to the university administrations holiday schedule, and due to this; only provided the members and community with a 3 day notice; the meeting room was filled to capacity. Unfortunately though; in order to try to ensure that all university students would have room to attend (students are not really good at the RSVP thing), I had to turn down many requests from the general public. However, this was the only downside to an otherwise stellar gathering. The discussions were quite interesting, and they ranged from how to better promote the game, to how computers would affect the game of chess. The Q&A session lasted for two hours. My impressions of Susan’s and Paul, as expected, were very good. The both are superb in their presentation skills.
It was my observation that Paul and Susan play off of each other creating interesting dynamics when analyzing an issue. One of them would discuss an issue, and the other would bring up counter-balancing points. There was a give and take between them, but they set up the discussion to give contrasting; yet at the same time, complimentary views. After they brainstormed the question, one of them would bring up a statistic, bring up a fact, or tell a story of a GM in the community and they would reach a thoughtful consensus. While both of their messages were completely complimentary, they set up a dynamic, yet gentle, tension between them which made the discussions more thought provoking and lively. I was thinking to myself that it is very apparent that they have worked for so long together. They give a very dynamic presentation.
This was the first time that I have seen them in action. Paul was very dynamic in the meeting. He talked quite a bit, and gave very thought provoking answers. His answers were thoughtful, yet quick, yet his approach during the Q@A session was akin to deftly hitting a nail on the head. Susan took a different approach. She take some time to contemplate, and then engage herself methodically. She would get up, walk and gaze around the room while making eye contact. While discussing a key element of her point, she would speak eloquently while use her hands to expressively make the point. It was a methodical, yet very personal approach that contrasted with Paul’s. It was very apparent that both of them have exceedingly sharp minds, and that they have worked together for a long time. They worked as a team to provide poignant and thought provoking answers.
While Paul and Susan were already in Washington, at no cost, on request; they went out of their way across the Puget Sound via ferry to meet with the club in order to promote college chess. This meeting helped to create a buzz in both of my communities. It was my goal to get some press for the event to help convince the institution to better fund our club. This goal will take some time, but the event helped create the publicity and it already has opened a door with a faculty member who visited the club. Also, the general NW community were benefited as Paul and Susan suggested thinking outside of the box and to take risks to promote our game. Their presence, and the Q&A session will benefit the promotion of chess in the Northwest. I want to thank them both for their ceaseless promotion and being important ambassadors to chess.
Thank-you Susan and Paul!
Sincerely,
Gregory Alexander
http://www.collegechess.org
Is this the ‘Gregory Alexander’ who works as part of the Susan Polgar ‘set up’, e.g., on http://www.chessdiscussion.com?
“Anonymous said…
Is this the ‘Gregory Alexander’ who works as part of the Susan Polgar ‘set up’, e.g., on http://www.chessdiscussion.com?“
You must mean Gregory Alexander the Great. Slayer of trolls and friend to all.
Gregory is one of the nicest chess dudes around.
Thank you!
Yes, I am the same Gregory who helps manage CD. It should be noted that I was very sleepy, and unless you want to write poorly- it is suggested not to post anything after midnight.
Thank you for the kind compliment annon.
Gregory