Academic Pathway to Chess Excellence

If you would like to be a part of the #1 College Chess program in the United States, please feel free to contact me (SusanPolgar@aol.com). Full and partial scholarships available for qualified student players.

Webster University – SPICE Chess Program Top Facts

1. Webster University is expected to have 12 Grandmasters (in the 2017-2018 academic year), and players from more than a dozen different countries. The SPICE program has multiple World Champions, Olympiad Champions, and National Champions…
2. Webster University chess team has been ranked #1 in Division I College Chess since its inception in August 2012 (with 4 freshmen and 1 sophomore on the A team), which is nearly 300 consecutive weeks.
3. Webster University A team has never relinquished the top ranking.
4. Webster University team members won 2 world championships, Olympiad Gold, 4 world open championships and 40 national titles in the past 4+ years.
5. Webster University won the 2013 PanAm InterCollegiate Chess Championship with a perfect 6-0 score, and won all 3 Final Four matches, to close out the season with an unprecedented perfect 9-0.
6. Webster University sponsors and hosts the annual SPF Girls’ Invitational, the most prestigious all-girls event in the U.S., the annual prestigious SPICE Cup, Chess For Girls Global Elite Event, SPICE Invitational for Top Juniors, etc.
7. Students of Webster University actively volunteer in the community to bring chess into schools. They, as a team, also maintain a very high GPA.
8. The SPICE chess program has won 7 consecutive Final Four Championships, and has not lost a match in 7 straight Final Four Championships.

2016 – 2017 Webster University – SPICE chess team members

1. GM Le Quang Liem (Vietnam) – World Blitz Champion, National Champion, Olympian, World Cup Participant
2. GM Ray Robson (USA) – National Champion, Olympiad Gold Medalist, World Cup Participant
3. GM Illia Nyzhnyk (Ukraine) – National Champion, European Champion
4. GM Aleksandr Shimanov (Russia) – National Champion, World Cup Participant
5. GM Vasif Durarbayli (Azerbaijan) – World Youth Champion, National Champion, Olympian, World Cup Participant
6. GM Priyadharshan Kannappan (India) – National Champion
7. GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (Mexico) – National Champion, Olympian
8. GM Ashwin Jayaram (India) – National Champion
9. IM Irene Sukandar (Indonedia) (F) – National Champion, Olympiad Silver Medalist, World Championship Participant (F)
10. IM Eric Rosen (USA) – National Champion, Final Four Participant
11. IM Vitaly Neimer (Israel) – National Champion
12. WGM Katerina Nemcova (Czech Republic) (F) – National Champion, Olympian (F)
13. FM Josh Colas (USA) – National Champion
14. FM Justus Williams (USA) – National Champion
15. FM Aaron Grabinsky (USA) – National Champion
16. Shawn Swindell (USA) – National Champion
17. Thalia Cervantes Landeiro (Cuba) (F) – National Champion (Junior Member)
18. Kaleb Gosdin (USA)
19. WFM Luisa Mercado (Colombia) (F) – National Champion
20. Kenneth Fernandez (USA)
21. Ben Shoykhet (USA) (Junior Member)
22. Paul M. Truong (USA)
23. Tori Whatley (USA) (F)
24. Reginald Jackson (USA)

Webster students are around the world. There are nearly 20,000 students enrolled at Webster University – with students from 50 states and around 150 countries around the world.

Webster University offers academic excellence at a vibrant home campus and at locations throughout the world, with all the benefits of a student-centered education and a real-world perspective.

http://www.webster.edu

A historic mission. An inviting home campus: Founded in 1915, with five students and a pioneering educational mission, Webster has a history of shaping the future of higher education.

Average class size: 10 : Small, highly interactive classes encourage innovation, collaboration, and self-expression.

Faculty-to-student ratio: 1:9 : Students have all the advantages of a student-centered university that supports personalized learning and gives every student an opportunity to excel.

Global locations: We have metropolitan, military, and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional campuses in Asia, Europe, and North America. Our Study Abroad programs are ranked in the top 2 percent by U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2013.”

163,000 Alumni: A growing and involved alumni community are connecting online, in-person, and at worldwide events.

One and only: Webster is the only Tier 1, private, nonprofit university with campus locations around the world including metropolitan, military, online and corporate, plus traditional, American-style campuses in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Diversity is a core value: Webster is one of the most diverse universities in the country, which is an enduring part of our history and central to our future.Undergraduate and graduate programs. More than 75 different majors and around 60 graduate programs in a supportive, educational environment that allows students to excel.

A global, Tier 1, private, nonprofit university

* Global feature in academic programs. Globalized curriculum is our distinctive hallmark
* Academic programs engage your mind and stimulate your understanding beyond your home country and culture
* Every student experiences a global learning component
* Every student is exposed to a worldwide network of fellow students who live, work and study around the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia
* Learn in class today and apply it in real life tomorrow
* Five schools and colleges: Arts & Sciences; Business & Technology; Communications; Education; and Fine Arts

Titles won by Webster University – SPICE since August 2012 (2 World Championships, Olympiad Gold, 4 World Open Championships & 45 National Titles)

Chess Olympiad Gold 

2 members of Webster University – SPICE program,  GMs Ray Robson (current student) and Wesley So (former student), were part of the historic US team which captured Olympiad Gold for the first time (with full competition in a non-boycotted year) since 1937!

World Championships (2)