Interview with Senior Master Faik Aleskerov

Interview with Senior Master Faik Aleskerov from Baku, Azerbaijan. He's a member of the Texas Tech Knight Raider Chess Team. He is pursuing is MBA at Texas Tech University.

Busy day for the Texas Tech Knight Raiders

Here is the link to 50 images: https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/201011KnightRaidersFinalDay

Interview with GM Kuljasevic: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-texas-tech-gm-kuljasevic.html

Interview with GM Andre Diamant: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-always-funny-gm-andre.html

Interview with GM Anatoly Bykhovsky: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-gm-anatoly-bykhovsky.html

Interview with IM Istvan Sipos: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-hungarian-im-istvan.html

Interview with SM Aleskerov: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-senior-master-faik.html

Interview with TTU SPICE founder Dr. Hal Karlsson: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-dr-hal-karlsson-founder.html

Members of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders Chess Team had a busy morning. They started out with a team photo session at the main entrance to the university. After that, they were honored by the Texas Tech Board of Regents at their meeting. Right after the ceremony, they immediately headed to the Texas Tech Chess Park to film a commercial to promote Texas Tech University. Later on tonight, team captain GM Davorin Kuljasevic will receive his MBA in Finance!

As some of the Knight Raiders will graduate and move on, at least three additional Grandmasters, one International Master, and two Woman International Masters are planning to come to Texas Tech in the Fall of 2011. The SPICE program will have more than 20 students next year, ranging from Freshmen to PhD students. As a group, the Knight Raiders compiled an average GPA of about 3.4.

Knight Raiders celebration in Lubbock

United Supermarket, the largest supermarket chain in West Texas, hosted a celebration with the Texas Tech Knight Raiders at their flagship Market Street store on 50th Street and Indiana.

Big win for the Knight Raiders and Dr. Karlsson

The Knight Raiders Chess Club just won the 2010-11 Texas Tech University Most Improved Student Organization and the Texas Tech Student Organization of the Year Awards!

In addition, Dr. Hal Karlsson also won the 2010-11 Texas Tech University Most Outstanding Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award!

KRCC President Brett James and team member Josh Osbourn received the awards on behalf of the Knight Raiders.

Congratulations to the Knight Raiders and Dr. Hal Karlsson!

Downtown Milwaukee

Some of the Knight Raiders visited beautiful downtown Milwaukee after the PanAm

Knight Raiders in Milwaukee

The Texas Tech Knight Raiders Chess Teams are in Milwaukee to compete in the 2010 PanAm InterCollegiate Chess Championships.

Official website: http://www.panamerican.wichessacademy.com/

Excellence ON and OFF the board

The accumulative grade of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess teams this semester is approximately 3.30, with 4 players earning a perfect 4.0!

Here are some of their majors: Economics, Finance, Math, Electrical Engineering, Psychology, Law, Spanish, English, Political Science, Biotech, and Microbiology, etc.

In addition to getting good grades, they also worked hard to improve their chess skills. Through the special SPICE training program, 3 of our players earned the GM title in the past 6 months!

In addition, many members of the Knight Raiders also volunteered countless hours to teach and promote chess in the Lubbock community through schools, libraries, and senior centers, etc.

I am very proud of my players and we will work hard to continue the tradition of excellence on and off the board.