Susan Polgar Chess Blog

Welcome! This site is where I provide chess enthusiasts with updates on my activities, interests and important chess news from around the world. Everyone can productively discuss or ask questions about various chess issues! Your contributions & comments are welcome! PLEASE KEEP IT CIVIL & RESPECT OTHERS! All posts in this blog are the opinions of the authors and not this blog. There will be chess tips or fun puzzles everyday. WIN WITH GRACE, LOSE WITH DIGNITY!(TM) - 2007 Susan Polgar©

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

You don't want to face him!

March 13, 2005:

A USA Chess student, Dane Byrd, competed in the Reflections Art Contest in the Houston area. Out of 6,000 entries he placed first in his age group with his poem and will now go on to compete in a state-wide competition. The theme was " A Different Kind of Hero." He was inspired by chess club to write the poem.

My Hero, the Queen

Dont bring your Majesty out too early,

because she might be captured by a rook,

bishop, or knight.

 She is my favorite piece on the chess board.

When my pawn crosses to the other side,

the pawn  then becomes a Queen.

 My hero moves up, down, sideways

and diagonally. She is my most valuable

piece on the chess board.

 That is why she is my hero.

November 14th, 2004:

Congratulations to Hailey Winston for being selected to represent the US in the World Youth Championships held in Crete!! She is pictured below in the USA cap!

December 14, 2003:
Congratulations to the players who did well at the National Grade Championships held this weekend in Chicago, IL:

~ David Hauge: Kindergarten, 12th place
~ Cole Pettit: Kindergarten, Tied for 20th place
~ Turner Corbett: Kindergarten, Tied for 24th place
~ Michael Perkins: 2nd grade, Tied for 27th place
~ Thomas Thongmee: 2nd grade, Tied for 10th place
~ Greenhill School: 2nd grade, 5th Place Team
~ Ryan Pettit: 2nd grade, Tied for 63rd place
~ Ford Corbett: 2nd grade, 63rd place
~ Riley Shryoc: 2nd grade, Tied for 75th place
~ Hailey Winston: 3rd grade, Tied for 33rd place
~ Jay Max Juster: 6th grade, Tied for 11th place
~ Mel Shokler: 6th grade, Tied for 52nd place
~ Jim Heiserman: 9th grade, Tied for 8th place
~ Nate Conrad: 10th grade, Tied for 7th place
~ Christian Leppert: 10th grade, Tied for 25th place
~ Matthew Davis: 10th grade, Tied for 59th place
~ St. Mark's School of Texas: 10th grade, 4th Place Team (tied for 3rd)

November 1-2, 2003:
Congratulations to the players who did extremely well at the Texas State Grade Championships this weekend in South Padre Island:

~ David Hauge: Kindergarten STATE CHAMPION
~ Cole Pettit: Kindergarten, 3rd place
~ Thomas Thongmee: Second Grade STATE CHAMPION
~ Michael Perkins: Second Grade, 3rd place
~ Ryan Pettit: Second Grade, 5th place
~ Hailey Winston: Third Grade STATE CHAMPION
~ Ruthie Banks: Third Grade, tied for 9th place
~ McCrae Dunlap: Fifth Grade, tied for 10th place
~ Jay Max Juster: Sixth Grade, 3rd place
~ Peter Yeh: Ninth Grade STATE CHAMPION

October 11-12, 2003:
Congratulations to Chandler Garber for taking 1st place and Hailey Winston for taking 2nd place at the Texas State Girls Championship in San Antonio, TX!!!

May 11, 2003:
Congratulations to the Greenhill Primary Team for taking 10th place at the National Elementary Championships held in Nashville Tennessee, May 8-11, 2003.

April 5, 2003:
Congratulations to 6th grader Griffin Taylor for winning a 4-year college scholarship to UT Dallas by winning the 11th annual DACIS tournament in Dallas, TX today!!

March 2, 2003:
We had a GREAT State Championship!! 2,200 Players!!!
   ~ Peter Yeh - STATE CHAMPION - Middle School Championship
   ~ Albert Yeh - Tied for 2nd place - High School Championship
   ~ Nate Conrad - Tied for 6th place - High School Championship
   ~ Christian Leppert - Tied for 29th place - High School Championship
   ~ Jared Forbus - Tied for 46th place - High School Championship
   ~ Matthew Davis - Tied for 46th place - High School Championship
   ~ St. Mark's School of Texas - Tied for 3rd place - High School Championship
   ~ Jay Max Juster - Tied for 5th place - Elementary Championship
   ~ Mel Shokler - Tied for 64th place - Elementary Championship
   ~ Ian Sugerman - Tied for 64th place - Elementary Championship
   ~ Kevin Lu - Tied for 64th place - Elementary Championship
   ~ Hailey Winston - 7th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Lee Perkins - Tied for 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Thomas Thongmee - Tied for 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Michael Perkins - Tied for 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Ruthie Banks - Tied for 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Chandler Garber - Tied for 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Austin Wiley - Tied for 31st place - Primary Championship
   ~ Sam Walls -  Tied for 31st place - Primary Championship
   ~ Grant Wiley - Tied for 56th Place - Primary Championship
   ~ Jack Livingston - Tied for 68th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Sidney Shokler - Tied for 68th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Greenhill School - STATE CHAMPIONS - Primary Championship: Team Members are: Chandler Garber, Ruthie Banks, Thomas Thongmee, Lee Perkins, Michael Perkins.
   ~ First Baptist Academy - 11th place - Primary Championship
   ~ First Baptist Academy - 4th place - Primary JV

January 18, 2003:
Once again, the ZCA had amazing results at the Dallas Region III Championship:
   ~ Michael Perkins - 1st place Primary U700
   ~ Ryan Pettit - Tied for 8th place - Primary U700
   ~ David Pannill - Tied for 8th place - Primary U700
   ~ Greenhill School - 2nd place Team Primary U700
   ~ Hailey Winston & Austin Wiley - 1st place Primary Championship
   ~ Greenhill School - 1st place place Team Primary Championship
   ~ Thomas Thongmee - 6th place Primary Championship
   ~ Chandler Garber - 8th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Grant Wiley - 10th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Ruthie Banks - 11th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Lee Perkins - 13th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Sam Walls - 14th place - Primary Championship
   ~ Peter Yeh - 1st place MS Championship
   ~ St. Mark's School of Texas - 2nd place Team High School Championship
   ~ Christian Leppert - 5th place High School Championship
   ~ Nate Conrad - 6th place High School Championship
   ~ Matthew Davis - 7th place High School Championship
   ~ Tyler Unland - 9th place Middle School Championship
   ~ Shane Jarvie - 10th place Middle School Championship
   ~ Jay Max Juster - 7th place Elementary Championship
   ~ Ian Sugerman - 16th place - Elementary Championship
   ~ Max Grunewald - Tied for 2nd place - Elementary U800
   ~ Griffin Taylor - 8th place Elementary U800

December 15, 2002:
The ZCA had an excellent showing at the National Championships held this weekend in Atlanta, GA!! Congrats to the following top finishers:
   ~ Nate Conrad: NATIONAL CHAMPION U1400, 9th Grade section.
   ~ Michael Perkins: NATIONAL CHAMPION U1000, 1st Grade Section. 13th overall.
   ~ St. Mark's School of Texas: NATIONAL CHAMPION, 9th Grade section
            Team Members were Nate Conrad, Christian Leppert and Jared Forbus.
   ~ Greenhill School: 5th place, 1st Grade section
   ~ Thomas Thongmee: Tied for 3rd place, 1st Grade section
   ~ Grant Wiley: Tied for 13th place, 1st Grade section

INTERESTING FACT: Out of 356 individual trophies given out at the National Grade Championship in Atlanta, 13 were won by Texas players - 5 of which were current or past students of the ZCA.
  
  October 27, 2002:
Congratulations to the following players at this weekend's Texas State Grade Championships:
    ~ Thomas Thongmee & Jack Livingston - 2nd place, 1st grade section
    ~ Michael Perkins & Grant Wiley - 3rd place, 1st grade section
    ~ Hailey Winston - STATE CHAMPION, 2nd grade section
    ~ Chandler Garber - 2nd place, 2nd grade section
    ~ Ruthie Banks - 4th place, 2nd grade section
    ~ Peter Yeh - STATE CHAMPION, 8th grade section

September 29, 2002:
Congratulations to Hailey Winston and Ruthie Banks for taking 1st and 2nd places respectively at the 2002 Texas State Girls' Championship!

March 18, 2002:
Congrats to Peter Yeh for winning the Texas State Championship this weekend! This is Peter's 3rd year in a row to win the State Championship!  

February 2, 2002:
Congrats to the following ZCA teams and individuals who did well at the Dallas Regional Championships:
Peter Yeh - STATE CHAMPION, Middle School Championship
St. Mark's School of Texas - STATE CHAMPION, Middle School Team
The Hockaday School - STATE CHAMPION Elementary Team
St. Mark's School of Texas - STATE CHAMPION Primary Team

November 4, 2001:
Congrats to all who participated in the Texas Grade Championships this weekend in Houston. Extra Congrats to the following:
Albert Yeh - Tied for 2nd place, 11th Grade
Nate Conrad - Tied for 5th place, 8th Grade
Christian Leppert - Tied for 8th place, 8th Grade
Peter Yeh - STATE CHAMPION, 7th Grade
Mel Shokler - Tied for 3rd place, 4th Grade
Arnold Liao - STATE CHAMPION, 3rd Grade
Austin Wiley - STATE CHAMPION, 2nd Grade
Grant Wiley - 3rd place, Kindergarten

October 13, 2001:
Congrats to Peter Yeh on becoming the 2001 DFW Middle School Co-Champ!!

October 1, 2001:
Our NEW Chess Academy is now open! It is in Dallas at 635 and Midway Road. Please stop by and see us!!

September 22, 2001:
Congrats to Arnold Liao for winning the DFW Primary Championship this weekend with a perfect score!!

August 26, 2001:
This summer's National Summer Chess Camp Tour was a great success! Over 750 campers participated in the 6 city tour!! With plans to expand the Tour to 9 cities next year, we hope that everyone had a great time and we hope to see you all again next summer!!!

July 27, 2001:
Check out the article that ran in the Austin American Statesman about the ZCA Chess Camps!!!

July 29, 2001:
Congrats to Rory Chambers for winning the Under-15 Section of the US Junior Open this weekend in Tulsa, OK!!!

May 29, 2001:
Congratulations to Albert Yeh for becoming the 2001 Texas State Co-Champ at the Texas State Championship held Memorial Day weekend in Houston.

April 29, 2001:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh for tying for 2nd place in the Elementary Championship section at Super Nationals in Kansas City, MO, April 26-29, 2001.

March 12, 2001:
Texas State Championship Weekend!! Congrats to everyone at State!! Extra congrats to the following ZCA students:
Bryan Pernes - Tied for 2nd place, Middle School Championship Section
Peter Yeh - STATE CHAMPION Elementary Championship Section
Joan Gass - 10th place Elementary Championship Section
Conner Pate - 8th place Elementary JV Section
Mattia Flabiano - 10th place Elementary JV Section
Taylor Martin - STATE CHAMPION Primary Championship Section
Melinda Shokler - 9th place Primary Championship Section
Arnold Liao - 13th place Primary JV Section
Matthew Stith - 2nd place Kindergarten
Hailey Winston - 3rd place Kindergarten
Tyler Hagen - 9th place  Kindergarten
Hockaday School - STATE CHAMPION Kindergarten Team
Kramer Elementary - 7th place JV Primary Team
Hockaday School - 5th place Elementary Team
St. Mark's School of Texas - 4th place Middle School Team

Feb. 4, 2001:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh for winning the North American 6th Grade Challenge held this weekend in Boston!!

Feb. 4, 2001:
Congratulations to the following top finishing ZCA students for great performances at this weekends Texas Region III Championships:
Mattia Flabiano - STATE CHAMPION Elem. U800
Glenn Baumann - 2nd place Elem. U800
Conner Pate - 5th place Elem. U800
Christian Leppert - 4th place Middle School
Joan Gass - 4th place Elementary Championship
Arden Youngblood - 4th place Primary Championship
Arnold Liao - STATE CHAMPION Primary U700
Ian Szumila - 3rd place Primary U700
Tyler Hagen & Hailey Winston - STATE CHAMPION Kindergarten Championship
St. Mark's School of Texas - STATE CHAMPION Middle School Championship
St. Mark's School of Texas - STATE CHAMPION Elementary U800

January 7, 2001:
Congrats to Brian Young for winning the U15 section of the Texas Junior Open!!

January 7, 2001:
We had a wonderful Christmas Break Chess Camp at Kramer Elementary!!!  85 campers attended. Pictures now available.

December 17, 2000:
Congratulations to Bryan Pernes for becoming the 7th Grade NATIONAL CHAMPION at this week's National Grade Championships in Orlando, FL. Check out the article about Bryan in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.
Congrats also go out to the 3rd grade team from The Hockaday School for tying for 4th place! Check out the article in the Dallas Morning News.

November 18, 2000:
Congratulations to Tyler Hagen for winning the Kindergarten section of the DFW Primary Championship this past weekend!!

November 11, 2000:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh, a 6th grader, for winning the 2000 DFW High School Championship! Going into the tournament as the fifth seed, Peter did an outstanding job in this event. Congratulations also go out to Christian Leppert who, with a perfect score, won the DFW U1000 High School Championship!

November 5, 2000:
Congratulations to the following players and teams of the NZCA who won State Championships this past weekend at the 2000 Texas State Grade Championships in Corpus Christi, TX:
Texas State 3rd Grade Team Champion - The Hockaday School  --Team members included Arden Youngblood (5th place individual), Jasmine DiLucci (6th place individual), Stephanie Gobran (9th place individual), and Cecile Diaz (10th place individual).
Texas State 7th Grade STATE CHAMPION - Bryan Pernes
Texas State 6th Grade STATE CHAMPIONS - Michael Jennings & Peter Yeh

October 29, 2000:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh, who won the Dallas Amateur Championship this weekend!!!

October 14, 2000:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh for winning the 2000 DFW Middle School Championship! Congratulations also go out to St. Mark's School of Texas for winning the 2000 DFW Middle School Team Championship!!

September 30, 2000:
Congratulations to the following students of the NZCA who did well at this weekend's DFW Grade Championships:
DFW 10th Grade Champion: Albert Yeh
DFW 9th Grade Champion: Brian Young
DFW 6th Grade Champion: Peter Yeh
DFW 3rd Grade Champion: Jasmine DiLucci
DFW 3rd Grade Team Champion: The Hockaday School
DFW 2nd Grade Champion: McCrae Dunlap
DFW Kindergarten Champion: Matthew Stith

July 27, 2000:
We had a GREAT camp!!!! 260 campers attended - the largest chess camp ever in the U.S.!!! (according to the U.S. Chess Federation)      Pictures now available.

July 16, 2000:
Congratulations to Peter Yeh and Stephanie Ballom. Both students of the ZCA won National Championships in Maryland this weekend  --- Peter won the Under 11 National Championship and Stephanie won the Under 15 National Championship!!!

May 14, 2000:
Congratulations to the following students and teams of the NZCA for having outstanding results at this year's National Elementary Championship, May 12-14 in Grapevine, TX:
K-6 section: 10th (tied for 9th) place Bryan Pernes
K-3 U800 section: 7th place (tied for 5th) Jeff Wilke
K-3 U800 section: 14th place (tied for 5th) Dean Butler
K-3 U800, rated 400-599: 5th place (tied for 2nd) Michael Carr
K-5 section: 13th place (tied for 3rd) Andrew Esteva
K-5 section: 24th place (tied for 16th) Peter Yeh
K-5 section, Rated 1200-1399: 8th place (tied for 2nd) Andrew Esteva
Kindergarten Team section: 6th place The Hockaday School
K-3 U800 Team section: 9th place St. Mark's School of Texas
K-3 U800 Team Section: 10th place Kramer Elementary
K-6 Team Section: 9th place St. Mark's School of Texas

March 12, 2000:
Congrats to the top finishers from the NZCA at this year's Texas State Championship which had 1,300 players:
Primary JV section: 8th place (tied for 2nd) Dean Butler
Primary JV Team section: 3rd place St. Mark's School of Texas
Primary JV Team section: 5th place The Hockaday School
Elementary JV section: 6th place (tied for 3rd) Mark Butler
Elementary JV Team section: 3rd place St. Mark's School of Texas
Middle School JV Team section: 8th place St. Mark's School of Texas
Primary Open section: 5th place (tied for 4th) Jasmine DiLucci
Primary Open section: 11th place (tied for 7th) Tyler Pernes
Elementary Open section: STATE CHAMPION Peter Yeh
Elementary Open section: 2nd place: Todd Appelbaum
Middle School Open section: 3rd place (tied for 2nd) Bryan Pernes
Middle School Open Team section: 7th place St. Mark's School of Texas
High School Open Team section: 7th place St. Mark's School of Texas
K-9 Texas State Blitz Championship: 3rd place Melinda Shokler

December 16, 1999:
Check out the feature article that appeared about Noureddine on the front page of the Metropolitan section of the Dallas Morning News on Dec.16th, 1999.