The front page of the Dallas Morning News today featured a positive chess news story about students from the University of Texas at Dallas contesting a match in Cuba. Read the entire article online, and watch the accompanying slideshow featuring trip photos and interviews with three of the six attendees, GM Alejandro Ramirez, IM Jacek Stopa and IM Puchen Wang. Other participants included IMs Marko Zivanic, Sal Bercys and alternate player Tautvydas Vedrickas. IM Rade Milovanovic coached the team. University of Texas at Dallas chess Program Director James Stallings told CLO, " The match was certainly an historical one, and Dr. Spector (vice-president for diversity and community engagement at UTD) was the driving force behind it. I well remember when she came to UT Dallas. I met with her in the meeting room of President Daniel. She and I spoke nonstop for an hour about nothing except chess. I believe that the love of the game, that one develops when young, is never extinguished."
The final round of the University of Texas at Dallas invitationals is currently underway and you can watch it live or play through games on the Internet Chess Club or Monroi. See Dr. Alexey Root's first report and look for her wrap-up soon.