UTD Scores Two for One in Greece
By Jennifer Shahade   
August 12, 2008
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When will IM Davorin Kuljasevic earn his third and final GM norm?
It's been a blazing summer for University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to IM Rade Milovanovic's tie for first at the U.S. Open, UTD seniors Keaton Kiewra and Davorin Kuljasevic earned GM norms at the Kavala Open (July 30-August 7) in Greece. Keaton earned both an IM norm and a GM norm at the event, an extraordinary and unusual accomplishment. This is Kuljasevic's second GM norm, so he just needs one more to confirm his title. Game highlights from Kavala include Keaton's win over Ukrainian GM Alexander Zubarev and Davorin's win against Georgian IM and WGM Salome Melia. Look for more on Kiewra and Kuljasevic in the coming weeks.

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Keaton Kiewra in Barcelona on a 2007 trip.


Although most of the UTD "A" team was ironically absent from the Dallas U.S. Open, coach IM Rade Milovanovic played, along with his brother Dragan, also a master, from New Jersey. The home court edge and the family analysis created great conditions for Rade: "Playing from home, and a one-game a day schedule is great. As a coach, I'm always trying to build a good atmosphere." That's why when Keaton and Davorin return to class, there will be a big celebration: "We have a lot of parties, a chess/basketball team and meetings where everyone can share ideas, something that is not so common now with the internet." According to Rade, a good atmosphere is the most important thing and creating one is his main role as a coach. Judging from UTD's track record, especially this summer, that is advice to live by.

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Is fun is the key to UTD success? Here the team warms up for a chessplayer soccer game.

In other UTD news, after a great comeback at the World Junior, UTD student GM Alejandro Ramirez suffered a tough loss to David Howell. After nine rounds, he and Tatev Abrahamyan both stand at 6/9, with Tyler Hughes at 4/9.   With five rounds left to go, Alejandro has a chance to go on a winning streak and be yet another reason for UTD to celebrate. Keep up to date on Ramirez as well as Tatev and Tyler on Alejandro's blog and the World Junior official website.