UTD Wins U.S. Amateur Team East Chess Tourney

RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 18, 2003) – The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) bested a record 264 other teams to win the U.S. Amateur Team East Chess Tournament, which concluded yesterday in Parsippany, New Jersey.

UTD’s “Orange Team” scored a total of 5 1/2 out of a possible six match points and won the tie-breaker to claim the tournament championship. Another UTD team, the “White Team,” composed of two males and two females, won the tournament’s mixed doubles crown. In addition, a third team from UTD, its “Green Team,” earned 5 match points, finishing sixth in the overall competition.

“This was a terrific result by UTD in the oldest, most prestigious of the four U.S. Amateur regional chess tournaments held each year throughout the United States,” said Dr. Tim Redman, a professor of literary studies and director of the university’s chess program, one of the top such programs in the nation. “It was particularly impressive in light of the record number of players, both individuals and teams, who competed in this year’s tournament.”

UTD’s Orange Team was composed of first board Andrei Zaremba of Dearborn, Michigan, second board Dennis Rylander of Sweden, third board Ali Mourshedi of Houston and fourth board Clemente Rendon of Brownsville, Texas.

Members of the UTD White Team were first board Dimitry Schneider of New York, second board Rade Milovanovic of Richardson, Texas, third board Katie Roberts-Hoffman of Fort Collins, Colorado, and fourth board Karen Birkedahl of Provo, Utah.

Efforts to celebrate the UTD contingent’s performance were put on hold after team members were stranded in New Jersey by a major winter snow storm. Players and coaches were scheduled to fly to Texas later Tuesday.

As winners of the Team East competition, UTD’s Orange Team will participate in a playoff on March 15 over the Internet, pitting the winners of the four U.S. Amateur regional chess champions against each other.

In April, UTD, winner of the past two “Final Four” U.S. intercollegiate chess championships, will take part in the 2003 Final Four tournament in Miami. UTD will compete against teams from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Miami Dade Community College and the University of Chicago.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.