Favorite Yuri Shulman of Minsk, Belarus, a senior majoring in computer science, amassed 7 ½ points and won The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) Intramural Chess Championship – the first collegiate event of its kind ever rated by the world governing body of chess, FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs), and the first international chess tournament held in North Texas since 1956.

Shulman, a grandmaster, did not lose a match in the 10-day event. He won six games and registered draws in three others.

International MasterBalazs Szuk of Budapest, Hungary, a junior majoring in business administration, and FIDE Master Andrie Zaremba of Dearborn, Michigan, a sophomore majoring in computer science, tied for second with 6 points each. With his strong showing in the round-robin tournament, Zaremba achieved his first leg, or “norm,” toward International Master standing.

Prior to this month, no university had ever held a FIDE-rate tournament because of the high quality and geographical diversity of players required. UTD was able to do it because it has the top-ranked collegiate chess team in the United States (a team with two grandmasters and one international master) and has players from more than the four countries FIDE requires to sanction an international tournament.

UTD earlier this year was named “Chess College of the Year” by the U.S. Chess Federation.

Dr. Tim Redman, a professor of literary studies in the university’s School of Arts and Humanities, started the chess program at UTD six years ago. Redman served as FIDE International Arbiter for the just-concluded tournament. Ten players participated.

About UT Dallas

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 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate 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 www.utdallas.edu.