RICHARDSON, Texas — As the Texas Rangers began their opening day celebrations on Thursday with all the pomp and circumstance due to a winner of last year's World Series, a team at UT Dallas was also getting its own recognition.
For the few of you who are not aware - the chess team at UT Dallas is a very, very big deal.
The UT Dallas Chess team has won a record 10 Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships and 5 college final four titles in the history of U.S. College Chess.
So, as has become the tradition, on Thursday afternoon a bronze statue of engineering legend Jack Kilby at the Texas Instruments Plaza on campus, which normally has the calculator he invented in his right hand and a model of an integrated circuit in his left, was given a chess king piece to hold and a "final four" shirt to wear: a shirt with a cowboy riding a chess knight.
"Greetings and welcome to the UTD chess pep rally," they announced over loudspeakers as a small crowd cheered.
"UTD make some noise," yelled UTD Chess Team coach and former student Julio Sadorra. The UTD Chess Team gets its own pep rally when they make the collegiate chess final four. And this year for The President's Cup they have home field advantage.
"Or should I say home board advantage," joked Dr. Donal Skinner, dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. The weekend competition taking place at UTD also includes chess teams from UT Rio Grande Valley, the University of Missouri, and Webster University.
"Many people think it's a game. It's also a sport. It can also be an art," said Sadorra whose team features players from seven different countries.
Recognized as one of the leading collegiate chess programs, UTD draws chess players from all over the world. Including Anastasia Paramzina from Russia. A world junior silver medalist and UTD freshman.
"It is a strange feeling," she said of receiving so much attention during a pep rally, "because during my exams I struggle as much as everyone but in my free time, yes, I feel like I'm pretty important," she said.
"It feels amazing that our hard work is being supported by the University and by fellow students," said David Brodsky, a graduate student in computer science from New York. "Well I'm definitely more of an introvert," he said when asked about the outpouring of support for the chess team. "But I didn't really mind today," he laughed.
UTD has made the final four of collegiate chess 19 times in the last 24 years. This weekend their matches will be streamed online as they pursue the most coveted crown in collegiate chess. And the players and their coach appreciate the support.
"When we see other people passionate about it and coming out to our games, we actually get pumped up, you know, before the tournament, it actually helps us," Sadorra said.
Hopefully helping the UTD Comets make themselves, and Mr. Kilby, proud.