Dr. Susan Polgar

Well, it's Christmas in June for Susan Polgar. Texas Tech stuffed her stocking with all sorts of goodies. They included a University Medal, a coaching job for the Knight Raiders chess team, the Director's position for a chess institute named after her ( The Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence a.k.a. SPICE ), commencement speaker for the graduating class of 2007, and finally the big daddy of them all, an Honorary doctoral degree of Human Letters. Even her new husband, Paul Truong, got into the binge as business manager for the institute. These two are swinging it, aren't they?

Maybe, this is all good for chess. Maybe, this is how chess becomes more mainstreamed. This is how chess is aggrandized so that in the future it can be profitable to be a great chessplayer. It certainly IS profitable now for Susan Polgar.

With all these goodies on her lap plus all that she had built for herself, I wonder if she would have the time to attend to the business of the U.S. Chess Federation if elected to its executive board. I don't know. I just don't like seeing someone with too much on her plate and about to order more just because it's on the menu.