Mason Chess hosts friendly International match against Kazan University
The champion Russian International Master Lenar Murzin, and mathematics students Maxim Galiev, and Albert Davletov traveled from Naberezhnye Chelny last week to compete.
The two teams met on stage Sunday evening in the Johnson Center Bistro for a friendly match.
Mason Chess’ winning combination was comprised of Mathematics PhD student and Team Captain Andy Samuelson and freshman Film and Video Studies major, Daniel Clancy.
Parallel to the match, Mason Chess’ faculty advisor, Professor of Mathematical Sciences Walter Morris, played a friendly game against the coach of the Russian team.
Mason Chess President, Jeff Brown, and Vice President, Jonathan Bode, were pleased to see the growth and development of the organization they co-founded in 2003.
The Team has now held the Virginia Collegiate State Championship for three years. Its Student Coaches have shared their knowledge of the game with hundreds of nearby elementary school students. After this amazing international victory it is fair to say that there is now a tradition of chess at George Mason University.
After hosting their Russian counterparts in Fairfax, Mason Chess hopes to send a team to play at Kazan next year. The student organization, which considers chess a competitive sport, hopes to establish an academic scholarship in order to continue recruiting top talent to the George Mason.
Photos from the event can be downloaded at http://www.masonchess.com/