"I like its logic, irrationality and dynamics. I love harmony between pieces and how one should understand this harmony to succeed in understanding the game," remarked Katerina Rohonyan, chess Grandmaster (GM) and member of UMBC's chess A-team.

The A-team, which consists of sophomore GM Sergey "The Stealth" Erenburg, sophomore GM Timur "The Uzebekdragon" Gareev, M.S student GM Pawel "The Polish Magician" Blehm, senior WGM Katerina "The Kiev Killer" Rohonyan, freshman Aaron "The Detroit Destroyer" Kahn, and freshman Alexander "The Washington Wizard" Barnett, is the most highly ranked of UMBC's three chess teams.

On April 5 and 6 UMBC's chess team will be hosting the U.S. Intercollegiate Chess Team Championship. The A-team will be up against opponents from New York University, Miami Dade College, and the University of Texas at Dallas. Last year UMBC took second place in the championship. The tournament will take place in the UMBC Commons Game Room, second Floor. Before this event there will be a week long festival which will include chess game exhibitions and a pep rally.

All members of the A-team have participated in chess tournaments in the past. Most of the players have won several national or international championships and are GM's. Timur Gareev, a Coca-Cola Chess Fellow and Economics major, explained that the title of Grandmaster or GM means that "you can play chess professionally."

Gareev describes chess as a game that brings "aesthetic satisfaction"- one in which players must very often employ his best character traits and mental abilities in order to succeed. Nonetheless, "Chess is not just about having a higher rating or a GM title," he added.

When asked about the source of UMBC's abundant chess talent, Chess Club President Ian Harris replied, "UMBC's chess program is very different from most other colleges'. We are one of the few universities that offer full scholarships to very talented players. We organize many programs on campus and off campus to promote and teach chess. Our team also has the most prestigious record of having won the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Chess Tournament seven times."

Harris continued, "[Our success is due to the fact that] we put a lot of effort into recruiting and fostering young talent. We have a very supportive administration and dedicated faculty that ensure the continuing prominence of our program in the world. There are only a handful of schools that can challenge us; however, this is beginning to change as more universities are beginning to offer more chess scholarships and build stronger programs."

Rohonyan added that the scholarships offered by UMBC to talented chess players attract students from all over the world.

The most highly ranked player on the A-team is Israeli Financial Economics major Sergey Erenburg, who came to study at UMBC as a Coca-Cola Chess Fellow. Many of his chess playing friends had graduated from UMBC, and recommended that he study here. Sergey practices chess 15 hours a week and says "the formula of success in chess is a combination of both talent and rigorous work."

Sergey attests that success in chess is comprised of 20% talent and 80% hard work. He uses various chess software programs loaded with 6 to 7 million games to analyze various chess moves and prepare against specific types of opponents. With regards to the stereotype that chess players are quiet, nerdy and unsociable, Erenburg responded, "I don't care too much about stereotypes. I think such stereotypes belong to [the] past. Chess has changed and become more open. I don't consider myself having any of those characteristics, except maybe quiet."

Harris replied similarly, "It is true that chess players are often stereotyped as quiet, nerdy, and unsociable, but generally this is false. Granted there are usually some weirdoes in the chess world, but they make up a small percentage. Most players are in fact the opposite, down to Earth, friendly and fun people to be around."

"[I feel] no difference at all," Computer Science Major Katerina Rohonyan, a native of Ukraine, remarked concerning her status as the only female member of UMBC's chess club. However, Rohonyan does feel the effects of the historically formed bias towards men in chess. This bias has caused people to lower their expectations regarding women competitors. Males are generally viewed as stronger players, although this is not always the case.

Rohonyan believes that the most important skill that a chess player could possess is "Flexibility of one's mind to facilitate the decision-making process." Members of the chess club are truly passionate about their sport and acknowledge its distinct qualities. Harris remarked, "Chess is quite unique from other sports. Besides the emphasis on strategical thinking, great importance is also placed on physical fitness and endurance. Sometimes one game can last for six hours or more. The chess team and I are passionate about chess because of the benefits it brings to its players. These include: the development of cognitive skills across all disciplines - reasoning and decision making, memory, problem solving, creativity and more. Not to mention that chess is fun and you meet many great people." Erenburg argued that chess forces its players to become more responsible as one mistake can "be fatal and very often leads to losing a game."

When asked if she had anything else to say to the school concerning the chess Rohonyan urged UMBC to support the A-team during their upcoming tournament "We are the best! Come and root for us when we'll play against UTD!"