3-Day National Chess Tournament In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A national chess tournament organized by grandmaster coach Susan Polgar is still offering Texas Tech scholarships to its high school winners, even though Polgar and the entire Texas Tech chess team left Lubbock in April for a private college in Missouri.

Organizers say the Susan Polgar Foundation Nationwide Open for Boys and Girls is the first national chess championship ever in New Orleans.

Organizers say 121 students from kindergarten through 12th grade and from California to Pennsylvania participated in the three-day tournament winding up Sunday at a hotel near the Superdome.

Organizer Jean Troendle (TREND-l) and Polgar both say the scholarships are valuable because Texas Tech has said it is looking for a top coach and plans to rebuild its chess team.