New York, NY, Dec. 8, 2004 -- New York state Gov. George Pataki welcomed to his NY City office the 2004 US Women's Olympiad Chess Team to congratulate them for their history-making performance at the recent Chess Olympiad in Calvia, Spain. Gov. Pataki presented an honorary plaque to each member of the team to commemorate their accomplishment.

The US team consisted of four players, a team captain/manager, head coach and special theoretical consultant. The team members included:

Board 1: Grandmaster Susan Polgar (Queens, NY)
Board 2: International Master Irina Krush (Brooklyn, NY)
Board 3: International Master Anna Zatonskih (Bowling Green, OH)
Reserve: Women International Master Jennifer Shahade (Brooklyn, NY)
Captain/Manager: FIDE Master Paul Truong (Queens, NY)
Head Coach: Michael Khodarkovsky (Montville, NJ)
Theoretical Consultant: Grandmaster Alexander Chernin (Budapest, Hungary)

By capturing Silver for team performance, the US Women's Team took home the first medal in US history since the Chess Olympiad's inception in 1924.

Kasparov Shares in Victory
World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, chairman of Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF), which served as the team1s lead sponsor, introduced the team to Gov. Pataki. Garry Kasparov and Gov. Pataki exchanged their views on the future development of chess in the United States, especially focusing on importance of bringing chess into schools.

Following the presentation at the Govenor's office, Garry Kasparov hosted a gala event on behalf of Kasparov Chess Foundation. In his speech, Kasparov stated that he is "Proud that his foundation supported this program, providing the financial resources and high-level of training expertise necessary to surpass all expectations and take home the Silver."

The sponsorship of the Women's Olympiad Chess Team represents one of many programs the Foundation is underwriting.

About Kasparov Chess Foundation
Founded by World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, KCF's mission is to bring the many educational benefits of chess to children throughout the United States by providing a complete chess curriculum and enrichment programs. The Foundation promotes the study of chess as a cognitive learning tool in curricular classes and after-school programs for elementary, middle and high schools, both in the public and private school sectors. The not-for-profit educational organization also organizes tournaments and competitions on a local and national basis. For more information, please visit http://www.kasparovchessfoundation.org.

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