The 2004 U.S. Women’s National Team is heading to the 36th World Chess Olympiad in Calvia, Spain next week hoping to capture its first ever women’s Olympiad medal. The team consists of three players and one reserve.

Leading the team is legendary four-time women’s world champion and three-time Olympic champion, Grandmaster Susan Polgar. Susan is also a world-renown chess trainer and award-winning, best-selling chess author. Susan is joined by International Master Irina Krush, a two-time Olympian. Part of her remarkable resume includes the titles of US women’s champion, Pan-Am youth champion and Mayor’s Cup champion. Irina also has one Grandmaster norm under her belt. On board three is International Master-Elect Anna Zatonskih. Anna is also a two-time Olympian. She impressively won the Ukrainian women’s Championship two years in a row prior to coming to America. She will be competing in her first US championship in November 2004. The team reserve player is WIM Jennifer Shahade , the reigning U.S. Women’s Champion.

The Training program of the U.S. Women’s Team was sponsored by Kasparov Chess Foundation under direction of Master Michael Khodarkovsky, a well-known coach recently named New Jersey State coach of the year by the New Jersey State Chess Federation. Michael Khodarkovsky will serve as a team Head coach at the Olympiad. He will be assisted by notable theoretician, Grandmaster Alexander Chernin.

The team captain is FIDE Master Paul Truong. Paul won 5 national championships of South Vietnam and 11 national titles overall. He was considered a chess prodigy and one of the most promising juniors in Asia back in the 70’s.

The 2004 U.S. Women’s team is sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, a not-for-profit organization supported by charitable donations from concerned individuals and corporate sponsors. Its 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. For more information, please visit http://www.kasparovchessfoundation.org.