Grandmaster Aleksander Mista has joined the UTRGV Chess Team as the new program manager. He will organize travel and chess events, help members and promote the program.
Chess Coach Bartek Macieja said Mista’s arrival will benefit not only the team, but him as well.
“There is a lot of formal administrative paperwork, all the travel requests,” Macieja said. “That takes a lot of time and with Mr. Mista, he will be helping with that. … That will help me a lot to dedicate more of my time towards training.”
Macieja wants to work together with Mista to promote chess on campus, such as organizing events in which students can learn the basics of chess, so they can practice on their own.
Mista is a native of Gdansk, the famous seaside city in northern Poland.
“Europe was divided between the Soviet Union and the Western countries,” he said. “In Gdansk, many things happened. This Cold War started to collapse. This is [a] very famous city because of that, because it was the beginning of [a] new era in Europe.”
Mista previously served as an organizer of the World Congress of Chess Composition, which will help him in his new duties as program manager.
He organized the congress, which had more than 200 attendees.
“I also organized some other chess events, like chess tournaments,” Mista said. “… As a chess player, I also have experience so I know, really I know, what is good for the chess players, for the team, so I can help and advise them.”
Highlights of Mista’s career include winning the bronze medal in the 2009 Polish Chess Championship; being a member of the Polish national team that won eight medals in the World Chess Solving Championship; coaching the Polish national women’s team, which won the silver medal in the 2011 European chess championship; and coaching students in youth chess, one of whom won the bronze medal in the 2015 European youth chess championship.
At 8 years old, Mista won his first tournament, the Polish Chess Championship Under 10, and in 2003, he earned the title of grandmaster.
Mista loves the travel opportunities chess has brought him.
“During the tournaments I could meet a lot of people,” Mista said. “I had a lot of friends all around the world and I traveled a lot. … I [have] visited five continents, so far, and about 40 countries.”
During Mista’s career, there were moments of doubt, but the best advice he received from his coaches was to not give up and to instead try to improve himself.
Mista has his own advice for people who want a career in chess.
“I can also help such people to avoid some problems, but you need to study a lot if you want to achieve the highest position and you have to devote to it,” Mista said. “It’s worth [to] at least to try, because if you don’t like [it], you can withdraw at the moment. But, if you don’t try, maybe you will blame yourself for it.”
Mista said chess is a game for everyone and it doesn’t require special equipment, as in other sports. A youth can even outplay an adult.
To join the chess club, no particular level of skill is required. Those interested in joining the club may email chess@utrgv.edu.
