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UTB/TSC Chss Team
 Chess Coach - GM Gilberto Hernandez
Gilberto Hernandez was born in Ebano, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on February 4, 1970. He began playing chess at the age of 5. When Gilberto was 14 years old, he attained the title of National Master. At age 16, Gilberto became a FIDE Master. When Gilberto was 19, he earned the title of International Master. In 1995, Gilberto was awarded the title of International Grandmaster, the highest title in chess, and held by fewer than 1,000 people in the world. Gilberto won the Mexican Championship three times before moving to Europe and Argentina, where he spent the last 9 years. He has been the highest-rated player from Mexico from 1992 until the present. Grandmaster Hernandez has represented Mexico 7 times at Chess Olympiads. He has won over 40 international tournaments, including the most prestigious in Latin America. Grandmaster Hernandez has helped train some of the top players in the world, including the current # 2 player. He has 15 years experience coaching players of all levels. Grandmaster Hernandez is married to Woman Grandmaster Claudia Amura of Argentina, who until recently was the top woman player in Latin America. They have 4 children, from 3 to 8 years old, who are currently finishing the school year in Argentina.
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Chess Program Director - Russell Harwood
Russell S. Harwood is a native of Brownsville, Texas, and an alumnus of UTB/TSC. For the past nine years, Mr. Harwood has been a teacher with the Brownsville Independent School District. Mr. Harwood’s involvement with scholastic chess began in the spring of 1997, when he helped found and coach the chess team at Brownsville’s Morningside Elementary.
At the 2000 State Scholastic Chess Championships, Morningside won the Primary and Elementary State Championships, the only school to win both sections in the same year. Morningside’s success in chess got the attention of Hispanic Magazine, and Morningside was named one of their “Schools of Excellence” for the year 2000, one of only 5 in the nation.
Mr. Harwood was invited to Washington D.C. with principal Jay Harris to accept the award. In the fall of 2001, Mr. Harwood moved with his principal to help open a new school, Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary, in Brownsville. A chess team was formed, and Paredes Elementary started experiencing success almost immediately, highlighted by second place individual and team finishes at nationals. Since then, Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary has won numerous state championships and six national championships in chess. Mr. Harwood began working at UTB/TSC as Assistant Chess Coach in November, 2005.