4-way tie for 1st at SPICE Cup

GMs Onischuk, Pentala, Kritz, and Akobian tied for 1st at the 2008 SPICE Cup International Invitational!

Final Standings:

1-4 Pentala, Harikrishna g IND 2668 5½
Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2670 5½
Kritz, Leonid g GER 2610 5½
Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 5½

5. Becerra, Julio g USA 2598 5

6. Mikhalevski, Victor g ISR 2592 4½

7. Perelshteyn, Eugene g USA 2555 4

8-9. Kaidanov, Gregory S g USA 2605 3½
Miton, Kamil g POL 2580 3½

10. Stefansson, Hannes g ISL 2566 2½

Taking on a Grandmaster

Students compete against chess masters
Matthew Payne
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: La Vida

We will hit'em. We will wreck'em. We will check'em Texas Tech!

What is being called the highest rated chess tournament in the nation hosted a tournament open to Tech students Monday in the Student Union Building.

The 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament is a round-robin tournament that pits an international slate of 10 players against each other through nine rounds of play over 10 days, ending Sept. 28.

The 10 players all have achieved grand master status, the highest possible status in the chess world.

"We have secured a very prestigious roster of players from around the globe to compete in this tournament," said Susan Polgar, SPICE Director.

The countries represented in the tournament include the United States, India, Germany, Poland, Israel and Iceland.

Harikrishna Pentala, the youngest Indian ever to achieve grand master status, agreed to play as many as 20 students simultaneously during Monday's round.

He was not defeated before the competition's conclusion just after 10 p.m.

Interested contestants were asked to bring their own chess boards and reserve a spot by paying a $25 entry fee. The contestants were as young as 7 years old. Pentala was undefeated.

Born in the village of Vinjanam Padu in India, Pentala, who has been playing the game since he was 4 years old, broke the record of being the youngest International Master in 2000 and again for being the youngest grand master from India in 2001.

He said he has been representing his country since the age of 14 years old.

While he has traveled all over the world, this is the first tournament that called him to Lubbock.

"I've been all over the United States, but this is my first time in Texas," Pentala said. "I was very happy with how the games went."

Pentala said he has played chess with multiple people simultaneously before, but it was his first time to compete with random members of the public.

Polgar, the founder of the Susan Polgar Foundation and a chess advocate at Tech, was proud to open the event to the public.

"The foundation's goals are to promote chess in a social, competitive and educational environment," Polgar said. "Study after study shows that children who are better at chess get better grades."

While SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation are two different organizations, they work closely together and share many goals.

"The missions of the organizations are to promote the university, recruit students who like chess to allow students to represent Tech through chess and academic excellence and research," she said.

While many researchers have studied the connection between performance at chess and performance in school, Polgar said, it has never been done in a strictly academic environment. The main goal of SPICE is to support the theory of correlation in an academic environment.

But Susan Polgar is not just a researcher; she has accumulated a reputation in the chess world as a fierce competitor.

"My passion for chess was an accident, really," Polgar said. "I started playing when I was four, and I just loved it."

She has won four world titles and five Olympic gold medals in chess. When she moved to New York and had children, she wanted to do something for children and chess, so she founded the Susan Polgar Foundation. The foundation provides opportunities and scholarships to students who love chess. Although there is a slight emphasis on female participation, males also are encouraged to join.

"The tournament will continue throughout the week and into the weekend," she said. "I invite all students to check out the tournament."

More side events will be offered by the tournament, including the SPICE Cup Scholastic Open, the SPICE Cup Open Grand Prix and the Texas State Women's Open Championship.

Half of the proceeds from the tournament will go to Hurricane Ike victims in Texas, and the other half will go toward supporting the SPICE Cup Festival. This event is being sponsored by SPICE, the Knight Raiders chess club and the Susan Polgar Foundation.

Source: TTU

Simul with GM Pentala

GM Harikrishna Pentala of India conducted a 20-board simul at the Student Union Building on September 22, 2008.

Making history

September 19, 2008
2008 Spice Cup Brings Together Highest-Rated Team of Chess Grandmasters in U.S. History

For chess players and fans, the 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament is the equivalent of the Super Bowl or Wimbledon.
Written by Jessica Benham

For chess players and fans, the 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament is the equivalent of the Super Bowl or Wimbledon.

The Spice Cup will be held at the Texas Tech Student Union building Sept. 19-28. The event is a Category 15 Tournament - making it the highest-rated 10-person International round-robin event to be held on U.S. soil.

Paul Truong, director of marketing at Susan Polgar’s Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), said the event shows that both Texas Tech University and Lubbock are making their mark in the chess world.

“To be able to bring a historic event like this here after SPICE has been in existence for only around a year is phenomenal, especially when Lubbock was not known as a chess city,” he said.

Truong said that about 30 million people from all over the world are expected to follow the SPICE Cup.

“In other parts of the globe, chess is much more popular and strong tournaments are organized all the time,” he said. “However, very few prestigious events like this occur in the United States. It means that millions of eyes will be on Texas Tech and SPICE for a 10-day period during the SPICE Cup Festival.”

The tournament, which places the 10 internationally acclaimed players against each other through nine rounds of play in 10 days, will give Texas Tech a lot more exposure nationwide and worldwide.

“There will be more people following the SPICE Cup than any Texas Tech football, basketball, baseball or soccer game this year,” he said.

“This can serve as a fantastic recruiting tool for Texas Tech. This kind of success is precisely why the university was awarded the highest honor of being named the 2008 Chess College of the Year and Lubbock the 2008 Chess City of the Year.”

Truong said this year’s tournament is three categories stronger than last year’s, and all players are Grandmasters - the highest-ranking for a chess player.

He said SPICE was able to assemble such a strong team because of the reputation of founder Susan Polgar and her standing in the world chess community.

Players will be introduced to the media and public at the opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday (Sept. 19) at the Texas Tech Student Union Building.

Source: TTU

Historic SPICE Cup

2008 Spice Cup Brings Together Highest-Rated Team of Chess Grandmasters in U.S. History

September 19, 2008

For chess players and fans, the 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament is the equivalent of the Super Bowl or Wimbledon.
Written by Jessica Benham

For chess players and fans, the 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament is the equivalent of the Super Bowl or Wimbledon.

The Spice Cup will be held at the Texas Tech Student Union building Sept. 19-28. The event is a Category 15 Tournament - making it the highest-rated 10-person International round-robin event to be held on U.S. soil.

Paul Truong, director of marketing at Susan Polgar’s Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), said the event shows that both Texas Tech University and Lubbock are making their mark in the chess world.

“To be able to bring a historic event like this here after SPICE has been in existence for only around a year is phenomenal, especially when Lubbock was not known as a chess city,” he said.

Truong said that about 30 million people from all over the world are expected to follow the SPICE Cup.

“In other parts of the globe, chess is much more popular and strong tournaments are organized all the time,” he said. “However, very few prestigious events like this occur in the United States. It means that millions of eyes will be on Texas Tech and SPICE for a 10-day period during the SPICE Cup Festival.”

The tournament, which places the 10 internationally acclaimed players against each other through nine rounds of play in 10 days, will give Texas Tech a lot more exposure nationwide and worldwide.

“There will be more people following the SPICE Cup than any Texas Tech football, basketball, baseball or soccer game this year,” he said.

“This can serve as a fantastic recruiting tool for Texas Tech. This kind of success is precisely why the university was awarded the highest honor of being named the 2008 Chess College of the Year and Lubbock the 2008 Chess City of the Year.”

Truong said this year’s tournament is three categories stronger than last year’s, and all players are Grandmasters - the highest-ranking for a chess player.

He said SPICE was able to assemble such a strong team because of the reputation of founder Susan Polgar and her standing in the world chess community.

Players will be introduced to the media and public at the opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday (Sept. 19) at the Texas Tech Student Union Building.

Source: TTU

SPICE Cup

2008 Spice Cup to be Highest-Rated 10-Person International Round-Robin Event in U.S. History

Texas Tech University’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) will boast one of the strongest teams of chess grandmasters in U.S. history for its 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament.

Written by Jessica Benham

WHAT: Opening ceremony for the 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament
WHEN: 1 p.m. Friday (Sept. 19)

WHERE: Texas Tech Student Union Building

EVENT: Texas Tech University’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) will boast one of the strongest teams of chess grandmasters in U.S. history for its 2008 Spice Cup International Invitational Tournament.

The average rating for the 10 players is more than 2605 according to the World Chess Federation (FIDE) ratings.

SPICE Cup is a Category 15 Tournament -making it the highest-rated 10-person International round-robin event in U.S. history. The tournament places the 10 internationally acclaimed players against each other through nine rounds of play in 10 days.

The SPICE Cup Invitational will be the main attraction of the annual SPICE Cup Festival. Other activities will include the 2008 Texas Women’s Open Championship, SPICE Cup Grand Prix, SPICE Cup Scholastic and the SPICE Cup Pro-Am event.

Source: TTU

TT Knight Raiders welcome new team member

Texas Tech’s Knight Raiders Add Prestigious New Member

The Knight Raiders chess team has added International Chess Master (IM) Gergely Antal of Hungary to its team. Antal is the highest-rated player in team history.
Written by Jessica Benham

The Knight Raiders chess team has added International Chess Master (IM) Gergely Antal of Hungary to its team. Antal is the highest-rated player in team history.

Antal, an economics major and one of about 2,800 IMs in the world, will push the Knight Raiders’ ranking into the top 10 nationally for the first time.

Players must collect a certain number of rating points, and achieve three IM norms by competing against very strong players. There are approximately 100,000 rated chess players, placing him in the top 4 percent in the world.

Paul Truong, director of marketing at Susan Polgar’s Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), said that Antal is a team player who can help his teammates with his tremendous skills and talent.

“He is currently our top player,” Truong said. “He can help us in national competitions by making our team substantially stronger.”

Antal played chess professionally for a year before beginning his studies at the University of Economics in Hungary. He came very close to achieving the title of Grandmaster (GM), chess’ highest ranking, but could not quite reach it, so he decided to continue his education.

“I always wanted to study abroad, especially in the U.S., to learn the language, and see some places,” he said. “I got a scholarship for playing chess here so that was an important reason (for choosing Texas Tech).”

Antal said that everyone in his family has a degree, and that also influenced his decision to go to college.

“My goals are the same as other students,” he said. “I would like to get a degree, work on my English, travel around Texas and the country, and help my chess team. And, if it’s possible, I would like to get the GM title.”

Antal also has become involved with SPICE. Susan Polgar, the institute’s founder, gives him a taste of home since she is also from Hungary.

“I enjoy just being with other chess players,” he said. “I grew up among them. And it’s also a great thing to train with Susan. And, she is also from Hungary, so sometimes it’s just good to speak my native language.”

Truong said that Antal can help SPICE with their many outreach programs, including its effort to reach out to young people locally and help them to do better in school and in life through chess.

“He is a good student first, and a strong chess player second,” Truong said. “He is also a very well-rounded individual. He represents exactly what we are aiming for.”

Source: TTU

The SPICE Mission

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) is the model for the highest standard in chess education. Directed by Susan Polgar, the institute is poised to become the world’s premier center for chess research, education, development and outreach.

Through SPICE, Texas Tech has focused the resources of a major university and Big 12 Conference member on providing scholarships for players, conducting research into various aspects of the game, championing scholastic, college and women’s chess and housing an outreach program bringing chess to enthusiasts of all ages.

The SPICE Mission

· To promote chess as a vehicle for enriching education
· To support and promote competitive chess at college level
· To recruit outstanding undergraduate and graduate students
· To bring national and international recognition to TTU and TTUHSC
· To be the leader in promoting women's chess
· To serve as the global center for chess research, education and outreach

2008 SPICE Cup Festival

2008 SPICE Cup International Invitational Tournament
September 19-28
Category: XV FIDE Average: 2605.5 USCF Average: 2666.5

1. Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk 2670 2741 USA
2. Grandmaster Harikrishna Pentala 2668 2724 India
3. Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian 2610 2656 USA
4. Grandmaster Leonid Kritz 2610 2647 Germany
5. Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov 2605 2678 USA
6. Grandmaster Julio Becerra 2598 2647 USA
7. Grandmaster Victor Mikhalevski 2592 2680 Israel
8. Grandmaster Kamil Miton 2580 2702 Poland
9. Grandmaster Hannes Stefάnsson 2566 2598 Iceland
10. Grandmaster Eugene Perelshteyn 2555 2591 USA

http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2008/09/spice-cup-festival.html

2008 SPICE Cup Scholastic Chess Championship
Saturday, September 20
Description of Tournament: A USCF rated Individual and Team Scholastic Championship. USCF membership required.
A 4 round Swiss System Rated Tournament (Game/30)
Games are played in four sections: Primary (K-2), Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6th-8), and High School (9-12).
There is a total of 30 minutes maximum per player per game.
Round schedule: Round 1 11:00am / Round 2 1:00pm / Round 3 2:30pm / Round 4 4:00pm
Prizes: Trophies for top 6 finishers in each section. Trophies to top 3 school teams in each section.
Team prizes are based on the top 3 individual scores from the same school, within the same section.

2008 SPICE Cup Open Chess Championship
September 27-28, 2008
Two sections: Grand Prix and Under 1000/Unrated
A 5 round Swiss System Tournament (Game/75)
Description of Tournament: A Grand Prix event. Open to all USCF members.
Round schedule: Saturday 10:30am - 2:30pm - 7:00pm / Sunday 10:00am - 2:00pm.
Prizes: GP: $1,000-$500-$250-$150-$100-$50 / Top U2000 $100-$50
Top U-1800 $100-$50 / Top U-1600 $100-$50
Prizes based on 50 entries. 50% of all GP section prizes guaranteed.
U-1000/Unrated: $200-$100-$50 plus trophies to top 3.
All prizes in this section are guaranteed.

2008 Texas Women’s Open Chess Championship
September 27-28, 2008
A 5 round Swiss System Tournament (Game/75)
Description of Tournament: An open tournament for female players of all ages. USCF and TCA memberships required.
The top finishing Texas resident will be crowned as Texas Women’s Champion.
Round schedule: Saturday 10:30am, 2:30pm, 7:00pm - Sunday 10:00am, 2:00pm
Prizes: $500-$250-$100 / Top U1600 $100 / Top Unrated $50

A Tournament of Queens

A Tournament of Queens
Invitational event draws nation’s top female chess talent to Texas Tech.
Written by Cory Chandler
September 2, 2008

In chess, as is so often the case in life, the queen is the most formidable piece on the table.

She glides or stomps across the board at will, in straight charges or cutting diagonals, more nimble and much more domineering than her short-legged spouse, whose role is limited to sidestepping attacks.

Yet as few as two decades ago, the chess world didn’t treat women players with the same regard.

An example: in 1986, Susan Polgar was the first woman in history to qualify for the World Chess Championship, but was barred from the competition because of her gender.

Polgar shattered that ceiling, eventually becoming the first female grandmaster, and opened the door for other women to compete on equal footing.

This point could best be illustrated by the 5th Annual Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls that took place July 27-Aug. 1 at Texas Tech.

The tournament pitted 52 girls – some of the nation’s most dominant under the age of 19 – against each other in the tournament’s largest pool to date.

“It is heartwarming and very special to see such an excitement in these girls for the game of chess,” said Polgar, director of Texas Tech’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE). “I created this tournament to provide a venue for aspiring female chess players to compete against each other.”

Drive of Champions

The future femme phenoms – one a mere six years old – gathered in the Frazier Alumni Pavilion off the Drive of Champions to test their mettle through six grueling days of play. These 18-and-under participants beat out thousands of girls who compete annually in chess events across the world for the honor of representing their state in the prestigious tournament.

Courtney Jamison, representing Texas, walked away the winner.

Claiming second: Ashley Carter of Michigan, a recent high school graduate who will attend Texas Tech to participate in the Knight Raiders chess club.

Carter, who has played chess for more than 10 years, has competed in all five of Polgar’s invitational tournaments and said Texas Tech’s chess program attracted her to the university.

“I think Texas Tech will be a good place for me,” Carter said. “I have always wanted to attend a chess school.”

A Nice Draw

Recruiting students like Carter is, of course, one of the main goals of establishing SPICE and hiring a player of Polgar’s magnitude to lead Texas Tech’s burgeoning chess efforts.

In the past, Polgar hosted the girls’ tournament in locations such as Florida, Arizona and New Jersey. Now Texas Tech will host the event for the next ten years.

This means the nation’s elite female players will gather in Lubbock each year for a week on campus, bonding with peers from around the country on an extended tour of the university and city.

“There were players in this year’s event from almost every state, which is part of what makes it such a great tournament- you get to meet girls from around the country,” Jamison said.

And the tournament just keeps growing.

“The tournament has become a tradition,” Polgar said. “The girls are excited about it and there is a lot of word-of-mouth advertising for Texas Tech as girls go home and discuss the tournament with their friends.”

Carter was impressed.

“It’s a very pretty campus,” she said.

Source: TTU

Top Honors for SPICE

Texas Tech, Geosciences’ Professor Awarded Top Honors from United States Chess Federation
Written by Jessica Benham
September 3, 2008

For chess players all over the world, Texas Tech University now offers the perfect location for success.

The U.S. Chess Federation named Texas Tech Co-College of the Year (with the University of Texas at Dallas), and Hal Karlsson, professor of geosciences, received the Special Service award for his dedication to the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE). Lubbock also was named Co-Chess City of the Year (with Tulsa, Okla.).

Karlsson, who helped start SPICE and currently serves as advisor, said he felt that Texas Tech’s recognition was well-deserved.
“Texas Tech hired Susan Polgar and Paul Truong and made SPICE into a formal institution,” he said. “This went way beyond what any other school has done and shows tremendous dedication to chess.”

Truong, director of marketing and public relations for SPICE, said that due to the creation of SPICE, Lubbock and Texas Tech are now known as one of the major centers of chess in the world.

“As of a year ago, chess was not noticeable in West Texas,” he said. “A year later, SPICE and Texas Tech are about to host the 2008 Spice Cup (Sept. 19-28), the highest rated 10-player round robin international tournament in U.S. history. It is like bringing Wimbledon or the Masters to town.”

Karlsson said the award - an acknowledgment of SPICE by the highest chess authority in the U.S. - hopefully will help the institute to recruit more students and attract funds.

“It publicly acknowledges our efforts in forming SPICE and honors us for bringing a chess program to Texas Tech,” he said. “Clearly the awards are given for significant contributions and or milestones. SPICE was a milestone in the history of chess - at least in the U.S.”

The USCF cites the accomplishments of Texas Tech for creating SPICE, setting up a chess program, and running rated tournaments both on and off campus. Both the university and the city were instrumental in supporting those events.

“This brings incredible recognition to SPICE and Texas Tech,” Truong said. “We are now known nationwide and internationally as a major force to be reckoned with. Chess players want to compete in Lubbock, and potential students want to come here to study.”

He said that the institute hopes to be able to raise more funding and financial support to recruit the brightest young talents worldwide - an accomplishment that is already underway with the Knight Raiders addition Texas Tech student and International Chess Master Gergely Antal from Hungary.

Truong said that SPICE can play a major role in Chancellor Kent Hance’s goal to increase enrollment to 40,000 students because there is no limit to how many players can represent Texas Tech in various chess divisions.

He said that Karlsson is very deserving of the Special Service award, because without him the creation of SPICE would not have been possible.

“I am so happy for him,” he said. “Dr. Karlsson truly deserves this recognition and we are all so glad to see him honored with such a prestigious national award. I must say that without him, SPICE would not exist today.”

He said that Karlsson is the vision of hard work and persistence combined with honesty, integrity and loyalty.

“He loves chess and he knew long ago what this sport could bring to Texas Tech and West Texas,” Truong said. “It is the perfect way to recruit top-notch students and bring fame and recognition to this wonderful institution. He gave his heart and soul to this project and the success of SPICE is due to his commitment.”

Source: TTU