Fifth annual SPICE Cup hosts chess players from around world

Fifth annual SPICE Cup hosts chess players from around world
Daily Toreador
8:29 pm, Sun Oct 23, 2011
By Greg Lindeman
Staff Writer Daily Toreador - Dept. of Student Media, Texas Tech University

The fifth annual Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence Cup, a chess tournament, is taking place on Texas Tech’s campus from Oct. 15-25.

The SPICE Cup looks to promote chess and its educational, social and competitive benefits throughout the United States.

In this year’s tournament, the ‘A’ group is the highest rated international invitational in United States history and also includes three groups of grandmaster tournaments.

There are players from all over the world at the tournament, including the top national nine- and 10-year-olds, said Susan Polgar, a former Olympic champion, world champion and the director of the SPICE Cup.

“Six of the 26 in the top three are Texas Tech students,” Polgar said. “This tournament started in 2007 and became a tradition afterwards.”

The grand prize is $6,000 and second place will take home $3,000.

“Cooperation with the Susan Polgar Foundation, a non-profit organization, and Texas Tech arrange to bring visibility and information about chess,” Polgar said. “The games of the top three groups are being shown live, with an expected 30 million views worldwide.”

The tournament saw some of the top players from France, Germany, Cuba and Vietnam competing at a high level.

This tournament gave players chances to refine their skills as they played the best international players, Polgar said.

Ananya Roy, former vice president of the Knight Raiders and a junior political science major from Atlanta, Ga., said she practiced before the event by doing puzzles and playing online.

“My dad and brother used to play and I picked it up,” Roy said. “I played in clubs, and my coach saw potential. Ever since then, I began playing competitively.”

The tournament is in the rank order style where players are paired with people who are at a similar level. When they lose, they become paired with another person who lost. There is no elimination in the traditional sense and the winner will be the chess player with the highest rank at the end of the tournament.

To become a grandmaster, players need to acquire three or more “norms,” which are chess achievements based on performance, tournament ratings and winning a certain number of games against a grandmaster, said Josh Osbourn, a senior English major from Kentucky.

“I practiced with puzzles and I review the opening moves,” Osbourn said. “There are theories for opening moves that can give you an edge. They may not win you the game, but they give you a chance to put yourself in a better position by knowing how to start the game.”

Osbourn’s father showed him how to play when he was five years old, but he did not start playing competitively until high school. He has since gone on to national tournaments and now the SPICE Cup.

“I played one game today so far,” Osbourn said. “I feel that I did well. I play two more games tomorrow since I took a bye yesterday.”

The ‘A’ group will continue to play until 6 p.m. Tuesday when the closing ceremony for the group will officially end the two-week event.

Source: http://www.dailytoreador.com

2011 SPICE Cup

Prestigious International Chess Tournament Underway
October 19, 2011
SPICE Cup 2011 is being held in the Matador Room at the Student Union Building.
Written by Melanie Hess
www.TTU.edu

SPICE Cup 2011, the most prestigious international invitational chess tournament in the U.S., is in full swing at Texas Tech this week (Oct.15-25).

In the Matador Room of the Student Union Building, respected players from all over the world are participating in the fourth annual invitational, including six of Texas Tech’s own Knight Raiders.

Paul Truong, Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) marketing director, said the invitational’s “A” group marks SPICE Cup 2011 as the highest-rated international invitational in U.S. history.

“It is like bringing the Super Bowl or Wimbledon to Texas Tech and Lubbock,” Truong said. “More than 30 million people in over 170 countries follow this event online and through various media sources.”

The tournament includes a World Chess Federation (FIDE) Rated Open, a scholastic event and an open competition. Spectators are welcome and admission is free.

The six Knight Raiders competing are as follows:

• Group A: Grandmaster Georg Meier of Germany.

Meier is a freshman and the no. 2 ranked player in Germany. He represents Germany in the Olympiad, World Cup and other major events.

• Group B: Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky of Israel and Grandmaster Denes Boros of Hungary.

Bykhovsky played top board for Texas Tech last year and helped the Knight Raiders win the Final Four for the first time.

• Group C: Grandmaster Andre Diamant of Brazil, International Master Vitaly Neimer of Israel and Senior Master Faik Aleskerov of Azerbaijan.

Diamant and Aleskerov were key members of the national championship team last year.

In addition to being the current national champions, the Texas Tech Knight Raider team is currently ranked no. 1 in the country.

“No school has ever achieved this honor in just three years of competing in Division I competition,” Truong said. “Susan became the first female head coach earlier this year to lead a men’s Division I team to the national championship. Now she is the first female head coach to lead the no. 1 ranked team in the nation.”

Truong said events like the SPICE Cup not only bring strong players from all over, but also help the Knight Raider team to stay sharp and defend its title. Hosting such prestigious events helps Texas Tech to recruit top-caliber players.

SPICE Cup 2011 in progress

SPICE Cup 2011 is in progress

Tuesday, 18 October 2011 16:20 www.FIDE.com

The 5th annual SPICE Cup, the highest rated international RR invitational tournament in U.S. history, is currently ongoing in Lubbock, Texas. The 2011 SPICE Cup A group takes place on October 15-25. The B and C groups take place on October 15-19. The FIDE Amateur Rated Open will take place on October 21-23. All sections are being held on the beautiful campus of Texas Tech University. Official website Live games with computer analysis Group A round 3 standings: 1. GM Le Quang Liem 2717 (VIE) - 2.5 2. GM L. Dominguez 2710 (CUB) - 2.0 3-4. GM Yury Shulman 2608 (USA) and GM Ray Robson 2583 (USA) -1.5 5. GM Georg Meier 2648 (GER) (Texas Tech Student) - 1.0 6. GM Sebastien Feller 2668 (FRA) - 0.5 Group B round 5 standings: 1. GM Anatoly Bykhovsky ISR 2521 - 4.0 2. IM Roberto Mogranzini 2439 ITA - 3.5 3-5. IM Mackenzie Molner 2453, IM Darwin Yang 2439 and IM Enrico Sevillano 2490 - 3.0 6. GM Denes Boros 2508 HUN (Texas Tech Student) - 2.5 7-8. IM Marc Arnold 2505 and GM Mesgen Amanov 2541 TKM - 2.0 9-10. IM Lev Milman 2452 and IM Dean Ippolito 2477 - 1.0 Group C round 5 standings: 1. GM Ben Finegold 2489 - 4.0 2. GM Joshua Friedel 2518 - 3.5 3. IM Levon Altounian 2429 - 3.0 4-7. GM Eugene Perelshteyn 2534, GM Andre Diamant 2505 BRA (Texas Tech Student), IM John Bartholomew 2440 and IM Vitaly Neimer 2373 ISR (Texas Tech Student) - 2.5 8-10. FM Kayden Troff 2306, SM Faik Aleskerov 2316 AZE (Texas Tech Student) and SM Matthew Herman 2414 - 1.5

2011 SPICE Cup Amateur FIDE Rated Open

Information about the 2011 SPICE Cup Invitational

2011 SPICE Cup Amateur FIDE Rated Open
October 21-23, 2011

A 6 Round Swiss System Tournament
Event Site: Texas Tech University (SUB) Lubbock, TX
Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: A USCF and FIDE rated Individual Chess Tournament. Games are played in one section. Open to all ages, limited to players rated 1600 USCF (and above) and all FIDE rated below 2200.

Time control: 60 minutes per player with 30 second increment per move, starting the first move.
On-site registration: 2:30pm -4:00pm on October 21. All players must check in by 4:30pm. Bring clock if you have one! No byes in the final two rounds.

Round schedule:

October 21 Round 1: 5pm
October 22 Round 2: 10am Round 3: 2pm Round 4: 6pm
October 23 Round 5: 10am Round 6: 2pm

Entry Fees: Players with FIDE Rating $25, without FIDE rating $40 received by 10/16, $25 more on site. A valid USCF membership required. Registration is limited to the first 50 entries!

Prizes: Prize fund $750 based on 30 paid entries. 1st $250 2nd $150 3rd $100 4th $150 5th $100.

Prize giving ceremony will be held shortly after the end of the last game which is around 6pm.

Please send Entry Blank and Fees to: Susan Polgar Foundation, 6923 Indiana Avenue #154 Lubbock, TX 79413

Additional information on www.SPICE.ttu.edu

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FIDE Open Entry Form: Please PRINT all information and make check/money order to SPF.
Name: ________________________ Phone: (_____) ________School___________
Address: __________________________ City/State: ____________ Zip:_________
Email: ____________________________ DOB: ______Section________________
USCF Rating_____USCF ID#:_________FIDE#_______Amount enclosed __Check#___

Here is the SPICE Cup Schedule: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/09/spice-cup-2011-schedule.html

SPICE Cup 2011 Scholastic Chess Championship

SPICE Cup 2011 Scholastic Chess Championship
Saturday, October 22
A 4 Round Swiss System Rated Tournament (Game/30)

Event Site: TTU Student Union Building, Lubbock, TX
Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: Games are played in one section: K-12. There is a total of 30 minutes maximum per player per game.

On-site registration and check in 9-10am. All players must check in by 10:15am.

Space is limited to the first 50 entries.

Round schedule:
Round Start time Round Start time
1 10:30 AM 3 1:30 PM
2 11:45 PM 4 2:45 PM

Entry Fee: $10 received by 10/14, $15 on site on 10/22.

Prizes: Trophies for top 3 finishers K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grades. Trophies to top school teams in each grade section. Team prizes are based on the top 3 individual scores from the same school, within the same grade section.

Please send Entry Blank and Fees to TTU-SPICE Box 45080 Lubbock, TX 79409-5080

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Entry Form: Please PRINT all information and make check / money order to TTU-SPICE.
Name: _________________ Phone: (_____) ____________School___________
Address: _____________________ City/State:__________ Zip:______________
Email:__________________________ DOB: _____________Section_________
USCF Rating (if any) ____USCF ID#:_______ Amount Enclosed (No cash, please) $___

2011 SPICE Cup Amateur FIDE Rated Open

Information about the 2011 SPICE Cup Invitational

2011 SPICE Cup Amateur FIDE Rated Open
October 21-23, 2011

A 6 Round Swiss System Tournament
Event Site: Texas Tech University (SUB) Lubbock, TX
Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: A USCF and FIDE rated Individual Chess Tournament. Games are played in one section. Open to all ages, limited to players rated 1600 USCF (and above) and all FIDE rated below 2200.

Time control: 60 minutes per player with 30 second increment per move, starting the first move.
On-site registration: 2:30pm -4:00pm on October 21. All players must check in by 4:30pm. Bring clock if you have one! No byes in the final two rounds.

Round schedule:

October 21 Round 1: 5pm
October 22 Round 2: 10am Round 3: 2pm Round 4: 6pm
October 23 Round 5: 10am Round 6: 2pm

Entry Fees: Players with FIDE Rating $25, without FIDE rating $40 received by 10/16, $25 more on site. A valid USCF membership required. Registration is limited to the first 50 entries!

Prizes: Prize fund $750 based on 30 paid entries. 1st $250 2nd $150 3rd $100 4th $150 5th $100.

Prize giving ceremony will be held shortly after the end of the last game which is around 6pm.

Please send Entry Blank and Fees to: Susan Polgar Foundation, 6923 Indiana Avenue #154 Lubbock, TX 79413

Additional information on www.SPICE.ttu.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIDE Open Entry Form: Please PRINT all information and make check/money order to SPF.
Name: ___________________ Phone: (___) ______School________
Address: _____________________ City/State: ________ Zip:______
Email: __________________________ DOB: ____Section________
USCF Rating___USCF ID#:___FIDE#___Amount enclosed __Check#___

LA Times Chess News

Chess: Three tie at Tal Memorial
By Jack Peters, Special to the Los Angeles Times
November 21, 2010

The Tal Memorial in Moscow ended in a three-way tie last Sunday among Levon Aronian of Armenia, Sergey Karjakin of Russia and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. Each scored 51/2-31/2 in the round robin, a tribute to the late world champion Mikhail Tal. All 10 competitors are ranked among the world's top 18.

U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura tied for fourth place at 5-4 with Alexander Grischuk of Russia and Wang Hao of China. Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia disappointed with a modest 41/2-41/2. Others: Boris Gelfand (Israel), 31/2-51/2; Alexey Shirov (Spain), 3-6; and Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine), 21/2-61/2.

The last round was tense. Mamedyarov, the sole leader at "+3," lost to Gelfand, enabling Karjakin and Aronian to catch up with draws. Nakamura nearly joined them, attaining a winning position against Grischuk but ultimately conceding a draw at move 90.

A year ago, Nakamura had no experience in elite tournaments and was regarded as merely a great blitz player. Now, at age 22, he is unquestionably one of the world's strongest grandmasters. By going undefeated in Moscow, he will gain about eight rating points and advance to 10th place in the world rankings.

Spice Cup

Former U.S. champion Alexander Onischuk won the Spice Cup, a grandmaster round robin organized by the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Onischuk and German grandmaster Georg Meier scored 61/2-31/2 in the double round robin, but Onischuk took first prize because he won five games and Meier only four.

Top-seeded Zoltan Almasi (Hungary) went undefeated but won only twice. He and Wesley So (Philippines) shared third place. Eugene Perelshteyn (Massachusetts) scored 3-7, and 15-year-old Ray Robson (Florida) had 21/2-71/2. The top four finishers are ranked among the world's 100 best players.

Source: LA Times http://www.latimes.com

Big success for Knight Raiders and SPICE at 2010 SPICE Cup

Big success for Knight Raiders and SPICE at 2010 SPICE Cup
Posted: November 12, 2010 - 12:12am

After more than 10 days of exciting high-level chess competition, the 2010 SPICE Cup Chess Festival came to an end last Sunday.

All the major Internet chess servers and media covered the SPICE Cup. Even the New York Times wrote about our prestigious event with the following headline: “Texas Tech Attracts Top Players to SPICE Cup.” Overall, chess enthusiasts from more than 170 countries were able to follow SPICE Cup News and LIVE games. This brought incredible positive attention to Texas Tech, SPICE and the Knight Raiders.

The B group was won by a pair of Texas Tech Knight Raiders. Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky (Tech freshman) and Grandmaster-elect Gergely Antal (Tech graduate in August 2010) tied for first with six points.

The youngest participant of the SPICE Cup, FIDE Darwin Yang of Plano, earned his second International Master norm. He earned his first International Master norm at the 2010 SPICE Spring Invitational. He needs one more norm to earn the International Master title.

The A group was won by American Grandmaster Alex Onischuk, former U.S. No. 1 and champion, as well as multiple-time Olympiad medalist. Even though Onischuk finished with the same +3 score as German Grandmaster Georg Meier (who is ranked No. 2 in Germany and plans to apply to attend Tech for the fall of 2011), he was declared the winner due to the special scoring system where a win is equal to three points instead of the traditional 1 point.

Tying for third and fourth in the A group were Hungarian No. 1-ranked player Grandmaster Zoltan Almasi and the Philippines No. 1-ranked 17-year-old chess phenom Grandmaster Wesley So. So has also expressed interest in attending Tech in the near future.

Grandmaster Georg Meier won the 2010 SPICE Cup Blitz Championship with the score of six points in seven games. Grandmaster So finished second with 5.5 points.

The SPICE Cup FIDE Rated Open was won by Grandmaster Georgi Kacheishvili, who is one of the top-rated players from the Republic of Georgia. He scored 5.5 points in six games to earn the top honor.

Tied for second were Tech International Master Itsvan Sipos (Hungary), Senior Master Faik Aleskerov (Azerbaijan) and Joachim Nilsen (Norway). Aleskerov plans to attend Tech next semester.

Once again, I would like to thank the following generous sponsors and supporters of the 2010 SPICE Cup: Texas Tech Office of the Chancellor, Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement, Office of International Affairs, Gov. Rick Perry, Chancellor Kent Hance, President Guy Bailey, Provost Bob Smith, Dr. Rob Stewart, Dr. Juan Munoz, Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin, Ambassador Tibor Nagy, Hungarian Consul General Kroly Dn, Dr. Kelly Overley, Grace Hernandez, Russell Thomasson, Jodey Arrington, Dr. Sheryl Santos, Dean Sam Dragga, Dr. Hal Karlsson, Dr. Alice White, Dr. Rich Rice, Jerry Perez, Lucia Barbato, Sam Segran, Dr. Phil Smith, Katherine Neville, Jon Crumiller, Jeff Smith, Cohen family, Mautner family, Paul Azzurro, Cory Chandler, Sally Post, Chase Watters, Bill Snead, Anatoly Lekhter, Marty Grund, Dewain Barber, Peggy Flores, Rachel Flores, Abbie Kleppa, Dr. Richard Mautner, Paul Albert, Hanon Russell, Albert Vasse, Dr. James Brink, Bill Brannan, Angelo Barranda Jr., Abie Cox, Kevin Mulligan, Brett James, Zachary Haskin, Greg Jones, Amber McCloud, Erica Perry, Zeljka Malibabic, Brana Malibabic, Andy Kormendi, Nancy Sachs, Robert Glassman, Douglas Goldstein, Dr. Marvin Corman, Lev Alburt, Josh Waitzkin, Tim Dallas, Lynn Elms, Leigh Martzall, Scott Cheatham, Jobi Martinez, Amanda Foster, Dahlia Guerra, Ashley Gonzalez, Jon Quinn, Dr. Kanika Batra, Magne Kristiansen, Aud and Kris Kristiansen, Norwegian Society of Texas — Vestlandet, Karin Slyker, Naveen Yarlagadda, CopyCraft, Laura Smith, Mr. & Mrs. Barranda and Mr. & Mrs. Chua-Tuan, and the Susan Polgar Foundation, etc.

I would also like to thank ICC (Internet Chess Club), Chessdom.com, MonRoi.com, PlayChess.com, TWIC, Chess.com for covering the games live, as well as DGT and MonRoi for providing the live broadcast technology.

Finally, a big thank you to Marty Grund (Internet Chess Club) for personally creating the unique and beautiful trophies for the SPICE Cup A & B Group.

SPICE Cup annual chess trivia

Each year at the SPICE Cup closing party at my home, the players participate in a fun chess trivia contest.

This year, GM Onischuk was the winner with 16 of 20 correct answers.

GM Meier, GM Perelshteyn and IM Krush tied for second with 15 of 20 correct answers.

Below are the SPICE Cup chess trivia questions. How many can you get correctly without looking up the answers?

SPICE Cup 2010 Trivia

1. Is this the third, fourth or fifth SPICE Cup? A) third; B) fourth; C) fifth
2. Who won the 2010 Women’s Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk? A) China; B) Ukraine; C) Russia; D) Other
3. Nov. 2 is the birthday of which Polgar sister? A) Susan; B) Sofia; C) Judit
4. The 2012 Chess Olympiad will be held in: A) Troms; B) Istanbul; C) Albena; D) Elista
5. Legendary American grandmaster Yasser Seirawan was born in which country?
6. Who was the World Chess Champion in 1968?
7. Who won the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship?
8. How many players representing Russia are there in the Top 10 of November FIDE (active) rating list?
9. Who is older, Magnus Carlsen or Sergey Karjakin?
10. What year was the first Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky match held?
11. What real-life grandmaster’s life was the musical “Chess” based on? A) Karpov; B) Kasparov; C) Korchnoi; D) Spassky
12. One of the greatest World Chess Champions Paul Morphy was raised in which state? A) Louisiana; B) Pennsylvania; C) New York; D) North Carolina
13. Who is the second youngest World Chess Champion of all time?
14. Who broke Bobby Fischer’s long standing record to become the youngest Grandmaster (in 1991)?
15. Which year did Gary Kasparov lose to Deep Blue?
16. Which Israeli player won the 1996 World Junior Chess Championship?
17. Since 1990, how many World Junior Championships were won by U.S. players?
18. Which famous actor said “I failed to make the chess team because of my height”?
19. Which World Chess Champion said: “When you see a good move, look for a better one”?
20. Which famous person said: “Life is a kind of Chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events”?

Source: Avalanche Journal

A two-year-old scoring system may be the solution

Under a New Scoring System, Fewer Ties and Drawn Games
By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: November 13, 2010

A two-year-old scoring system may be the solution to two problems that have long bedeviled chess.

One is how to break ties at the end of tournaments. Complicated rules based on opponents’ scores have been used, as have tie-breaker games of varying lengths, but both have drawbacks.

The second problem involves games that quickly end in draws because the players do not want to battle it out or can earn more prize money by drawing a game. (In some tournaments, a draw at the end guarantees each player a share of the pot.)

One cure for prearranged or short draws was first used in Sofia, Bulgaria, a few years ago. It is a rule that prohibits players from offering a draw or from drawing before 30 moves have been played. But a way around it is to repeat a position three times, which under chess regulations is a draw.

Two years ago, the organizers of the first Bilbao Final Masters event tried another approach. Under their scoring system, wins, which had been worth 1 point, count for 3, and draws, which had been half a point, count for 1. The Bilbao system rewards wins and discourages draws.

The fourth Spice Cup, which ended last weekend at Texas Tech University, illustrated the benefits of the system.

In the tournament’s B division, which used the traditional scoring system, Anatoly Bykhovsky, an Israeli grandmaster, and Gergely Antal, an international master from Hungary, tied for first with 6 points each. Bykhovsky had three wins and six draws; Antal had four wins, a loss and four draws.

The A division used the Bilbao system and came up with a winner: Alexander Onischuk of the United States, who edged out Georg Meier of Germany, 18 to 17. Onischuk had five wins, two losses and three draws; Meier had four wins, one loss and five draws. Under the traditional scoring system, they would have tied with 6.5 points each.

Onischuk’s aggressive approach was rewarded in the last round, when he beat Ray Robson, a 16-year-old grandmaster from Florida.

More here.

Chessdom SPICE Cup wrap up

SPICE Cup 2010

GM Alexander Onischuk takes the trophy in the main A-group

The 2010 SPICE Cup was held from October 28th to November 7th at the beautiful campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. This was the highest rated international invitational tournament in U.S. history to date.

The format of the A group was a six-player double round robin (category 16) event. The average FIDE rating of the A group was 2631, which is equal with the 2009 SPICE Cup A. The B group was a 10-player (category 10) round robin event, and SPICE Cup FIDE Rated Open was played over 6-round Swiss on 5-7th November.

To make the tournament a lot more exciting, the SPICE Cup committee has unanimously voted to adapt the following new rules for the A group:- No draw offer allowed prior to move 30- A win = 3 points, a draw = 1 point, and loss = 0 point.

The main event saw an interesting chase between the former US Champion Alexander Onischuk and German talent Georg Meier. Meier enjoyed a one point advantage prior to the final act, but he couldn't make more than a draw in the last round, while a crucial victory against the future star Ray Robson propelled Onischuk to the clear first place in the 2010 SPICE Cup GMA.

Final standings:

1. Alexander Onischuk - 18 points
2. Georg Meier - 17
3-4. Wesley So and Zoltan Almasi - 14
5-6. Ray Robson and Eugene Perelshtein - 7

GM Anatoly Bykhovsky and IM Gergely Antal shared the first place in SPICE Cup GMB with 6.0 points each. This tournament was a 10-player round robin.

GM Georgi Kacheishvili (Georgia) won the 2010 SPICE Cup FIDE Open with the score of 5.5 / 6.

More information on the official website. Over 1.100 photos from the SPICE Cup 2010 are available from this list.

Susan Polgar kindly provided the event summary for Chessdom

I am very happy with the fighting spirit at this year's SPICE Cup. With the 3 point for a win scoring system and no draw offer allowed before move 30 in the A group, the intensity on all three boards was very high as anything could still happen in the final round. The outcome was only decided in the final game of the tournament. I am proud to be able to provide excellent playing opportunities for many players. The SPICE Cup will get stronger and better each year. The A group next year will be at least category 17.

Texas Tech University and the Susan Polgar Foundation are proud to support this important annual event. I believe that it is essential to build a solid chess culture in America. Since November 2007, the SPICE Cup has established itself as one of the most important and prestigious round robin annual events in U.S. history. I am confident that this will inspire more top level round robin events in the U.S. in the future.

The Texas Tech Knight Raiders also have the biggest success to date in the SPICE Cup, with GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (1st year student at Texas Tech) and GM-elect Gergely Antal (just graduated from Texas Tech) winning the B group. I am a strong advocate for chess and education. I realize that it is not easy for everyone to establish strong security as professional players. It is also not easy to receive proper chess training to maximize one’s chess ability and potential.

This is why I jumped at the opportunity of establishing SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) at a major university like Texas Tech in 2007. Because of SPICE, we are able to offer players a fantastic college education while getting the chance to improve their chess with serious coaching. Last year, members of the Texas Tech University Knight Raiders chess team gained on an average 90 rating points per player while maintaining a 3.28 / 4 grade point average.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all our sponsors and supporters for making the SPICE Cup a success.

Texas Tech Knight Raiders shine at 2010 SPICE Cup

Texas Tech Knight Raiders shine at 2010 SPICE Cup event
Posted: November 5, 2010 - 11:14pm

Current, past and future members of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess team are shining at the 2010 SPICE Cup. After seven rounds, Tech freshman grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky is leading the SPICE Cup B group with 5 points. In addition to trying to win the tournament, his goal is to court a 4.0 average this semester.

Tied for second with two rounds to go are Tech economics graduate grandmaster Gergely Antal and Tech graduate student grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic.

In A group, the current leader after six rounds is grandmaster Georg Meier, the No. 2 overall player in Germany. Meier has a full point lead over the field with four rounds to go. He plans to attend Tech next year. This is equivalent to recruiting a superstar of the caliber of the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki to the Knight Raiders.

In second place is grandmaster Alex Onischuk, former U.S. No. 1 and U.S. champion, as well as multiple Olympiad medalist. Onischuk is also the co-champion of SPICE Cup 2008.

Tied for third are grandmaster Almasi, Hungary’s top player and 2010 Chess Olympiad Silver medalist, and 16-year-old grandmaster Wesley So, the Philippines’ top player. So is the top talent in Asia one of the best in the world. So has also expressed interest in attending Tech.

The SPICE Cup Chess Festival concludes today at the Matador room in the Student Union Building. Admission is free. Activities will start at 9 a.m. and the closing ceremony will be at 6 pm. This is your final chance to meet and greet some of the world’s biggest chess superstars.

Source: Avalanche Journal

SPICE Cup LIVE games

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

Texas Tech Attracts Top Players to SPICE Cup

November 2, 2010, 7:00 pm
Texas Tech Attracts Top Players to SPICE Cup
By DYLAN LOEB MCCLAIN
New York Times

When Texas Tech University in Lubbock started the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, known as Spice, in 2007, one of the program’s goals was to organize and promote tournaments, particularly for top-level players.

The program has been very successful in that regard.

The first Spice Cup in November 2007 had six grandmasters, but the best, Kamil Miton of Poland, was only ranked around No. 100 in the world. There have been three Spice Cups and three Spring Invitationals since then, and the quality of the players has improved over the years. The Spice Cup has also expanded to include two sections.

This year’s competition began Thursday with a strong field in the A section, including Zoltan Almasi of Hungary, ranked No. 25 in the world; Alexander Onischuk of the United States, No. 53; Wesley So of the Philippines, No. 73; Georg Meier of Germany, No. 89; Ray Robson of the United States, No. 499; and Eugene Perelshteyn of the United States, No. 514.

The B section has 10 players, including four grandmasters, five international masters and a master, Darwin Yang of the United States, whose rating, the system used to rank players, is the level of an international master.

The A section is a double round robin, meaning that each competitor plays the others twice. After five rounds — the halfway mark — Meier is leading with 11 points (using a scoring system in which a win is 3 points and a draw is 1); followed by So and Onischuk with 8 each; Almasi, 7; and Perelshteyn and Robson, with 2 each.

In the B section , Anatoly Bykhovsky, an Israeli grandmaster, leads with 4.5 points, followed by Gergely Antal, a Hungarian grandmaster, and Davorin Kuljasevic, a Croatian grandmaster, who each have 3.5 points.

Tuesday, Bykhovsky beat Bryan Smith, an American international master, in a game with an amazing final position, while Kuljasevic beat Yang, who is having a good tournament nonetheless.

The A section was idle on Tuesday, but on Monday, Meier beat Perelshteyn after a long endgame and Onischuk beat Robson who, at 16 years old, is the youngest player in the field.

Source: NY Times

Here is the link to 178 pictures from the 2010 SPICE Cup Blitz Championship at the SUB.

Here is the link to over 430 pictures from the SPICE Cup 2010 at the SUB.

It's impressive

International chess tourney draws highly ranked players

Posted: Monday, November 1, 2010 10:49 pm

Hallie Davis
Staff Writer

Daily Toreador

This Saturday Jones AT&T Stadium could hold up to 60,454 fans. While most of Lubbock will await the results of what happens on the field, between 30 million and 40 million people will be awaiting the results of what is going on in the Student Union Building.

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence is hosting its fourth annual SPICE Cup, a chess tournament that draws the biggest names in chess worldwide and will be going on all this week.

Brett James, a sophomore geosciences major from Richmond, Va., broadcasts the games online to FIDE, the World Chess Federation, which Paul Truong, the SPICE director of marketing and public relations, said is only second to FIFA, soccer’s governing body, in number of countries involved.

“It’s a matter of awareness,” said Susan Polgar, founder of the tournament and four-time world champion, of being known worldwide but receiving almost no recognition on campus. “I’m quite positive it’s only a matter of time before everybody in town knows about us.”

Polgar began the tournament and the institute in 2007 and has been able to build it up to its current state — the ‘A’ group of the tournament is the highest-rated international chess tournament in U.S. history — in just three years.

“She used her charm, and her fame managed to get people here,” said Hal Karlsson, one of the founders of SPICE. “They figure if a world champion is putting this on, she knows what she’s doing.”

When foreign players first heard about it, Karlsson said, he was forced to nearly beg them to come. This year, chess champions from around the world are already asking if they can be invited for next year’s tournament.

However, not everything happens outside of the U.S., or even Texas. Some of Tech’s success is very close to home.

“Look at our football game against UT-Austin every year,” Truong said. “When we beat them, it’s big news, but (the chess team) crushed them four to zero and no one really heard about it. We got revenge for our football team.”

As Tech becomes a bigger name in the chess world due to SPICE, the Knight Raiders are becoming stronger as well.

“I’ve had students from Princeton and other schools come up to me and say ‘Oh my gosh, it’s Texas Tech, look out,’” said tournament director and sophomore Spanish major Zach Haskin. “When it’s something intelligence related, Texas Tech is not predicted to be higher than Princeton, Yale, Stanford.”

But it is; Haskin, from Wichita Falls, said the team beat all three of the schools he mentioned by a wide margin.

Truong said SPICE is helping to make it clear that Tech is not a “jock” school. With the chess team’s GPA averaging at 3.28, he sees the tournament as just another way to recruit quality students to the university.

“The kind of students we attract, these are the kind of students any university would love to have,” Truong said.

The SPICE Cup is in its fifth of ten rounds, with players from around the world here to compete. Many will be staying for the next weekend as a part of SPICE’s first FIDE-rated open, which will feature a top team from Norway.

Competing now are 16 players from everywhere from Germany to Brazil.

Ray Robson, who has had two games end in a draw this tournament, may not be from anywhere terribly exotic, but he does hold the title of Grandmaster and was the youngest in U.S. history to earn the title when he did it at 14, Karlsson said.

“There aren’t so many really strong events in the U.S.,” Robson said, “so it’s great for people in the U.S. to play in such a great event.”

Robson, from Clearwater, Fla., attested to the quality of the tournament, saying it is probably the strongest tournament he’s been in.

Polgar said spectators are welcome to watch the games in the Matador Room in the SUB; they will start every day at 2 p.m. until Nov. 7. The only rule is that anyone who watches must be very quiet.

“The difference is we don’t have 60,000 people screaming in the stands,” Truong said. “So it kind of gets lost somewhere; people don’t realize how big this is. If you talk pure numbers, it’s impressive.”

Source: http://www.dailytoreador.com

SPICE Cup Update

Standings after 4 rounds:

Group A (W = 3 points, D = 1 point, L = 0 point)

1. Meier 8.0
2. So 7.0
3. Almasi, 6.0
4. Onischuk 5.0
5-6. Robson, Perelshteyn 2.0

Group B

1. Bykhovsky 3.0
2-5. Antal, Diamant, Ippolito, Smith 2.5
6-7. Kuljasevic, Yang 2.0
8-10. Finegold, Krush, Rensch 1.0

Here is the link to over 290 pictures from the SPICE Cup 2010.

Round by round pairings: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2010/10/spice-cup-pairings.html

LIVE games are being broadcast on Chesdom.com, Chessbomb.com, MonRoi.com (http://monroi.com/watch/?tnm_id=1443), playchess.com, TWIC, chess.com, etc.

Round time: 2 pm (Lubbock time)

Time control: 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 second increment, after 40 moves, players will have an additional 30 minutes + 30 second increment

Top Chess Players Travel to Lubbock

October 27, 2010
Top Chess Players Travel to Lubbock for SPICE Cup 2010
Players include youngest American ever to earn Grandmaster title, at age 14.
Written by Karin Slyker

Ray Robson, who celebrated his 16^th birthday this week, is among the top Chess competitors scheduled to compete in the SPICE Cup International Invitational Tournament. The event, now in its fourth year, will be held at Texas Tech University.

The 2010 SPICE Cup Festival will take place from Oct. 28-Nov. 7 in the Matador Room of the Student Union Building.

Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin will join SPICE director Susan Polgar for the kickoff to the event. He will also declare Oct. 28 as “Susan Polgar Day” in Lubbock. Round-robin game play will begin immediately after the reception.

Players will be broken into two groups. The six-player A Group will meet in a category 16 event – the highest rated international invitational Chess tournament in U.S. history.

• Grandmaster Zoltan Almasi, Hungary, 2707
  No. 1 ranked Hungarian on the live rating list, 2010 Olympiad Silver Medalist
• Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk, United States, 2688
  Former U.S. Champion and No. 1 ranked American, Olympiad Medalist
• Grandmaster Wesley So, Philippines, 2668
  No. 1 ranked Filipino, member of the 2008-2010 Filipino Olympiad team
• Grandmaster Georg Meier, Germany, 2659
  No. 2 ranked German, member of the 2008 German Olympiad team
• Grandmaster Ray Robson, United States, 2539
  Former U.S. Junior Champion, youngest ever American Grandmaster
• Grandmaster Eugene Perelshteyn, United States, 2528
  2007 SPICE Cup Champion, 2009 SPICE Cup B Group Co-Champion, winner of multiple National Collegiate Team Championships

Ten players form the B Group tournament, a Category 10 event comprised of mostly grandmasters or international masters:

• Grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic, Croatia, 2555
  Texas Tech business major graduate student, 2-time winner of the National Collegiate Team Championship, member of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders, first Texas Tech Grandmaster
• Grandmaster Ben Finegold, United States, 2534
  2-time U.S. Open Champion, 2-time National Open Champion, 2009 SPICE Cup B co-champion, former winner of the prestigious Samford fellowship
• Grandmaster Gergely Antal, Hungary, 2526
  Texas Tech Economics Major Graduate, 2009 National Collegiate Chess Champion, member of the Knight Raiders, second Texas Tech Grandmaster
• Grandmaster Andre Diamant, Brazil, 2498
  Top rated Brazilian Junior, former Brazilian National Champion, member of the 2008 & 2010 Brazilian Chess Olympiad team, member of the Knight Raiders
• Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky, Israel, 2497
  One of the top young players in Israel, member of the Knight Raiders
• International Master Irina Krush, United States, 2490
  Reigning and multiple time U.S. Women’s Champion, multiple time Olympiad medalist
• International Master Bryan Smith, United States, 2478
  Highest rated player ever from Alaska, winner of multiple National Collegiate Team Championships
• International Master Dean Ippolito, United States, 2469
  Prominent chess coach, former winner of the prestigious Samford fellowship, 11-time All-American
• International Master Danny Rensch, United States, 2404
  Prominent chess coach, former National Elementary, Junior High, and High School Champion, 6-time All-American
• FIDE Master Darwin Yang, United States, 2402
  Currently one of the top rated American juniors, earned first IM norm at the 2010 SPICE Spring Invitational

The Festival will also include a World Chess Federation (FIDE) Rated Open, a Scholastic event and an Open competition. Spectators are welcome, daily admission is free.

Live updates will be available at http://www.chessdailynews.com/.

http://today.ttu.edu/2010/10/top-chess-players-travel-to-lubbock-for-spice-cup-2010/

Tech to host top-tier chess tournament

Tech to host top-tier chess tournament
Posted: October 27, 2010 - 1:30am
By Matthew McGowan

Several titans of the chess world will converge on Lubbock during the next few weeks, competing in a tournament that organizers at Texas Tech are calling one of history’s most epic chess showdowns.

Tech’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, or SPICE, is hosting its fourth annual SPICE CUP on the university’s campus from Thursday to Nov. 7 in the Student Union Building on campus.

Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin and institute director Susan Polgar will kick off the event during a 1:30 p.m. ceremony in the SUB.

Round-robin game play is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the SUB Matador Room.

The 11-day tournament will host some the game’s biggest names, including grandmasters such as Hungarian Zoltan Almasi, American Alexander Onischuk and Filipino Wesley So — all rated as their respective countries’ best players.

SPICE spokesman Paul Truong said the World Chess Federation-rated tournament’s list of competitors qualifies it as “the highest-rated international invitational round-robin chess tournament in U.S. history.”

The roster of competitors also includes several of Texas Tech’s own Knight Raiders. Tech graduate students Davorin Kuljasevic of Croatia and Gergely Antal of Hungary, both grandmasters, will compete.

More than 30 million chess enthusiasts across the world are expected to follow the tournament.

The tournament also includes an open team and individual scholastic tournament for U.S. Chess Federation-registered students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The chess-playing public is also invited to register for a Nov. 5-7 individual single-section tournament. Fifty spots are available to those with a U.S. Chess Federation rating of at least 1600 or to those with any World Chess Federation rating.

For those who’d like to come catch a glimpse of the games and try to meet some of the game’s superstars, admission is free and open to the public.

For a complete schedule, log on to www.depts.ttu.edu/spice/events/spicecup.php or call SPICE at 742-7742.

Want to play? Here’s how:

Oct. 30

Spice cup 2010 Scholastic Chess Championship (students K-12)

* Four-round Swiss system USCF-rated individual and team tournament

* Event Site: Tech Student Union Building

* Contact Info: 806-742-7742 or e-mail SPICE@ttu.edu

* USCF membership required.

* Games are played in four sections: primary (grades K-2), elementary (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12).

* $25 on-site registration. All players must check in by 10:15 a.m.

Nov. 5-7

2010 SPICE Cup FIDE-Rated Open

* Six-round Swiss system USCF- and FIDE-rated individual single-section tournament

* Event Site: Tech Student Union Building

* Contact Info: 806-742-7742 or e-mail SPICE@ttu.edu

Description of tournament:

* USCF membership required: Participants must be rated 1600 USCF or any FIDE rating; limited to first 50 entries. (Bring chess set and clock if possible).

* On-site registration: All players must check in by 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5.

* Round schedule: Nov. 5 — 11 a.m. round one; 4 p.m. round two

Nov. 6 — 10 a.m. round three; 3 p.m. round four

Nov. 7 — 9 a.m. round five: 2 p.m. round six

* Entry fees: U.S. players with FIDE Rating $50, without FIDE rating, $75 by Nov. 2 plus $25 more on site. Titled players and foreign FIDE rated players free, but $50 deducted from prize if won.

* Prizes: First place, $1,000; second, $500; third, $250; fourth, $150; fifth, $100.

http://lubbockonline.com/education-/-tech/2010-10-27/tech-host-top-tier-chess-tournament

Lubbock, the famous American chess destination

Lubbock, the famous American chess destination
Posted: October 24, 2010 - 12:40am

The question of the week is do top-level chess players from around the world know of Lubbock?

The short answer is absolutely. Not long ago when Texas Tech SPICE organized the first SPICE Cup in November 2007, I remember having a very difficult time inviting 10 strong chess players to come to Lubbock to compete. One of the first questions they asked was where is Lubbock?

Today, I am proud to say that our city has become one of the hottest chess destinations. When I recently was at the Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad a few weeks ago, many world class players or their managers came to me to seek invitations to participate in the 2011 SPICE Cup.

This is stunning because the 2010 SPICE Cup does not start until later this week. Almost everyone knows about Texas Tech, SPICE and Lubbock. This is an incredible turnaround in less than three short years.

In fact, the five highest-rated international invitational chess tournaments in the United States since the fall of 2007 have all been held in Lubbock at Texas Tech. This is like having the Wimbledon of tennis or the Masters of golf in our great city. It takes a colossal effort from many people to make something like this happen.

And how could chess affect Tech and Lubbock? Chess is a huge sport with approximately 45 million players in the U.S. and over 700 million worldwide. Some of the biggest scholastic chess tournaments in this country draw between 13,000 and 15,000 players, parents and coaches. Imagine how much revenue our city can generate from hotels, meals, rental cars, gas, souvenirs, entertainment, flights, etc.

Students who play chess usually excel academically. Through chess, Tech could potentially attract hundreds and thousands of top-notch students from all over the country and around the world. The cumulative grade of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders chess teams (A team, B team, and women’s team) last year was approximately 3.28, with three student chess players earning a perfect 4.0.

They also have a wide range of majors, such as economics, finance, math, electrical engineering, psychology, law, Spanish, English, political science, biotech, microbiology, etc. Chess can also help many local students do better in school.

Unfortunately, we are not there yet. SPICE does not have the manpower, financial resources, or scholarships to pull things like this off right now. I am hoping to have more support in the future to make even a bigger positive difference for Tech and Lubbock.

2010 SPICE Cup

The 2010 SPICE Cup A group is tied with the 2009 SPICE Cup A group as the highest-rated International Invitational Chess Tournament in U.S. history. The opening ceremony will take place at 1:30 pm Thursday at the Texas Tech Student Union Building (Matador room). Here are the participants:

• Grandmaster Zoltan Almasi, Hungary, 2707 — No. 1-ranked Hungarian on the LIVE rating list, 2010 Chess Olympiad Silver Medalist

•Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk, United States, 2688 — Former U.S. Champion and No. 1-ranked American, multiple time Chess Olympiad Medalist

•Grandmaster Wesley So, Philippines, 2668 — No. 1-ranked Filipino, member of the 2008 and 2010 Filipino Olympiad team

•Grandmaster Georg Meier, Germany, 2659 — No. 2-ranked German, member of the 2008 German Olympiad team

•Grandmaster Ray Robson, United States, 2539 — Former U.S. Junior Champion, youngest ever American Grandmaster

•Grandmaster Eugene Perelshteyn, United States, 2528 — 2007 SPICE Cup Champion, winner of multiple national collegiate team championships

The SPICE Cup B group is tied with the 2010 SPICE Spring Invitational as the second-highest-rated International Invitational Chess Tournament in the U.S. in 2010 behind the SPICE Cup A group. Here are the participants:

•Grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic, Croatia, 2555 — Texas Tech business major graduate student, two-time winner of the national collegiate team championship, member of the TTU Knight Raider Chess Team

•Grandmaster Ben Finegold, United States, 2534 — two-time U.S. Open Champion, two-time National Open Champion, 2009 SPICE Cup B co-champion, former winner of the prestigious Samford fellowship

•Grandmaster Gergely Antal, Hungary, 2526 — Texas Tech Economics Major Graduate, member of the TTU Knight Raider Chess Team, 2009 National Collegiate Champion

•Grandmaster Andre Diamant, Brazil, 2498 — Top-rated Brazilian Junior, former Brazilian National Champion, member of the TTU Knight Raider Chess Team

•Grandmaster Anatoly Bykhovsky, Israel, 2497 — One of the top young players in Israel, member of the TTU Knight Raider Chess Team

•International Master Irina Krush, United States, 2490 — three-time and reigning U.S. Women’s Champion, multiple time Olympiad medalist

•International Master Bryan Smith, United States, 2478 — Highest-rated player ever from Alaska, winner of multiple national collegiate team championships

•International Master Dean Ippolito, United States, 2469 — Former winner of the prestigious Samford fellowship and 11-time All-American

•International Master Danny Rensch, United States, 2404 — Former National Elementary, Junior High, and High School Champion, six-time All-American

•FIDE Master Darwin Yang, United States, 2402 — Currently one of the top-rated American juniors, earned first IM norm at 2010 SPICE Spring Invitational

TX Governor Rick Perry welcomes SPICE players

Greetings:

As Governor of Texas, I welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) Cup. We are privileged to have world-class chess champion Susan Polgar and this prestigious event here at Texas Tech University.

Chess requires discipline, strong analytical ability and strategy. These three skills are applicable to many areas of life and show strong intellectual capabilities useful in many disciplines. It is also an international game that allows people from all over the world to come together in a spirit of friendly competition.

First Lady Anita Perry joins me in wishing you a rigorous, competitive and fun tournament.

Sincerely,
Rick Perry
Governor

SPICE Cup B Group Pairings

SPICE Cup B Group Pairings

October 28 2pm Round 1
Krush - Smith
Diamant - Finegold
Kuljasevic - Bykhovsky
Yang - Antal
Rensch - Ippolito

October 29 2pm Round 2
Smith - Ippolito
Antal - Rensch
Bykhovsky - Yang
Finegold - Kuljasevic
Krush - Diamant

October 30 2pm Round 3
Diamant - Smith
Kuljasevic - Krush
Yang - Finegold
Rensch - Bykhovsky
Ippolito - Antal

October 31 2pm Round 4
Smith - Antal
Bykhovsky - Ippolito
Finegold - Rensch
Krush - Yang
Diamant - Kuljasevic

November 1 2pm Round 5
Kuljasevic - Smith
Yang - Diamant
Rensch - Krush
Ippolito - Finegold
Antal - Bykhovsky

November 2 1pm Round 6
Smith - Bykhovsky
Finegold - Antal
Krush - Ippolito
Diamant - Rensch
Kuljasevic - Yang

November 3 2pm Round 7
Yang - Smith
Rensch - Kuljasevic
Ippolito - Diamant
Antal - Krush
Bykhovsky - Finegold

November 4 2pm Round 8
Smith - Finegold
Krush - Bykhovsky
Diamant - Antal
Kuljasevic - Ippolito
Yang - Rensch

November 5 10am Round 9
Rensch - Smith
Ippolito - Yang
Antal - Kuljasevic
Bykhovsky - Diamant
Finegold - Krush