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

Teach them Math, Science, and Chess

Maybe Teach Them Math, Science and Chess
By JAMES WARREN
New York Times
Published: October 15, 2011

The 120 elementary school children sat so quietly and intently that you might have assumed this was a mass detention period.

But it was chess, not confinement, in an Oak Brook hotel ballroom on Columbus Day. And the lessons learned might assist school leaders everywhere, including those attempting a systemwide resuscitation for Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s very disciplined, if impatient, mayor.

“My dream is to get in front of education decision makers and convince them to make chess part of the curriculum for K through second grade,” said Susan Polgar, the star of the show. “That’s when thinking patterns and habits are formed. It should be mandatory, like physical education.”

Ms. Polgar, 42, was a Hungarian chess prodigy taught by her psychologist father after she stumbled on chess pieces in a closet at home. At age 4, she stunned Budapest by winning the 11-and-under category in the city championships, sitting on phone books and pillows to reach across the board.

She was the first woman to become a grandmaster and the first to qualify, in 1996, for what was still known as the Men’s World Championship. She was one of the three highest-ranked female players for more than two decades, traveling the world and winding up fluent in seven languages.

I’d made my way to the Susan Polgar Foundation’s World Open Championship for Boys and Girls with an ulterior motive: to explore why boys dominate every class or tournament to which chess-ignorant me has taken my 7-year-old son.

“It’s interesting,” said Ms. Polgar. “Socially, I think, they’re not supported enough, so in general girls drop out of chess by fourth and fifth grades,” she said as 5-to-9-year-olds competed nearby.

When she was a girl, “it was very much ingrained that women were not able to play,” Ms. Polgar said. “A lot of experts and elite players believed that we were not physically able to do it, our brain was not big enough or that we couldn’t keep quiet long enough.”

She became an advocate for girls, especially through the Susan Polgar Foundation, which she founded while living in New York. She’s now in Lubbock, Tex., with her husband and their two children, where she runs the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence at Texas Tech University.

The foundation supports chess for boys and girls, but especially girls, and sponsors events nationwide. The institute lures young players, with the university offering scholarships and excelling in college tournaments.

Ms. Polgar’s mantra is that chess teaches discipline, analytical thinking, time management, focus and patience — skills that can be useful throughout life. She cites countries, like Armenia, where chess is either a mandatory part of school curriculums, especially in the early elementary years, or strongly encouraged.

It cuts across socioeconomic divides, exemplified by impressive performances of high-poverty students in Brownsville, Tex., who have whipped privileged Manhattan rivals — “kids who get individual lessons from grandmasters,” she said — and shown how “a boost in self-confidence can change lives.”

Indeed, there is no shortage of hedge fund managers and corporate leaders who are chess players, some of whom link the habits of mind learned at chess with their success. As we fret about China’s economic success, we might note that it’s a growing chess force, including four female world champions in 20 years.

Last week’s tournament in Oak Brook brought children from all over the country; perhaps 70 percent were boys. Many of the children were Asian-Americans, including Ashley Ceohas, 6, of Wilmette, the child of a Chinese-American mother who smilingly swore to me that she was “not a Tiger mom!” as her daughter segued from a chess match to drawing a crowd as she played a nearby piano beautifully.

“She’s aware of there being more boy players,” said her mother, Yijia Ceohas. “But we tell her anything boys can do, girls can do better. And she knows that Susan Polgar’s dad said geniuses are not born but made through hard work.”

My investigation into the gender divide led me to Shiva Maharaj, a private investor who teaches the game throughout the Chicago area, including a free Saturday morning session that my son has attended at the Edgebrook Library on the Northwest Side.

Mr. Maharaj had students competing in Oak Brook and cited an American Girl mentality of parents, referring to the store that sells high-priced dolls and accessories. He sees the parents succumbing to cultural stereotypes of daughters being pretty rather than intellectually empowered.

I’ve watched him teach diverse groups of children, mostly boys, and effectively insist they sit up straight, concentrate, take time to assess problems critically and learn to deal with losing. He offers seemingly creative solutions to challenges faced on the board.

On the heels of the impressive inaugural Chicago Ideas Week, here’s a free idea for its energetic, ambitious promoters: a panel next year on “American Education: Should We Make a Move to Chess?”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

Chess' greatest challenge: girls

Chess' greatest challenge: girls
The Virginian-Pilot

© October 2, 2011

By Lisa Suhay

In the world of chess, boys are always in, but U.S. Chess Federation numbers confirm girls are out the minute they hit the teens. Where is Heidi Klum when girls need her most? We need the fashion-forward players as model minds to keep girls in the game of chess rather than dropping out in droves as they reach puberty.

In fact, overall, chess is crying out for a fashion edit.

Of the 700 million chess players worldwide, 45 million are Americans. Half of those are children. Next Saturday, National Chess Day, will be a sad reminder that teen girls are losing an opportunity for a life map to critical thinking and scholarships.

We don't have to lose girl players to the Terrible Ts: Twitter, Twilight and tween angst. We can change the approach for girls and decrease their hasty exit.

Not surprisingly, of the 1,100 International Grandmasters in the world, only two dozen are women. The United States has only one - Susan Polgar, who is Hungarian-born and naturalized. Only 1 percent of the U.S. Chess Federation's adult membership is female.

Despite the fact that Heidi Klum, Christina Ricci, Sandra Bullock, Salma Hayak and Madonna all play, the stereotypical public image of chess is still one of stuffy exclusivity, populated by disheveled, older men with seriously quirky natures.

As an official IOC Olympic sport, chess makes curling look sexy.

It's a team sport. In high school, a student can letter in chess. As Norfolk's new superintendent of schools, Richard Bentley, embarks on the creation of a state chess league that will make that possible for students here, statistics show we will see those letters mainly on boys' jackets.

But after attending the five-day Susan Polgar Foundation Girls' Invitational in Lubbock, Texas, and staying in the dorms with the girls, I now have a better handle on how to help our girls here.

In five sleepless nights as I sat in the hallways packed with boards, clocks and girls ages five to 18, breathing in the scent of nail polish remover, I learned a lot about little girls who can tear you up on the 64 squares while painting their toenails ice blue, listening to an iPod, texting, singing, giggling, gossiping and munching apple chips.

It is both a humbling and mildly terrifying experience to have an adorable 6-year-old girl multitask and checkmate you into oblivion. Which I suspect is the reason behind the programs by the American Association of University Women, the Carnegie Center and others to get girls into science, technology, engineering and math. Ladies, we need to talk. Let's do coffee across a chess board and I think we can fix all our problems.

Even at the tournament, the girls were relaxed, happy and exchanging little tokens of esteem, very unlike the mixed boy/girl tournaments I have seen over the years where you can cut the gender anxiety and head-games with a battle ax.

If chess is going to be redesigned to be more girl-friendly, as experts like Dr. Alexey Root have suggested, it should start with non-rated girls' tournaments. Rating tournaments merely encourages a toddlers-in-tiaras-worthy conflict of superior and inferior labels. Girls don't need more labels. They're already coping with body-image hate, acne and boys.

To keep girls in, we need to focus on the game. To bring more boys and girls from our state into the game and build their critical-thinking skills, focus and life strategies, a group of community partners has formed, including: the NPS' superintendent, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities, teachers, parents, The Virginian-Pilot and the Carnegie Math and Science Initiative for Girls. The group is called the Norfolk Initiative for Chess Excellence. That means we are N.I.C.E.

When people come to Norfolk, we will teach them to play the N.I.C.E. way, starting March 2-3 at Virginia's first-ever all-girl state chess championship. All Virginia girls ages 5-18 can enter for free, rated or unrated, and play for scholarships. And we will give a free chess-in-education seminar for teachers while the girls play.

We are going to send fun, free, unrated, rewarding chess down the runway and see how it scores.

Guest columnist Lisa Suhay runs a free community partnership - Norfolk Initiative for Chess Excellence (N.I.C.E.) in Virginia. Email: Lsuhays2@cox.net.

Source: http://hamptonroads.com

UIL Invitational Chess Puzzle Solving

Saturday, September 24, 2011 at the Science Spectrum

Sections: K-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 Grades

Entry fee is only $5!

On-site registration: 9:00 am-12:15 pm | Competition: 12:30 pm-1:00 pm

Awesome chess prizes for the winners in each section!

Info: SPICE 806-742-7742 or email SPICE@ttu.edu

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

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Entry Form 9-24-11- UIL: Please PRINT all information and make check/money order to TTU-SPICE

Name: ____________________ Phone: (_____) _______School___________
Address: _______________________ City/State: __________ Zip:_________
Email: ________________________ DOB: __________Section___________

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Open

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Open
Saturday, September 24, 2011

A 4 Round Swiss USCF Rated Tournament (Game/30)

Event Site: Science Spectrum 2579 S. Loop 289, Lubbock, TX

Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: An open tournament for all players. USCF membership required.
Registration: On-site registration and check in 8:30am-10:00am. All players must check in by
10:15am. Late arrival will receive a ½ point bye for the first round. Chess boards and sets
provided, bring clock.

Round schedule: 10:30am - 12:00pm - 1:30pm and 3:00pm.

Entry Fee: $15 by 9/16, $20 by 9/22; after or onsite $25. K-12 or TTU students $15. Entry fee includes access to the museum OR one free IMAX movie.

Prizes: 1st $125 2nd $75 3rd $25Top U-2000 $50 Top U-1600 $50.
All prizes are based on 20 paid entries.

Please send Entry Blank and Entry Fee to Susan Polgar Foundation at 6923 Indiana Ave. #154 Lubbock, TX 79413.

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9-24-11 Open Entry Form: Please PRINT all information and make check to Susan Polgar Foundation.

Name: ___________________________Phone: (_____)______________
Address: ___________________ City/State:________________ Zip:_____
Email:__________________________________DOB:_______________
USCF ID# and expiration date:__________ USCF Rating (if any) ___________
Sibling Team_______ Parent/Child Team______ Student/Coach Team_______
Amount paid_________Check#______Cash_______ Bye request R1 R2 R3 R4

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!”

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!”
Fall Scholastic Chess Championship
Saturday, September 24, 2011

A 4 Round Swiss System Tournament (Game/30)

Event Site: Science Spectrum, 2579 S. Loop 289 Lubbock, TX
Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: A USCF rated Individual and Team Scholastic Championship
Games are played in five sections: Primary (K-2), Elementary (K-5), Middle School (K-8), High School (K-12) and Novice section K-12 (no USCF membership required). There is a total of 30 minutes maximum per player per game.

On-site registration and check in 8:30am-9:30am. All players must check in by 9:45am. Later arrival will receive a ½ point bye for the first round.

Round schedule: 10:15am -11:30am-1:15pm and 2:30pm

UIL Invitational Puzzle-Solving at 12:30pm.

Entry Fees: $10 received by 9/16; $15 received by 9/22, or on site $20. A valid USCF membership required in all sections, except Novice K-12. It can be obtained at www.uschess.org or onsite on 9/24 until 10am. The entry for the UIL Puzzle Solving is $5.

Prizes: Trophies for top 3 finishers in each section. Trophies to top 3 school teams in each section.

Special valuable chess prizes to the top overall finisher in each section sponsored by the Susan Polgar Foundation! Team prizes are based on the top 3 individual scores from the same school within the same section. Also special trophy for top Sibling, top Parent/Child and top Coach/Student teams. Prize giving ceremony will be held shortly after the end of the last game which is around 3:45pm.

Chess boards and sets will be provided. Bring a chess clock if you have one.

Please register and send Entry Blank and Fees to TTU-SPICE send to: SPICE Box 45080 Lubbock, TX 79409-5080. Additional information on www.spice.ttu.edu

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Entry Form 9-24-11: 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) $__
Sibling Team_Parent/Child Team_ Student/Coach Team_Bye request R1 R2 R3 R4

Do not violate the Opening Principles of Chess

Los 5 principios básicos de la apertura – No rompas estos principios

No rompas estos principios

http://www.clasesdeajedrez.net/2011/09/21/principos-basicos-apertura/

Susan Polgar

Avalanche Journal

Aquí están todos los principios de apertura que todos los jugadores principiantes e intermedios deberían seguir.

1. Controlar el centro!
El centro del tablero incluye las casillas e4, d4, e5, and d5. Cuando comienza una partida, hay que poner peones en el centro y ocupar la mayor cantidad de casillas posible.

2. Desarrollar las piezas lo más antes posible.!
Saca tus caballos y tus alfiles. Esto debe ser hecho en las primeras 6 a 7 movidas, antes de que intentes darle jaque mate a tu rival.

3. Enroca lo más antes posible!!
Mantener a tu rey protegida es esencial para evitar perder rápido. No te olvides, si te tu rey esta descubierto, te va a costar ganar. Después de enrocar, es importante conectar las torres desarrollando a tu dama

4. Mantener tus piezas defendidas!
No dejes tus piezas colgando, o sea sin protección. Cada pieza que tenes es valiosa, así que no olvides protegerlas. Proteger significa que si tu rival captura, podrás recapturarlo.

5. Divertirte, gana con finesa y perder con dignidad!
Esta es mi lema en el ajedrez. Primero y ante de todo, el ajedrez debe ser divertido. A veces se pierde y a veces se gana, pero es parte del juego. Cuando se gana, sé un caballero, se respetuoso y no burles de tu rival. Cuando pierdas, se mas caballero aun, dale la mano y felicítalo. Esto a la larga, te llenara de buenas amistades.

Do not violate the Opening Principles of Chess
Susan Polgar
Avalanche Journal

Here are my power principles of chess, something which all beginners and novice players should follow:

1. Control the Center!

The center of the board includes the squares e4, d4, e5, and d5. When you start a game, place your pawns in the center to occupy and control as many of these squares as you can. Location, location, location!

2. Develop Your Pieces as Soon as Possible!

Get your Knights and Bishops out right away. This should be done before you try to checkmate your opponent, some time in the first 6 or 7 moves if possible.

3. Castle as Soon as Possible!

Castle at the very first chance you have in order to keep your king safe. Remember, you can’t win if your king isn’t safe and you get checkmated first. So don’t forget to castle! Then after you castle, connect your rooks by developing your queen.

4. Keep Your Pieces Protected!

Don't leave your pieces hanging without protection. Each and every piece you have is very valuable, so don't forget to protect them. Protecting means if your opponent can take your piece, then you can take your opponent's piece.

5. Have Fun and Win with Grace, Lose with Dignity!

This is my motto in chess. First and foremost, chess should be fun. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, it’s all part of the game. When you win, be a good sport and don’t trash talk or make fun of your opponent. When you lose, be an even better sport and not a sore loser. Shake hands and congratulate your opponent. This will go a long way toward making good friends.

A continuación, se puede ver qué sucede cuando no se respetan los principios mencionados.:

Tarrasch, Siegbert – Mieses, Jacques [C10]

Match Game 3, Berlin 1916

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 Esta es la apertura Francesa

3.Cc3 dxe4 4.Cxe4 Cd7 5.Cf3 Cgf6 6.Ad3 Ae7 7.0-0 Cxe4 8.Axe4 Cf6 9.Ad3 Hasta aquí todo es normal, en esta posición las negras deberían enrocar.

9…b6? Un error critico de las negras. Es imprescindible enrocar lo más temprano posible. Las negras pagaran caro por este error, miremos como las blancas se aprovechan.

10.Ce5! Las negras se encuentran en un problema serio. Si desarrolla su Alfil a b7, las blancas jugaran Ab5y las negras no podrán enrocar. Mieses se da cuenta de esto y decide enrocarse, aunque ya es muy tarde y Tarrasch logra sacar ventaja.

10…0-0 si10…Ab7 11.Ab5+

11.Ac6 Una Buena jugada! Veremos porque brevemente.

11…Dd6 si 11…Dd7 12.Df3 Ab7 13.Cxe7+ Dxe7 14.Dxb7+-; 11…De8 Esta variante rara es la mejor par alas negras 12.Cxe7+ Dxe7 13.Df3 Tb8 14.Dg3 Las blancas tienen una ventaja posicional fuerte con la pareja de alfil apuntando al enroque del rey negro.

12.Df3! Otra Buena jugada! Las blancas amenazan un jaque descubierto con Nxe7+ (descubriendo el ataque destapan la dama de f3 contra la Torre negra en a8.)

12…Ad7 La única jugada. 12…Ab7 13.Cxe7+ Dxe7 14.Dxb7y las negras se encuentran con una pieza de menos.

13.Cxe7+ Porque las blancas cambian un caballo active y bueno por un alfil negro malo. La respuesta es que las blancas ven una clavada mortal para la jugada siguiente. Sin buena razón este cambio es malo.

13…Dxe7 14.Ag5! Amenazando 15.De4! Cxe4 16.Axe7. Las negras no tienen manera de salir de la clavada.

14…Tac8 15.Tfe1 Agregando otro pieza a la acción, para tener un ataque ganador es necesario traer todas las piezas en juego 15.De4 hubiese sido menos preciso para las blancas puesto que 15…Cxe4 16.Axe7 Tfe8 17.Axe4 Txe7 +=

15…Tfe8 si 15…c5 16.Dh3 h6 17.Axh6 gxh6 (17…c4 18.Axg7 Axg7 19.Dg3+ Rh8 20.Dh4+ Rg7 21.Dg5+ Rh8 22.Dh6+ Rg8 23.Ae5) 18.Dxh6 cxd4 19.Dg5+ (19.Te5? Tc5) 19…Rh8 20.Te4 y las negras deben entregar a su dama para evitar el jaque mate.

16.Dh3! Estas jugada crea otra amenaza. Puesto por la clavada del caballo, el peón h7 esta vulnerable. Las blancas combinan la presión contar el peón h7 con el Alfil de D3 y Dh3; mientras tanto el alfil de g5 está atacando al caballo de f6 que es el único defensor de h7.

16…Dd6? La posición de las negras es muy crítica. Esta jugada incluso empeora todo 16…h6 17.Axh6 gxh6 18.Dxh6 Df8 19.Dxf6; 16…g6 17.Dh4 Rg7 18.Te4!; 16…e5 17.Axf6 Axh3 (17…Dxf6 18.Dxd7; 17…gxf6 18.Dxh7+ Rf8 19.Dh8#) 18.Axe7 Txe7 19.gxh3; 16…c5 17.Axh7+ Rf8 18.Ae4 Rg8

17.Axf6 Eliminado al protector de h7

17…gxf6 18.Dh6! Las negras piensan sacarle el escape a f8 y luego e7, con el rey cortado. La siguiente jugada es muy instructiva, cuando estas al ataque no hay que dejar que tu rival se escape.

18…f5 si 18…Dxd4 19.Axh7+ Rh8 20.Ag6+ Rg8 21.Dh7+ Rf8 22.Dxf7#

19.Te3 Acercando la torre a la acción, y sacrificando el peón de d4. Mientras tanto, las piezas negras no están coordinadas para defender al rey.

19…Dxd4 si 19…f6 20.Tg3+ Rf7 21.Dg7#; 19…Rh8 20.Th3 Rg8 21.Tg3+

20.c3 Atacando la reina, obligada a defender a la casilla g7, próximamente se encontrar sin casillas. Yo prefiero Tg3, puesto que ataca al rey. 20…Rh8 Ahora jugaría 21.c3 transponiendo a lo que sucedió en la partida. 21…De5 22.f4 Ahora la dama no tiene casillas para defender a g7. Las negras rinden
1-0

Resumen:

Que aprendimos de esta partida?
1. No rompas con los principios de la apertura. Asegúrate de enrocar lo más antes posible, las negras no lo hicieron en la jugada nueve y pagaron caro.
2. Cuando atacas, utiliza tus piezas, acercando a la torre al ataque las blancas ganaron

Articulo Original – GM Susan Polgar

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) $___

Super Saturday SPICE Fun Chess Classes

October 29 – November 19, 2011
Two levels: Novice and Intermediate

Class dates: October 29 & November 5, 12 and 19 (4 sessions)
Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturdays at TTU’s Doak Hall – Room 119

Instruction will be provided by members of the nationally ranked Texas Tech Knight Raider Chess Team, based on Grandmaster Susan Polgar’s very popular and highly effective chess curriculum and direct guidance. Focus will be on chess tactics and UIL puzzle-solving.

Registration fee: $79 by October 22, after add $20 late fee.

Please send registration form to: Texas Tech University, SPICE, Box 45080, Lubbock, TX 79409.

For information, please go to: www.spice.ttu.edu or email spice@ttu.edu or call 806-742-7742.

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#___

Special game analysis

There were many fighting and exciting games is the Round 3 of the World Cup. Sergey Shipov annotates the most interesting fragments.

The main sensation occurred at the first table. Despite all the achievements of Judit Polgar, people still tend to underestimate her. Which, of course, benefits her at the board...

J. Polgar — S. Karjakin

If the Black’s bishop arrives to b7, White’s hopes are gone, so she needs to hurry.

20.e6! Bxe6 21.Bxc7

The White’s bishop breaks to the queenside pawns. In order to defend Black need to solve a tricky study. Sergey did not succeed.

21...f6?

Insufficient is 21...Bd7 22.Bb8 Bc6 23.Nc3 (23.Re1 Kd8 24.Bxa7 Kc7) 23...Bxf3 24.gxf3 a6 25.Nd5 Bd8 26.Bc7!

The only solution is to bring the h8-rook to the 6^th rank: 21...Rh6! 22.Bb8 a6 23.Ba7 Bd8 24.Nc3 Bd7 25.Nd5 Re6 with equality.

22.Bb8 a6 23.Ba7

I did not understand why the opponents ignored the following simple line: 23.Bc7!? b5 24.Nxc5! with the idea 24…Bxc5? 25.Rd8+, and Black loses an exchange.

23...Bd8 24.Nc3!

Here Karjakin began to think again, but it was already too late.

24...Kf7

Black probably miscalculated the following line: 24...Ne7 25.Na4 Nc8, missing an unexpected blow 26.Bxb6! Nxb6 27.Nxb6 Bxb6 28.Rd6 with a healthy extra pawn for White.

25.Na4 b5 26.Nxc5 Bc8

The magic of the bishop pair could create an impression that Black survives even without a pawn, but Polgar can cast the anti-spell.

27.cxb5 axb5 28.a4!

Simple and strong.

28...bxa4 29.bxa4 Re8 30.Rb1 g5?!

The last inaccuracy. More stubborn is 30...Re2!, and White cannot win by straightforward means: 31.Rb8 Nd6 32.Bb6 (32.Nxh4?! Re1+ 33.Kh2 Bc7!) 32...Bxb6 33.Rxb6 Ne4 34.Nxe4 Rxe4 35.a5 Ra4 — the a5-pawn is stopped.

31.Bb6! Be7 32.a5 Bxc5 33.Bxc5

The opposite-colored bishops don’t affect the evaluation here because of the passed pawn.

33...Re6 34.Rb6 Ng7

Or 34...Rxb6 35.Bxb6 Ke6 36.Bd8!

35.Be3 Nf5 36.Rb8 Re8

Here is a nice line: 36...Nxe3 37.Rxc8 Nd5 38.Rc5 Nf4 39.Rxg5! fxg5 40.Nxg5+ Ke7 41.Nxe6 Nxe6 42.a6 Nc7 43.a7 Kd7 44.g4, and White wins.

37.Ra8 Bb7

Black probably loses after 37...Bd7 38.Rxe8 (38.Ra7!?) 38...Kxe8 39.a6 Nxe3 40.fxe3 as well.

38.Ra7 Re7 39.Bc5 Rd7 40.a6 Bc6 41.Rxd7+ Bxd7

Black easily survives, if we remove the knights from the board, but it is not going to happen.

42.Nd2! Ke6 43.Nc4 Bc6 44.Nb6 Nd6 45.Bxd6 Kxd6 46.a7 Kc7 47.a8Q Bxa8 48.Nxa8+ Kb7 49.f4!

And the king collects Black’s pawns. Black resigns.

More analysis here.

The "Unofficial" TTU Mascot Video

The Knight Raiders are features at the SPICE Chess Park on campus at the 11th minute

UIL Invitational - Chess Puzzle Solving

UIL Invitational - Chess Puzzle Solving

Saturday, September 24, 2011
at the Science Spectrum

Sections: K-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 Grades

Entry fee is only $5!

On-site registration: 9:00 am-12:15 pm | Competition: 12:30 pm-1:00 pm

Awesome chess prizes for the winners in each section!

Info: SPICE 806-742-7742 or email SPICE@ttu.edu

Please register at www.spice.ttu.edu (and then click on Events on the left hand side) or send Entry Blank and Fees

to TTU-SPICE send to: SPICE Box 45080 Lubbock, TX 79409-5080.

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Entry Form 9-24-11- UIL: Please PRINT all information and make check/money order to TTU-SPICE.

Name: _____________________ Phone: (_____) _________School____________
Address: ___________________ City/State: _____________ Zip:___________
Email: ______________________________ DOB: _________Section___________

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Open

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE)
The Susan Polgar Foundation
and the Knight Raiders present

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Open
Saturday, September 24, 2011

A 4 Round Swiss USCF Rated Tournament (Game/30)
Event Site: Science Spectrum 2579 S. Loop 289, Lubbock, TX
Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: An open tournament for all players. USCF membership required.

Registration: On-site registration and check in 8:30am-10:00am. All players must check in by
10:15am. Late arrival will receive a ½ point bye for the first round. Chess boards and sets
provided, bring clock.

Round schedule: 10:30am - 12:00pm - 1:30pm and 3:00pm

Entry Fee: $15 by 9/16, $20 by 9/22; after or onsite $25. K-12 or TTU students $15.

Entry fee includes access to the museum OR one free IMAX movie.

Prizes: 1st $125 2nd $75 3rd $25Top U-2000 $50 Top U-1600 $50. All prizes are based on 20 paid entries.

Please send Entry Blank and Entry Fee to Susan Polgar Foundation at 6923 Indiana Ave. #154 Lubbock, TX 79413

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9-24-11 Open Entry Form: Please PRINT all information and make check to Susan Polgar Foundation.

Name: _________________________Phone: (_____)__________
Address: ________________ City/State:____________ Zip:_____
Email:____________________________________DOB:_______
USCF ID# and expiration date:________USCF Rating (if any) ______
Sibling Team_____Parent/Child Team___ Student/Coach Team____
Amount paid____Check#_____Cash_____ Bye request R1 R2 R3 R4

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Fall Scholastic Chess Championship

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE)
The Susan Polgar Foundation
and the Knight Raiders present

8th “Get Smart! Play Chess!” Fall Scholastic Chess Championship
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A 4 Round Swiss System Tournament (Game/30)

Event Site: Science Spectrum, 2579 S. Loop 289 Lubbock, TX

Contact Info: 806-742-7742 E-mail: Spice@ttu.edu

Description of Tournament: A USCF rated Individual and Team Scholastic Championship
Games are played in five sections: Primary (K-2), Elementary (K-5), Middle School (K-8), High School (K-12) and Novice section K-12 (no USCF membership required). There is a total of 30 minutes maximum per player per game.

On-site registration and check in 8:30am-9:30am. All players must check in by 9:45am. Later arrival will receive a ½ point bye for the first round.

Round schedule: 10:15am -11:30am-1:15pm and 2:30pm

UIL Invitational Puzzle-Solving at 12:30pm.

Entry Fees: $10 received by 9/16; $15 received by 9/22, or on site $20. A valid USCF membership required in all sections, except Novice K-12. It can be obtained at www.uschess.org or onsite on 9/24 until 10am. The entry for the UIL Puzzle Solving is $5.

Prizes: Trophies for top 3 finishers in each section. Trophies to top 3 school teams in each section.

Special valuable chess prizes to the top overall finisher in each section sponsored by the Susan Polgar Foundation! Team prizes are based on the top 3 individual scores from the same school within the same section. Also special trophy for top Sibling, top Parent/Child and top Coach/Student teams. Prize giving ceremony will be held shortly after the end of the last game which is around 3:45pm.

Chess boards and sets will be provided. Bring a chess clock if you have one.

Please register at www.spice.ttu.edu (and then click on Events on the left hand side) or send Entry Blank and Fees to TTU-SPICE send to: SPICE Box 45080 Lubbock, TX 79409-5080.

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

Entry Form 9-24-11: 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) $_____

Sibling Team____Parent/Child Team____ Student/Coach Team___ Bye request R1 R2 R3 R4

Big National Chess Day Celebration on October 8th!

Big National Chess Day Celebration on October 8th! There will be many additional surprise events during the tournament!

The 2011 SP World Open for Boys and Girls has moved from Las Vegas (in June 2011) to Chicago (in October 2011) per the request of many parents and coaches. I expect this event will be bigger and better than ever! I would like to thank the organizer of the LV Chess Festival for hosting this event in previous years. The North American Chess Association will be the new host this year.

Susan Polgar World Open for Boys and Girls 2011
October 7 – 10, 2011
Doubletree Hotel – Oakbrook, IL

Over $100,000 in Chess Prizes and Scholarships

Register Online Now

7R Swiss System; 8 sections: (K-3), (4-5), (6-8), (9-12)

Time Controls:	(K-3) G/30 + 5/sec delay (4-5) G/45 + 5/sec delay (6-8) G/45 + 5/sec delay (9-12) G/60 + 5/sec delay
Round Times:	(K-3) Sat/Sun 11am, 1pm, 3pm; Mon 10am (4-5) Sat/Sun 11am, 1:30pm, 4pm; Mon 10am (6-8) Sat/Sun 11am, 1:30pm, 4pm; Mon 10am (9-12) Sat/Sun 11am, 2pm, 5pm; Mon 10am
Side Events:	Bughouse – Friday 7:30pm Puzzle Solving – Saturday 7:30pm Blitz – Sunday 7:30pm

Ongoing Side Event: Walk-in simul presented by the Chicago Blaze US Chess League team. Done with your game or waiting for your child to finish? Take on a member of the Chicago Blaze between the hours of 12pm and 6pm!

Additional side events to be listed closer to event date. Please check the tournament website for more details.

All equipment will be provided (boards, sets, clocks). Organizer provided equipment must be used. Equipment will be on discounted sale upon tournament completion for school clubs and parents to purchase.

Cajun Chess will be equipment vendor onsite.

All 4th – 12th grade participants who are not a current member of the US Chess Federation will receive a 1-year free membership (no magazine option) included with their tournament entry fee.

All (K-12) participants will receive a free 1-year membership to ChessKid.com (a $49.95 value!)

Prizes
(Boys and Girls – All sections)

All 4th – 12th grade participants who are not a current member of the US Chess Federation will receive a 1-year free membership (no magazine option) included with their tournament entry fee.

All (K-12) participants will receive a free 1-year membership to ChessKid.com (a $49.95 value!)

1st place: Netbook Computer
2nd place: $250 in Chess Prizes
3rd place: $175 in Chess Prizes
4th place: $100 in Chess Prizes

1st place in 9-12 to receive scholarship to Texas Tech University!

Trophies to top 15 individuals
Trophies to top 4 school teams*
Trophies to top 4 club teams*

Certificate of Participation for all players

Tournament Fees

$45 post-marked by 8/27/2011
$50 post-marked by 9/10/2011
$55 post-marked by 9/24/2011
$60 thereafter and onsite

Side events are each $15 mailed in with entry or $20 on-site

Register Online Now

Payments to be mailed to (payable):

North American Chess Association
4957 Oakton Street Suite 113
Skokie, IL 60077

Questions: sevan@nachess.org
or call 847.423.8626
Mention Polgar Tournament in your message

* Top 4 player scores count toward school team prizes; school team trophies awarded in each section; Top 4 player scores count towards club team prizes; club team trophies awarded overall (not based on sections).

Doubletree Hotel – 1909 Spring Road – Oakbrook, IL 60523 – 630.472.6000 $79 room rate; must call hotel directly and ask for North American Chess rate.

First SPICE Training of the new semester

Training session with GM Bykhovsky, GM Meier, GM Boros, SM Aleskerov

The 2011 Texas Tech Knight Raiders A Team

L to R: Dr. Hal Karlssson (Iceland), SM Faik Aleskerov (Azerbaijan), GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (Israel), Me, GM Georg Meier (Germany), IM Vitaly Neimer (Israel), GM Denes Boros (Hungary), GM Andre Diamant (Brazil)

Checkmating Hardship

SPICE Checkmates Hardship
August 4, 2011

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence Invitational was a life-changing event for two young women.

Written by Melanie Hess

At Texas Tech, chess represents more than a challenging game and checkered board.

For two young women who visited Texas Tech last week to participate in the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) Invitational, it was a life-changing event. Meet Dyhemia Young and Vanita Young.

Dyhemia, age 15, has spent most of her life in the California foster care system. She was selected as a wild-card invitee by Susan Polgar. The SPICE invitational was Dyhemia’s first officially rated tournament. Vanita, a 17-year-old who lost both of her parents by her early teens, currently lives in Pennsylvania with her grandparents. Vanita beat out 600 other young women in her state to win a spot at the Polgar invitational.

But there was one problem. In the few weeks leading up to the invitational, neither girl was in a position to pay for travel expenses.

SPICE and many other generous donors, namely Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, helped sponsor the two young ladies, and at the end of the competition, Dyhemia and Vanita were awarded out-of-state scholarships worth up to $40,000 to attend Texas Tech once they graduate high school.

Dyhemia and Vanita, who are not related, recently shared their experiences of their time at Texas Tech with Texas Tech Today.

Q & A:

How did you feel when you found out you had been invited?

Dyhemia: It’s been really exciting. I was just, wow. That’s all I could say. “Wow! For real? Really?”

Vanita: I was definitely more excited than nervous. Since I was top at state, I had a big head for a while. I thought I could beat anybody, but when weeks turned into days, I got nervous.

How did you feel about the support you received from so many people?

D: When they asked me that question before, I nearly started crying. When I started talking about Susan, I never, ever, ever thought I was going to meet her in person. And then I met her, and now I’m teary-eyed because I’ve been here all week, and now I’m fixing to leave. I have learned so much.

How was your time with Susan Polgar?

D: I’d always heard of her. People spoke very highly of her, and then when I met her when we got off the plane, we talked. She gave me a ride all the way to the dorm and showed me around. She gave me some gifts, and I got so emotional I nearly cried. Well, I did cry. I was so emotional today. I think I cried about four different times for just about ten minutes straight. I’ve really enjoyed my time being here.

Again, I’m speechless. Susan, I think you know I am very thankful and happy to have you in my life. Oh my gosh, I’m going to have tears again, but Susan has done a lot for me while I’ve been here, and I am most definitely going to keep in touch with her when I do leave. I think so highly of her.

V: You would not believe the first time I saw her. I was at middle school nationals in Fort Worth and I was in the elevator with her. I was running late, and I didn’t know who she was at the time. I was in eighth grade. Then later people were talking about her and I asked, “Who’s Susan Polgar?” and they said, “top female,” and they showed me her and I was like, “Wait, I was on the elevator with her!”

What kind of training did you receive last week?

D: My class was kind of like Vanita’s, but she’s a higher level. We mainly focused on puzzle solving and basically making sure you know the main key things when you open, making sure you know your openings and key pieces, making sure each move you do is either to attack, or you’re defending. Then we played against each other in class using the tactics and notations. I had to learn notations. I don’t use them well, but I do know how to notate now.

It was like a 180-degree turn around from when I got here. My first game, it was like I was playing blitz. For real, I got down to the end and had to resign because the girl didn’t want to draw, and I knew I was going to lose. Then my second game was way better. I was down a bishop. I could have won if I had a bishop, but it was a good game. I gave the girl a run for her money. The game I played after that, I won. And the one I just played, I lost. But I had the girl show me the moves that I made that I should have not done. Luckily, she was my friend, so she was able to show me.

V: We had a lot of training this week. They were three-hour classes each, four classes altogether. We did a lot of analyzing, deep analyzing, and imagining things in your head without looking at the board. It was fun.

What was your favorite experience about last week?

D: I finally won a game! Oh, and I have my face on my own chess board. It’s my face on the board, and it says Dyhemia Young Cinderella! It has a list of all the people that helped me get here.

V: Meeting female chess players and working with top chess players. Susan and her husband have been amazing this week. I’ve learned so much from them in thinking steps ahead in my game. You know, when he said the tactic of visualize the pawn? I’d never thought of looking at the board like that, so I definitely learned something new.

What are your plans after high school?

D: Oh yeah. I’m going to college, I am going to college!

At first I didn’t know anything about Texas Tech, so I couldn’t really give an answer of whether I wanted to come here or not, but now I’ve read the brochure and spent some time here. I will always keep Texas Tech in mind, especially since I know I’d be on the same campus as Susan. I know if I needed anything, I could just call her and be like, “Susan, can you please come to my dorm? I need help!”

V: I definitely plan on going to college. I wouldn’t mind going to Texas Tech because I want to be in computer science as a computer engineer, and I want to be part of Susan’s chess team.

Polgar on Dyhemia and Vanita

Polgar said both girls represent hope for many other young women in difficult situations.

Speaking specifically about Dyhemia’s story, Polgar said last week’s experience was not only life changing for Dyhemia, but for many others.

“I think Dyhemia is a very special girl. The way I look at it is that she’s just one of the many Cinderella potentials, and her story can inspire thousands of other girls in difficult situations that they are in. It can become hope and encouragement.”

Source: http://today.ttu.edu