2009 SPICE CUP Group A: Wesley So, 3rd seed

So the line up for The 2009 SPICE Cup Group A group has been finalized. The category 16 the SPICE CUP organizers has been brewing to perfection for nearly a year will now have all the bragging rights in the world! According to Susan Polgar blog, this year SPICE CUP will boast an average rating of 2643.5, making this event one of the strongest chess tournament to be ever held in US soil, rating/statistic wise. GM Wesley So is one of the early bird to confirmed his participation in the said event. Wesley will be the 3rd seed here. The SPICE CUP chess festival will take place September 19-29.

Confirmed players for group A (6-player DRR - Category 16):

GM Dmitry Andreikin 2659 - Russia (#6 junior under 20 in the world - Russian Junior Champion)
GM Pashikian Arman 2650 - Armenia (#4 player in Armenia, the country which won the last 2 Olympiad)
GM Wesley So 2646 - Philippines (#7 junior under 20 in the world - #1 in the Philippines)
GM Rauf Mamedov 2645 - Azerbaijan (#5 player in Azerbaijan)
GM Yuriy Kuzubov 2635 - Ukraine (#8 junior under 20 in the world - #12 in Ukraine)
GM Varuzhan Akobian 2626 - USA (#6 in the U.S. - 2008 SPICE Cup Co-Champion - 2-time Olympiad Bronze Medalist)

FM Danny Rensch of Arizona has confirmed his participation in the SPICE Cup B group. I was so impressed when I read a story about him. That is why I decided to invite Danny to give him an opportunity to earn his third and final IM norm.

B Group - Category 11-12 (10-player RR):

IM Gabor Papp 2558 - HUN (2 GM norms - Texas Tech Student in 8/2009)
IM Davorin Kuljasevic 2547 - CRO (2 GM norms - Texas Tech Student in 8/2009)
GM Eugene Perelshteyn 2537 - USA (2007 SPICE Cup Champion)
GM Andre Diamant 2519 - Brazil (2008 Brazilian Champion)
IM Ben Finegold 2513 - USA (2 GM norms)
IM Ray Robson 2496 - USA (1 GM norm - Winner of the 2009-2010 Samford Fellowship)
IM Gergely Antal 2479 - HUN (2 GM norms - Texas Tech Student)
FM Danny Rensch 2392 - USA (2 IM norms)

All ratings listed are FIDE ratings.

SPICE Cup Open and SPICE Cup Scholastic Open are once again two of the events which are a part of the SPICE Cup Chess Festival.

Just as last year, the SPICE Cup will be held on campus at Texas Tech University and is co-organized by Texas Tech University, SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation.