SO, BARBOSA PLAYING IN 2009 SPICE CUP IN TEXAS, USA

TWO of the country’s hottest young players are invited to play in the forthcoming 2009 Spice Cup A and B on September 19 to 29 at the Texas Tech University in Texas, USA.

They are GM Wesley So of Bacoor, Cavite and IM Oliver Barbosa of Taytay, Rizal.

The 15-year-old So, the World’s Top 97 and No.7 Junior under 20 in the World who hold an Fide Elo rating of 2644, is second seed in the Group A division.

Russian Junior Champion 19 year-old GM Dmitry Andreikin (2659/ Russia) is the tournament top seed while last year’s Spice Cup co-champion 26 year old GM Varuzhan Akobian (2636/USA) is third seed.

“I hope to break the 2700 ELO-barrier,” said So, top ranked the FIDE September 2009 Philippine rankings.

Other renowned players competing in the Group A division, Category 16, six-players double round-robin event, Average rating 2631 are No. 4 19 year old GM Yuriy Kuzubov (2636/ Ukraine), No.5 21 year old GM Rauf Mamedov (2626/ Azerbaijan) and No.6 19 year old Jon Ludvig Hammer (2585/ Norway).

In the Group B division, Barbosa, who won 20 chess title in the US chess circuit is ninth seed in the Category 11, 10-player’s field, round robin event, Average rating of 2501.8.

Other woodpshers are IM Gabor Papp 2562 - HUN (GM norm - Texas Tech Student) , IM Davorin Kuljasevic 2547 - CRO (2 GM norms - Texas Tech Student) , GM Eugene Perelshteyn 2542 - USA (2007 SPICE Cup Champion) , IM Ray Robson 2527 - USA (2 GM norms - Winner of the 2009-2010 Samford Fellowship), GM Andre Diamant 2526 - Brazil (2008 Brazilian Champion) , IM Ben Finegold 2515 - USA (2 GM norms)
IM Gergely Antal 2486 - HUN (2 GM norms - Texas Tech Student), GM Vinay Bhat 2474 - USA (Former winner of the prestigious Samford Fellowship) and FM Danny Rensch 2388 - USA (2 IM norms).

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. is very confident that So and Barbosa will perform well in the prestigious 2009 Spice Cup A and B International Chess Championships, organized by GM Susan Polgar, sister of World’s top female player Hungrarian GM Judith Polgar.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.