SPICE Cup International Chess Tournament

Held in memory of grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky

Samuel Herman (Sammy) Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire, today Poland) - died April 4, 1992, New York, USA) was a leading American chess Grandmaster. He won the U.S. Chess Championship six times outright, and lost a playoff for the title in 1973. Reshevsky was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship three times (1948, 1953, and 1968). Reshevsky was also a chess author.

Reshevsky learned to play chess at age four, and was soon acclaimed as a child prodigy. At age eight he was beating accomplished players with ease, and giving simultaneous exhibitions. In November 1920 his parents moved to the US to make a living exhibiting their child. He played in the 1922 New York Masters tournament.

As an adult however, Reshevsky was never a professional chess player. He temporarily gave up chess to enter the University of Chicago, and graduated in 1933 with a degree in accounting. He supported himself and his family by working as an accountant. His 1941 marriage to the former Norma Mindick produced three children.

Reshevsky was a devout Orthodox Jew and did not play on the Jewish Sabbath. His games were scheduled accordingly.

Reshevsky Quotes:

* "By playing slowly during the early phases of a game I am able to grasp the basic requirements of each position. Then, despite being in time pressure, I have no difficulty in finding the best continuation. Incidentally, it is an odd fact that more often than not it is my opponent who gets the jitters when I am compelled to make these hurried moves."

* His self-description, "My style is somewhere between that of Tal and Petrosian," is sometimes circulated as an ironic comment but makes more sense in its full context; from his book Great Chess Upsets:

"I am essentially a positional player, although I can conduct an assault with precision and vigor, when the opportunity arises. My style lies between that of Tal and Petrosian. It is neither over-aggressive nor too passive. My strength consists of a fighting spirit, a great desire to win, and a stubborn defense whenever in trouble. I rarely become discouraged in an inferior situation, and I fear no one."

The winner of this great tournament was Eugene Perelshteyn, a grandmaster from Massachusetts, he won the Spice Cup, a tournament at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex. He led from start to finish, scoring 6.5 out of 9. You just have to see his games! I must admit i have never heard of this GM before now.

View some really great games here


SPICE CUP Chess Tournament, Round 7