After 4 intense days of competition, 12 year old Thalia Cervantes became the youngest SPFGI champion in history! One year ago, Thalia competed at the 2014 SPF Girls’ Invitational as a representative from Cuba. Her family was so impressed with the chess scene in St. Louis, particularly at Webster University, they decided to stay. Her compatriot from Cuba, GM Fidel Corrales, helped train her on behalf of Webster – SPICE. One year later, she made history by winning the most prestigious all-girls event in the U.S.
In addition, for the first time, 2 players from the same state, Missouri, finished 1st – 2nd. 2nd place finisher on tiebreaks was Nozima Aripova of Webster Groves. Her Mom works for Webster University and her brother Iskandar trains at SPICE.
Final standings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/12-year-old-thalia-cervantes-became-youngest-ever-winner-of-spf-girls-invitational/
More photos from 2015 SPF Girls’ Invitational 2015: https://picasaweb.google.com/116302832360230031699/SPFGirlsInvitational2015
2015 SPF Girls’ Invitational Event Schedule at Webster University
Round 1 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-round-1/
Round 2 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-round-2-pairings-3/
Round 3 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-round-3-pairings-2/
Round 4 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-round-4-pairings/
Round 5 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-round-5-pairings-2/
Round 6 pairings:Â https://chessdailynews.com/spf-girls-invitational-final-round-pairings-2/
Saturday, July 25
Arrival Day
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm Game Analyses with SPICE students
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Swimming – University Center Indoor Pool
Sunday, July 26
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Training
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: City Tour
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Puzzle Solving Championship
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm Game Analyses with SPICE students
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm: Bughouse Championship
Monday, July 27
9:45 am Campus Tour
1:00 pm Opening Ceremony
2:00 pm Tournament Round 1
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Blitz Championship
Tuesday, July 28
9:30 am Tournament Round 2
& Friends & Family Event starts
3:00 pm Tournament Round 3
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Swimming – University Center Indoor Pool
Wednesday, July 29
9:30 am Tournament Round 4
3:00 pm Tournament Round 5
Thursday, July 30
9:30 am Tournament Round 6
3:00 pm Closing Ceremony
4:00 pm Departure
All events held in the SPICE Office at Luhr Library Building
Chess Hall of Fame
Downtown St Louis
SPF Girl’s Invitational Puzzle Solving Championship at Webster University
SPF Girl’s Invitational Bughouse Championship at Webster University
12th annual SPF Girls’ Invitational, the most prestigious all-girls event in the US! 60+ girls, 10+ countries, 30+Â states, at Webster University!
SPFGI Puzzle Solving Championship 2015
| Last Name | First Name | State/Country | Correct | Time |
| Konovalenko | Sasha | MI | 20/20 | 13:40 |
| Poteat | Lilia | NY | 17:50 | |
| Matus | Nastassja | MN | 18:30 | |
| Ehsani | Yassi | NY | 21:30 | |
| Zhou | Iris | MO | 22:05 | |
| Vazquez | Danitza | Puerto Rico | 19.5 | 8:45 |
| Cervantes | Thalia | MO/Cuba | 15:45 | |
| Botez | Andrea | Oregon/Canada | 16:00 | |
| Cancio | Aiya | AZ | 19 | 20:00 |
| Paxton | Shimera | TN | 21:20 | |
| Parent | Cassie | IL | 25:00 | |
| Yang Yan | Rui | CA | 26:00 | |
| Meiyappan | Annapoorni | CA | 30:00 | |
| Bashkansky | Naomi | Washington | 18.5 | 14:00 |
| Castillo Morales | Thais | Costa Rica | 30:00 | |
| Hajiarbabi | Kiana | KS – Iran | 18 | 21:35 |
| Show | Serafina | CA | 22:35 | |
| Tapp | Ashley | Canada | 25:25 | |
| Chatterjee | Trina | CA | 28:10 | |
| Arnold | Peishanika | Indiana | 30:00 | |
| Chen | Evelyn | Georgia | 30:00 | |
| Provine | Shayna | IL | 30:00 | |
| Luo | Maggie | VA | 30:00 | |
| Eng | Rachael | AZ | 17.5 | 17:30 |
| Lopez Sanchez | Anastacia | Mexico | 18:50 | |
| Papanek | Ella | NY | 25:16 | |
| Avirneni | Saithanusri | Georgia | 16.5 | 19:00 |
| Zilajeva | Veronika | OK/Latvia | 22:55 | |
| Velidandla | Sarvagna | Alabama | 30:00 | |
| Natareno Beltran | Elvia del Rosario | Guatemala | 30:00 | |
| Abdus-Shakoor | Diamond | Ohio | 15 | 29:29 |
| Venkataraja | Triyakshari | NC | 13 | 30:00 |
| Hsu | Skyler | MD | 12.5 | 30:00 |
| Cheng | Emma | Ohio | 30:00 | |
| Hajiarbabi | Shahrzad | KS/Iran | 12 | 30:00 |
| Aderogba | Temiloluwa | Idaho | 30:00 | |
| Carson | Charity | Iowa | 30:00 | |
| Carson | Bethany | Iowa | 30:00 | |
| Salzgeber | Karen | Mississippi | 11.5 | 30:00 |
| Dias | Neha | SC | 30:00 | |
| Lima | Aine | Brazil | 30:00 | |
| Wong | Allyson | CA | 11 | 22:00 |
| Allen | Elena | Oregon | 29:28 | |
| Murgulet | Ioana | TX | 10.5 | 30:00 |
| Low | Beatrice | CT | 10 | 30:00 |
| Carson | Sarah Faith | Iowa | 30:00 | |
| LeTard | Willow | New Mexico | 30:00 | |
| Hogue | Emily | Utah | 9.5 | 30:00 |
| Thomas | Kathryn | KY | 30:00 | |
| Kancharla | Meghana | NH | 6 | 30:00 |
| Farell | Charity | OK | 4 | 29:50 |
| Kimball | Giselle | NV | 2.5 | 30:00 |
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SPFGI Bughouse Championship 2015
1st Place
ARIZONA: Aiya Canco  (AZ) & Rachael Eng (AZ), 10-0
2nd Place
CHOCOLATE: Danitza Vasquez (Puerto Rico) & Serafina Show (CA), 7-3
MINIONS: Diamond Abdus-Shakoor (OH) & Lilia Poteat (NY), 7-3
NOBODY: Thalia Cervantes (MO) & Ashley Tapp (Canada), 7-3
CASSANDREA: Andrea Botez (Canada) & Cassie Parent (IL), 7-3
3rd Place
CIA: Ella Papanek (NY) & Yassi Eshani (NY), 6-4
NOTHING: Sasha Konovalenko (MI) & Chloe Wong (WI), 6-4
MAGIC: Nastassja Matus (MN) & Iris Zhou (MO), 6-4
HAJIBARBIS: Kiani Hajibarbi (KS) and Shahrzad (KS), 6-4
DIAMONDS: Neha Dias (SC) & Peishanika Arnold (IN), 6-4
CV: Veronika Zilajeva (OK) & Charity Farell (OK), 6-4
4th Place
TEX MEX: Anastacia Lopez (Mexico) & Ioana Murgulet, 5-5
CARSONS: Sarah Faith Carson (IA) & Bethany Carson (IA), 5-5
CALIFORNIA: Evelyn Chen (GA) & Trina Chatterjee (CA), 5-5
6th Place
BUBBLES: Willow Letard (NM) & Maggie Luo (VA), 4-6
OREGON: Elena Allen (OR) & Thais Castillo Morales (Costa Rica), 4-6
MUSTANGS: Allyson Wong (CA) & Annapoorni Meiyappan (CA), 4-6
LUCKY: Skyler Hsu (MD) & Emma Cheng (OH), 4-6
MARVEL: Shayna Provine (IL) & Giselle Kimball (NV), 4-6
CHAMPIONS: Sarvagna Velidanda (AL) & Meghana Kancharla (NH), 4-6
7th Place
PEPPERMINT: Beatrice Low (CT) & Rui Yang Yan (CA), 3-7
8th Place
438ERS: Katie Thomas (KY) & Karen Salzgeber (MS), 2-8
SPARK: Emily Hogue (UT) & Aine Lima (Brazil), 2-8
9th Place
ELEPHANT-MONKEYS: Temi Aderogba (ID) & Triya Venkataraja (NC), 0-10
—————————————————————————————-
SPFGI Blitz Championship 2015
| # | Name | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Tot | ||
| 1 | Veronika Zilajeva | W23 | D11 | W24 | W17 | W15 | W2 | W4 | 6.5 | ||
| 2 | Danitza Vazquez | W19 | W9 | W3 | W5 | W4 | L1 | W11 | 6.0 | ||
| 3 | Naomi Bashkansky | W39 | W34 | L2 | W19 | W7 | W10 | W5 | 6.0 | ||
| 4 | Thalia Cervantes | W12 | W22 | W6 | W26 | L2 | W14 | L1 | 5.0 | ||
| 5 | Ella Papanek | W31 | W29 | W16 | L2 | W6 | W12 | L3 | 5.0 | ||
| 6 | Andrea Botez | W40 | W47 | L4 | W28 | L5 | W19 | W12 | 5.0 | ||
| 7 | Rachael Eng | W30 | L13 | W23 | W8 | L3 | W21 | W14 | 5.0 | ||
| 8 | Anastacia Lopez Sanchez | W48 | W25 | L26 | L7 | W31 | W18 | W15 | 5.0 | ||
| 9 | Sasha Konovalenko | W38 | L2 | W32 | L14 | W23 | W20 | W16 | 5.0 | ||
| 10 | Sarvagna Vlidandla | L18 | W36 | W41 | W16 | W17 | L3 | D13 | 4.5 | ||
| 11 | Kiana Hajiarbabi | W42 | D1 | L15 | W25 | W27 | W13 | L2 | 4.5 | ||
| 12 | Cassie Parent | L4 | W33 | W25 | W20 | W18 | L5 | L6 | 4.0 | ||
| 13 | Yassi Ehsani | W44 | W7 | D17 | L15 | W24 | L11 | D10 | 4.0 | ||
| 14 | Thais Castillo Morales | L15 | W35 | W47 | W9 | W26 | L4 | L7 | 4.0 | ||
| 15 | Lilia Poteat | W14 | L16 | W11 | W13 | L1 | W22 | L8 | 4.0 | ||
| 16 | Nastassja Matus | W35 | W15 | L5 | L10 | W30 | W26 | L9 | 4.0 | ||
| 17 | Saithanusri Avireni | W28 | W21 | D13 | L1 | L10 | W27 | D25 | 4.0 | ||
| 18 | Shayna Provine | W10 | L24 | W30 | W21 | L12 | L8 | W28 | 4.0 | ||
| 19 | Bethany Carson | L2 | W38 | W34 | L3 | W33 | L6 | W32 | 4.0 | ||
| 20 | Elvia Natareno | L24 | W39 | W29 | L12 | W28 | L9 | W31 | 4.0 | ||
| 21 | Diamond Abdus-Shakoor | W43 | L17 | W46 | L18 | W35 | L7 | W29 | 4.0 | ||
| 22 | Trina Chatterjee | W33 | L4 | L28 | W40 | W29 | L15 | W30 | 4.0 | ||
| 23 | Emma Cheng | L1 | W42 | L7 | W39 | L9 | W40 | W26 | 4.0 | ||
| 24 | Elena Allen | W20 | W18 | L1 | D27 | L13 | L25 | W41 | 3.5 | ||
| 25 | Serafina Show | W32 | L8 | L12 | L11 | W38 | W24 | D17 | 3.5 | ||
| 26 | Aiya Cancio | W37 | W46 | W8 | L4 | L14 | L16 | L23 | 3.0 | ||
| 27 | Annapoorni Meiyappan | L34 | W37 | W31 | D24 | L11 | L17 | D36 | 3.0 | ||
| 28 | Karen Salzgeber | L17 | W45 | W22 | L6 | L20 | W35 | L18 | 3.0 | ||
| 29 | Skylar Hsu | W36 | L5 | L20 | W48 | L22 | W34 | L21 | 3.0 | ||
| 30 | Evelyn Chen | L7 | W44 | L18 | W34 | L16 | W39 | L22 | 3.0 | ||
| 31 | Peishanika Arnold | L5 | W43 | L27 | W46 | L8 | W33 | L20 | 3.0 | ||
| 32 | Neha Dias | L25 | W48 | L9 | L33 | W46 | W42 | L19 | 3.0 | ||
| 33 | Rui Yang Yan | L22 | L12 | W36 | W32 | L19 | L31 | W39 | 3.0 | ||
| 34 | Allyson Wong | W27 | L3 | L19 | L30 | W37 | L29 | W40 | 3.0 | ||
| 35 | Triya Venkatarraja | L16 | L14 | W45 | W41 | L21 | L28 | W44 | 3.0 | ||
| 36 | Maggie Luo | L29 | L10 | L33 | D43 | W45 | W38 | D27 | 3.0 | ||
| 37 | Sarah Faith Carson | L26 | L27 | L48 | W44 | L34 | W43 | W42 | 3.0 | ||
| 38 | Charity Carson | L9 | L19 | D43 | W47 | L25 | L36 | W46 | 2.5 | ||
| 39 | Beatrice Low | L3 | L20 | W42 | L23 | W43 | L30 | L33 | 2.0 | ||
| 40 | Willow Katrina Letard | L6 | L41 | W44 | L22 | W48 | L23 | L34 | 2.0 | ||
| 41 | Aine Lima | L47 | W40 | L10 | L35 | L42 | W46 | L24 | 2.0 | ||
| 42 | Ioana Murgulet | L11 | L23 | L39 | W45 | W41 | L32 | L37 | 2.0 | ||
| 43 | Charity Farell | L21 | L31 | D38 | D36 | L39 | L37 | W47 | 2.0 | ||
| 44 | Meghana Kancharla | L13 | L30 | L40 | L37 | W47 | W48 | L35 | 2.0 | ||
| 45 | Giselle Kimball | L46 | L28 | L35 | L42 | L36 | W47 | W48 | 2.0 | ||
| 46 | Temi Aderogba | W45 | L26 | L21 | L31 | L32 | L41 | L38 | 1.0 | ||
| 47 | Emily Hogue | W41 | L6 | L14 | L38 | L44 | L45 | L43 | 1.0 | ||
| 48 | Shahrzad Hajiarbabi | L8 | L32 | W37 | L29 | L40 | L44 | L45 | 1.0 |
Good job V.