2025 SPICE Cup Blitz Championship
SwissBlitz
41 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held on 22 Nov 2025 in Bellevue, WA, United States. 21 titled players from 7 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2433, and top seed was Jianchao Zhou (🇺🇸 USA, GM, 2591).
Vidip Kona (🇺🇸 USA, CM, 2053) won with 7.5/9, ahead of Jianchao Zhou (7.5) and Fidel Corrales Jimenez (7.5). Kona won on tie-break after catching the field in the final round.
The biggest upset came in round 6: Jamie Zhongyun Zhu (1830) beat Georgi Orlov (IM, 2438), a +608-point gap.
Location
🇺🇸Bellevue, WA, United States
Dates
22 Nov 2025
Time control
Blitz: 3 minutes for game with 2 seconds increment from move 1
System
Swiss · 9 rounds
Titled players · 21
GM×5
IM×4
FM×5
CM×6
WFM×1
Federations · 7 represented
🇺🇸United States of America×27
🇮🇳India×4
🇨🇦Canada×3
🇺🇦Ukraine×2
🇭🇺Hungary×1
🇷🇺Russia×1
🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan×1
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 9 roundsTight race until R9; 3 players tied at 7.5/9, decided on Buchholz. Title race narrowed from 3 co-leaders at R4 to 3 at the finish.
Co-leaders
19
10
5
3
2
1
1
1
3
R9 · TIEBREAK CLUSTER
3 players finish on 7.5/9. Kona takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (48.0).
R7 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND
CM Vidip Kona drew with GM Jianchao Zhou (White).
WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers
CM Vidip Kona 4 wins (R1–R4)GM Jianchao Zhou 6 wins (R1–R6)GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez 3+3 wins (R1–R3, R5–R7)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1CMVidip Kona | * | ½ | 1 | 0 |
| 2GMJianchao Zhou | ½ | * | ½ | 1 |
| 3GMFidel Corrales Jimenez | 0 | ½ | * | 1 |
| 4GMDenes Boros | 1 | 0 | 0 | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kona, VidipCM | 2053 | USA | +39N | +19B | +6N | +3B | −4N | +12B | =2B | +13N | +9B | 7.5 | 48.0 | 49.5 | 38.75 | 2544 | +180.8 |
| 2 | Zhou, JianchaoGM | 2591 | USA | +22B | +21N | +8B | +36N | +7B | +4B | =1N | =3B | =5N | 7.5 | 47.5 | 50.5 | 40.00 | 2609 | +16.3 |
| 3 | Corrales Jimenez, FidelGM | 2519 | USA | +31B | +24N | +15B | −1N | +9B | +13N | +4B | =2N | +7B | 7.5 | 47.0 | 50.5 | 39.25 | 2515 | +0.6 |
| 4 | Boros, DenesGM | 2391 | HUN | +23N | +14B | +20B | +5N | +1B | −2N | −3N | +12B | +8N | 7.0 | 48.5 | 52.5 | 37.50 | 2484 | +4.7 |
| 5 | Nyzhnyk, IllyaGM | 2544 | UKR | +18N | +9B | =7N | −4B | +19N | +14B | −8N | +15B | =2B | 6.0 | 46.0 | 50.5 | 31.50 | 2416 | -16.5 |
| 6 | Prasanna Raghuram RaoIM | 2410 | IND | +28B | −20N | −1B | +26N | +29B | −7N | +18B | +22N | +13B | 6.0 | 39.5 | 43.0 | 25.50 | 2163 | -18.1 |
| 7 | Keleberda, TymurIM | 2370 | CAN | +29B | +27N | =5B | +8N | −2N | +6B | −12N | +10B | −3N | 5.5 | 47.0 | 50.5 | 27.50 | 2355 | +18.0 |
| 8 | Degenbaev, AzizFM | 2302 | KGZ | +30N | +16B | −2N | −7B | +23N | +20B | +5B | =9N | −4B | 5.5 | 45.0 | 48.5 | 25.75 | 2252 | +12.8 |
| 9 | Wang, TedFM | 2224 | USA | +26B | −5N | +22B | +27N | −3N | +16B | +14N | =8B | −1N | 5.5 | 44.5 | 48.5 | 24.75 | 2186 | +22.8 |
| 10 | Palathingal, RafaelCM | 1984 | USA | +17N | −12B | =19N | +11B | −15N | +25N | +22B | −7N | +21B | 5.5 | 39.0 | 43.0 | 25.25 | 2199 | +80.0 |
| 11 | Jammalamadaka, VihaanCM | 2083 | USA | +37B | −36N | −25B | −10N | +26B | =30N | +23B | +31N | +24B | 5.5 | 31.5 | 34.5 | 20.25 | 1973 | -34.0 |
| 12 | Kaufman, RaymondIM | 2213 | CAN | +34B | +10N | −36B | +20N | +24B | −1N | +7B | −4N | −14B | 5.0 | 42.0 | 45.0 | 22.50 | 2196 | +4.4 |
| 13 | Lee, MeganFM | 2214 | USA | −33N | +35B | +23N | +30B | +16N | −3B | +27N | −1B | −6N | 5.0 | 40.5 | 43.5 | 19.50 | 2044 | -11.4 |
| 14 | Bartochowski, Nicholas | 2050 | USA | F | −4N | +29B | +25N | +36B | −5N | −9B | +17B | +12N | 5.0 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 20.50 | 2251 | +38.0 |
| 15 | Willy, StephenFM | 2269 | USA | +35N | +33B | −3N | −16B | +10B | −27N | +31B | −5N | +25B | 5.0 | 38.5 | 41.5 | 19.00 | 2107 | -50.0 |
| 16 | Xu, Zhihan (samuel)CM | 2012 | CAN | +40B | −8N | +34B | +15N | −13B | −9N | −21B | +29N | +26N | 5.0 | 36.0 | 37.0 | 16.50 | 1903 | +59.6 |
| 17 | Krishna, D. | 0 | IND | −10B | +28N | +31B | −24N | −25B | +23B | +19N | −14N | +22B | 5.0 | 35.0 | 38.5 | 20.00 | 1998 | -21.4 |
| 18 | Zhu, Jamie Zhongyun | 1830 | USA | −5B | −29N | +39N | −33B | +41N | +19B | −6N | +34N | +32B | 5.0 | 31.0 | 31.0 | 12.50 | 1903 | +20.8 |
| 19 | Orlov, GeorgiIM | 2438 | USA | +25B | −1N | =10B | +21N | −5B | −18N | −17B | +39N | +30N | 4.5 | 41.0 | 42.5 | 16.25 | 2133 | -29.3 |
| 20 | Iinuma, Paul Y | 2047 | USA | F | +6B | −4N | −12B | +28N | −8N | +29B | =21N | +27B | 4.5 | 39.5 | 39.5 | 19.75 | 2175 | +20.0 |
| 21 | Sang, TianFM | 2171 | USA | +38N | −2B | −30N | −19B | +34N | +35B | +16N | =20B | −10N | 4.5 | 36.5 | 38.5 | 15.25 | 1979 | -35.6 |
| 22 | Xu, Owen | 1843 | USA | −2N | +38B | −9N | +35B | +33N | +24B | −10N | −6B | −17N | 4.0 | 39.5 | 41.5 | 12.00 | 1923 | +35.2 |
| 23 | Thorwe Pratik | 1826 | IND | −4B | +26N | −13B | +34N | −8B | −17N | −11N | +37B | +33N | 4.0 | 38.0 | 41.0 | 13.00 | 1838 | -4.8 |
| 24 | Vemparala, NikashCM | 2193 | USA | F | −3B | +33N | +17B | −12N | −22N | +25B | +27B | −11N | 4.0 | 38.0 | 38.0 | 16.00 | 2024 | -1.6 |
| 25 | Pikh, Akim | 1841 | UKR | −19N | +41B | +11N | −14B | +17N | −10B | −24N | +30B | −15N | 4.0 | 38.0 | 38.0 | 14.00 | 1980 | +52.8 |
| 26 | Kalenteridis, Kosta | 0 | USA | −9N | −23B | +32N | −6B | −11N | +41B | +35N | +28N | −16B | 4.0 | 36.5 | 36.5 | 10.50 | 1851 | 0.0 |
| 27 | Harish, NeerajCM | 2107 | USA | +41N | −7B | +40N | −9B | +30N | +15B | −13B | −24N | −20N | 4.0 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 9.50 | 1946 | -78.8 |
| 28 | Wong-Godfrey, Emerson P | 0 | USA | −6N | −17B | +38N | +41B | −20B | −29N | +33N | −26B | +34N | 4.0 | 31.0 | 31.0 | 8.00 | 1760 | -18.0 |
| 29 | Shenoy Siddharth | 1715 | IND | −7N | +18B | −14N | +40B | −6N | +28B | −20N | −16B | =31B | 3.5 | 38.5 | 39.5 | 11.75 | 1781 | +14.6 |
| 30 | Li, Edward | 1836 | USA | −8B | +37N | +21B | −13N | −27B | =11B | +32N | −25N | −19B | 3.5 | 36.5 | 39.5 | 13.75 | 1942 | +30.0 |
| 31 | Eksarevskiy, Albert Alex | 1900 | USA | −3N | =39B | −17N | =32B | +40N | +33B | −15N | −11B | =29N | 3.5 | 34.5 | 35.5 | 8.25 | 1794 | -17.6 |
| 32 | Airapetian, ChouchanikWFM | 1894 | USA | −36B | −34N | −26B | =31N | +37B | +39N | −30B | +35N | −18N | 3.5 | 28.0 | 29.5 | 9.25 | 1726 | -33.8 |
| 33 | Das, Sambuddha Sekhar | 1609 | USA | +13B | −15N | −24B | +18N | −22B | −31N | −28B | +40N | −23B | 3.0 | 34.5 | 35.5 | 11.00 | 1707 | +10.8 |
| 34 | Maharaja, Imai Subramonia | 1598 | USA | −12N | +32B | −16N | −23B | −21B | +37N | +40N | −18B | −28B | 3.0 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 7.50 | 1553 | -16.4 |
| 35 | Wei, Te | 1674 | USA | −15B | −13N | +37B | −22N | +38B | −21N | −26B | −32B | +41N | 3.0 | 31.0 | 31.0 | 5.00 | 1216 | -19.4 |
| 36 | Belous, VladimirGM | 2495 | RUS | +32N | +11B | +12N | −2B | −14N | F | F | F | F | 3.0 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 14.00 | 2274 | -12.2 |
| 37 | Jordan, Christian Daniel | 0 | USA | −11N | −30B | −35N | +39B | −32N | −34B | +38B | −23N | +40B | 3.0 | 26.0 | 27.0 | 4.50 | 1498 | 0.0 |
| 38 | Yeung, Joshua | 0 | USA | −21B | −22N | −28B | F | −35N | −40B | −37N | +41B | +39B | 2.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 1.50 | 1596 | 0.0 |
| 39 | Ghosh, Snehil | 0 | USA | −1B | =31N | −18B | −37N | F | −32B | +41N | −19B | −38N | 1.5 | 29.0 | 29.0 | 1.75 | 1574 | -21.2 |
| 40 | FIDE 561005100 | 0 | — | −16N | F | −27B | −29N | −31B | +38N | −34B | −33B | −37N | 1.0 | 27.0 | 27.0 | 2.00 | 964 | 0.0 |
| 41 | FIDE 39999467 | 0 | — | −27B | −25N | F | −28N | −18B | −26N | −39B | −38N | −35B | 0.0 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 0.00 | 1037 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Kona, VidipCMUSA+180.87.5 pts · #1
- 2Palathingal, RafaelCMUSA+80.05.5 pts · #7
- 3Xu, Zhihan (samuel)CMCAN+59.65.0 pts · #26
Top rating losers
- 1Harish, NeerajCMUSA-78.84.0 pts · #31
- 2Willy, StephenFMUSA-50.05.0 pts · #14
- 3Sang, TianFMUSA-35.64.5 pts · #20
Biggest upsets
- R6+608 Elo gap
- R1+605 Elo gap
- R4+466 Elo gap