Rahul Peddi Wins 12th Washington International

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The 12th Annual Washington International tournament saw 268 players compete across three sections in Rockville, Maryland, from August 9 through 13.

In the Championship section, University of Texas at Dallas graduate student GM Rahul Srivatshav Peddi took clear first with 7½/9 ahead of a stacked field of 114 players. With a minimum FIDE rating of 2000 (or a US Chess rating of 2200) required, 71 players boasted FIDE titles, including 18 grandmasters. The event was organized by the Maryland Chess Association, with NTD Michael W. Regan serving as Chief TD.

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University of Texas at Dallas's Rahul Peddi won on demand with the black pieces to clinch clear first in Rockville. (Photo courtesy of the organizers)

With draws to familiar scholastic all-stars IM Eric Liu and CM Ethan Guo in rounds 3 and 4, respectively, Peddi ended up not having to face another GM until round 7. At that point, Peddi was one of six players (five GMs and IM Liam Henry Putnam) tied for the lead with 5/6. Despite having to face three GMs in consecutive rounds, Peddi was the only player in that group of six to score more than 2/3, claiming clear first by going 2½3 against the “gauntlet” GMs David Brodsky, Andrew Tang, and Hedinn Steingrimsson.

Taking place just before the start of the 2025-26 school year, a number of familiar names from this year’s National Championships, National Invitational Tournaments of State Champions, and SuperNationals VIII filled out the cross table, including GM Abhimanyu Mishra (tied for fourth), IM Alice Lee (tied for 13th), and FM Bryan Enming Lin (also tied for 13th). With some players scaling back the number of tournaments they play during the school year, this was a great chance to see top scholastic players in action against more experienced competitors.

Maybe it was the August heat, but this tournament produced a remarkable amount of fighting chess on the top boards. The games included below do not tell the whole story, and many more will be the subject of future Tactics Tuesday and Wednesday Workout features.

The top of the standings was far from a scholastic affair, with Peddi (age 22) finishing a half-point ahead of GM Jianchao Zhou (age 37) and GM Andrew Tang (age 25) in the final standings. With a $25,000 guaranteed prize fund, Peddi took home $7,000 while Zhou and Tang earned $2,625 apiece.

While no players earned norms, Colorado’s Sullivan McConnell came close to an IM norm with a 2465 performance rating for his 6½/9 score. McConnell joined four GMs and five IMs in the tie for fourth place, earning $1,250 for the Under-2350 class prize while the other players each earned $1,053.13.

New York’s Lin, who finished in a tie for second in the K-8 Championship section of SuperNationals VIII and Kentucky’s John Abraham, who tied for third in this year’s Dewain Barber National Invitational Tournament of Middle School State Champions, won the Under-2200 (going by FIDE ratings) class prizes of $1,200 and $750, respectively. 

Full results can be found on MSA and chess-results.com, and the prize distribution can be found here. The organizers also shared a link to a photo gallery from the event.