Independence Day Weekend Wrap-Up

Editor’s note: Since becoming Digital Editor for Chess Life Online, I have dreamt of publishing more regular wrap-ups of the sorts of events that are eligible for our Plan Ahead Calendar (as well as invitational tournaments).

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18th Annual Philadelphia International

Games | Results | Official Website | MSA

It is becoming increasingly common for major events to schedule norm invitationals before or after the open, as to attract more titled players (see the Independence Day events below). This way, these players get more games without having to plan a totally separate trip. What’s not to love?

But Continental Chess Association does things differently in Philadelphia. From June 26 through 30 — before the World Open begins on July 2 — the Philadelphia International is an open Swiss System event aimed at attracting titled players with the promise of norm opportunities without limiting participants to a fixed number.

After taking byes in the first two rounds, GM Awonder Liang roared back to claim clear first with a 7½/9 score, yielding only a draw to IM Josiah Stearman to go along with his six victories. Of these, his win over IM Alex Ostrovskiy in round 7 was a spirited, imbalanced affair, and his last-round win over IM Craig Hilby clinched his first-place finish:

Liang’s victory netted him $6,200 for clear first. Entering the round, several players could have caught up to Liang if he drew (including his opponent), while a win would clinch clear first. After Liang, 11 players finished in a tie for second with 6½/9 scores, each earning $981.82 for their efforts.

This year, 121 players competed in the single section nine-round event, with the vast majority of participants rated well over 2000 thanks to the event’s tiered pricing structure. The high ratings of the participants, along with the international mix of players suggested by the event’s title, made it more possible for participants to earn norms than at a typical open event.

According to the event page, five players earned norms as a result of this structure. FM Henry Deng (6/9), FM Ryan Sun (6½/9), and Evan Sammons (5½/9, 2196 FIDE at the event’s start) each earned IM norms, while FM Rose Atwell (5/9) and WFM Jasmine Su (5½/9) each earned WIM norms.

This was a huge victory for the youth, as both Atwell and Deng were coming off top-half finishes in the 2025 US Cadet Championship. While Su and Sun did not compete in the Under-16 tournament, both are still eligible by age. This means that, of the quintet, only Sammons, whose 2006 birthdate makes him Jurassic, if not outright “prehistoric” in GM Sam Shankland’s taxonomy,  is over the age of 16.

53rd Annual World Open

Games | Results | Official Website | MSA

The World Open saw over 1,100 chess players head to downtown Philadelphia for the holiday weekend, including 223 in the top section from July 2 through 6. The storied event featured a cross table packed with former World Open champions, U.S. Open champions, National Scholastic champions, and a total of 18 GMs.

GM Bharath Subramniyam H took clear first in the open with an undefeated 7½/9 score. For those unfamiliar with Subramniyam’s game, ChessBase India has featured several of his accomplishments, including his win over GM Vincent Keymer in the 2023 FIDE World Rapid Championship.

Curiously, the talented 17-year-old from India only had to face one GM the whole event, drawing Colombian GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso in round 6. This capped off a three-game drawing streak for Subramniyam, giving him slightly lower-rated pairings than his closest competitors in the final rounds. As a result, a pair of sharp victories over IMs Nico Werner Chasin and Samrug Narayanan allowed him to leap a host of other grandmasters in the standings en route to his $20,500 payday.

Four players tied for second with 7/9 scores: GMs Jeffery Xiong, Jianchao Zhou, Robby Kevlishvili, and Razvan Preotu. Each grandmaster earned $4,700 for their efforts. The tournament also featured generous “Under” prizes in the open section, with eligibility determined by FIDE ratings. Of these prizewinners, FM Gabriel Petesch and WFM Rachael Li each won $5,000 for claiming clear first for players rated between 2200-2299 and Under-2200 FIDE, respectively.

For those planning to compete over next year’s holiday weekend, remember that the 2026 World Open (and corresponding International) will be in Washington, D.C.

2nd Annual Independence Day Norm Invitational

Games | Results | Official Website | MSA

In 2024, the Atlantic Chess Association adapted the aforementioned strategy of hosting a norm event before a major open, and this year they repeated the strategy in Dulles, VA. Held from June 27 through July 1, the ten-player IM Norm Round Robin featured three foreign GMs alongside a host of talented juniors.

Czech GM Vojtech Plat and Hungarian GM Gabor Nagy tied for first with 7/9, while Israeli GM Tal Baron and Indian FM Vaibhav Kalpaka tied for third with 6/9 scores. Kalpaka was in contention for an IM norm until the last round, when a tough loss against Nagy saw him come up just short of the norm despite going 6/6 against his fellow norm-seekers.

Kalpaka’s dynamic play provided a number of entertaining games, both in victory and defeat:

IA GP Sinha was the chief arbiter and NA Jack Scheible was the deputy arbiter for this event.

3rd Annual Independence Day Open

Games | Official Website | MSA

The Atlantic Chess Association offered a strong open in the Mid-Atlantic for the third year running, also from July 2 through 6. A total of 53 players competed, with 37 in the Under-2300 section and 16 in the open. Israeli GM Tal Baron claimed clear first with a 7/9 score, a half-point ahead of GMs Vojtech Plat and Gabor Nagy.

For those keeping track: Yes, those are the same three grandmasters who competed in the Norm Invitational the week prior! In a bit of musical chairs, Baron finished behind his two colleagues in the first tournament, but ahead of them here thanks in large part to his head-to-head victory over Plat in round 5:

Another familiar name atop the standings was FM Vaibhav Kalpaka, who again finished behind only the trio of GMs in the standings, claiming clear fourth with a 6/9 score. This time, however, Kalpaka got revenge over Plat with a win in round 6 and semi-revenge over both Baron and Nagy by holding them each to a draw.

With 18 FIDE rated games over just 10 days, the amount of fighting chess produced on the top boards is a testament to the players’ fighting spirit. It is also a huge success for the organizers, allowing for players in the D.C. area to get opportunities to play strong opponents without having to travel over a holiday weekend.