Round 2 in 2026 Maryland Sweet 16 Completed

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By Chris Y Kim

March 21, 2026

Round 2 of the 2026 Maryland Sweet 16 has been completed with a very competitive field. This is the second year the tournament has been held outside of UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County); again this year it is held in conjunction with the MCA Old Line Open tournament in the Hilton Rockville/Washington DC Hotel in Rockville, MD.

Thank you to all the players and parents who came to participate in this year's Maryland Sweet 16. Below are the Brief Standings after Round 2; and the Pairings for Round 3. Round 3 starts at 9:30AM Sunday.

Brief Standings (Rating order)

2.0 - Alexander Zlodorev (2192); CM Steven Liu (2161); Sandeep Thimmasamudram (2065)

1.5 - Svetoslav Fedorov (2119); Roshan Gopi (1801)

1.0 - Eliot Wu (2003)  Caroline Jiang (1826); Maximilian Kleese (1819); Kevin Fang (1816); Vishnu Sharma (1736)

0.5 - Andy Yue (2094); Architsai Ramnath (2037); Arthur Xu (1851); Eric Sun (1829);

0.0 - Anirudh Ghodgaonkar (1986); Caden Liu (1755)

Pairings - Round 3 (Sunday 3/8/2025 9:30am) - White listed first

Board 1: Alexander Zlodorev (2.0) - CM Steven Liu (2.0)

Board 2: Sandeep Thimmasamudram (2.0) - Svetoslav Fedorov (1.5) 

Board 3: Caroline Jiang (1.0) - Roshan Gopi (1.5)

Board 4: Kevin Fang (1.0) - Eliot Wu (1.0)

Board 5:  Maximilian Kleese  Go (1.0) - Vishnu Sharma (1.0)

Board 6: Eric Sun (0.5) - Andy Yue (0.5)

Board 7: Arthur Xu (0.5) - Architsai Ramnath (0.5)

Board 8: Caden Liu (0.0) - Anirudh Ghodgaonkar (0.0)

MD State Reps. Flourish at U.S. Open Invitationals 2025

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by John D. Rockefeller V

Congratulations to Maryland’s state representatives at the U.S. Open Invitationals 2025, held during the U.S. Open 2025:

• IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2394) finished 13^th in the John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior (50+) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Irwin Stipend of $750. See the Irwin Final Standings & Crosstables.
• Anish Mariappan (2108) finished 12^th in the GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High-School (9-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Denker Stipend of $750. See the Denker Final Standings & Crosstables.
• Caroline Jiang (1936) finished 9^th in the WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls (K-12) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Haring Stipend of $750. See the Haring Final Standings & Crosstables.
• Siddharth Kurup (2164) finished 31^st in the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle-School (6-8) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Barber Stipend of $750. See the Barber Final Standings & Crosstables.
• CM Steven Liu (2134) finished 15^th in the John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary-School (K-5) State Champions and will receive MD Chess's Rockefeller Stipend of $750. See the Rockefeller Final Standings & Crosstables.

Maryland’s team finished 14^th. See the U.S. Open Invitationals’ State Team Final Standings.

Maryland’s players were eligible to compete in the optional FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions. Separated into 5 sections by rating, players competed against state representatives from any of the U.S. Open Invitationals—regardless of age, grade, or gender. See the Weeramantry Final Standings & Crosstables.

US Chess posted 10 in-depth articles about the U.S. Open 2025 & U.S. Open Invitationals 2025.

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Siddharth Kurup wins 2025 Maryland Sweet 16 in Rapid Armageddon Playoff!

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By Chris Y Kim

Siddharth Kurup won the 2025 Maryland Sweet 16 held at the Rockville Hilton this evening. He won a Rapid Armageddon playoff match against Svetoslav Fedorov. He is an 8th grader from Robert Frost Middle School in Montgomery County.

Rest of article to follow.

Round 2 in 2025 Maryland Sweet 16 Completed

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By Chris Y Kim

Round 2 of the 2024 Maryland Sweet 16 has been completed with a very competitive field. This is the first year the tournament has been held outside of UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County); this year it is held in conjunction with the MCA Old Line Open tournament in the Rockville Hilton Hotel in Rockville, MD. This year's leaders includes two players with Russian backgrounds. We had our first withdrawal due to medical illness after the first round - Eliot Wu had to withdraw due to fever. Krish Ghosh (one of the alternates) will fill in for Rounds 3-4.

Thank you to all the players and parents who came to participate in this year's Maryland Sweet 16. Below are the Brief Standings after Round 2; and the Pairings for Round 3. Round 3 starts at 9:30AM Sunday - watch out for Daylight Saving Time, which will push the clock forward Sunday morning  at 2 AM to 3 AM.

Brief Standings (Rating order)

2.0 - Alexander Zlodorev (2079); Siddharth Kurup (2053); Svetoslav Fedorov (1916)

1.5 - Sandeep Thimmasamudram (1892)

1.0 - Anish Mariappan (2109); Brandon Chen (2080);  Andy Yue (1931); Sherlock Grigsby II (1887); Ari Bershak (1804); Kevin Fang (1800); Jordan Go (1794); Matthew Zhou (1777)

0.5 - Eliot Wu (1919) - Withdraw;  Angelina Verma (1855); Gabriel Joshi (1843);  Caden Liu (1626)

0.0 - Architsai Ramnath (1994); Devesh Cherukuri (1871); Caroline Jiang (1826); Krish Ghosh (1681) - Alternate

Pairings - Round 3 (Sunday 3/8/2025 9:30am) - White listed first

Board 1: Alexander Zlodorev (2.0) - Siddharth Kurup (2.0)

Board 2: Svetoslav Fedorov (2.0) - Sandeep Thimmasamudram (1.5)

Board 3: Anish Mariappan (1.0) - Ari Bershak (1.0)

Board 4: Kevin Fang (1.0) - Brandon Chen (1.0)

Board 5:  Jordan Go (1.0) - Andy Yue (1.0)

Board 6: Sherlock Grigsby II (1.0) - Matthew Zhou (1.0)

Board 7: Architsai Ramnath (0.0) - Devesh Cherukuri (0.0)

Board 8: Caroline Jiang (0.0) - Krish Ghosh (0.0)

62nd Annual Baltimore Open Final Standings and Prizes

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SwissSys Report: 62nd Annual Baltimore Open