Maryland Chess Association
The 2026 Maryland Sweet 16 will be held 2026.03.21-22. Since 1997 this annual, 2-day, invitational tournament has featured 16 of MD’s top scholastic (K-12) players competing for free in a separate section of an open tournament (for adults and youths) run by MD Chess—formerly of the UMBC Open, but of the Old Line Open since 2025. A link to the Old Line Open‘s tournament-announcement page is located under Major Open Tournaments in the upper, left-hand corner of MD Chess’s home page. The MD-Sweet-16 Champion will receive the MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship. Valued at $56,344 ($14,086 per year [2 semesters] x 4 years), this scholarship to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County covers tuition & fees, but not room & board. Incidentally, please note that there are several other types of UMBC Chess Scholarships for which high-school seniors from any state are eligible.
2026.02.18 (the 3rd Wednesday of February) is the DEADLINE for eligible players rated 1400+ who are interested in playing in the MD Sweet 16 to send an email to MD Chess at Tournaments@MDChess.com containing ONLY the following information and in this exact format:
- email subject: eligible 1400+ player interested in MD Sweet 16
- player’s name
- player’s US Chess ID #
- player’s US Chess rating (official or unofficial—whichever is higher; MD Chess will update it to the official March rating)
- player’s grade
- player’s email address (including 1-2 parents’ email addresses)
Players are encouraged to email MD Chess starting in September; however, players do NOT need to email MD Chess again if they are listed below in last year’s version of MD Sweet 16’s Roster of 16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, & All Backup Alternates. This year’s list might be updated periodically, as new 1400+ players email MD Chess. MD Chess will email official invitations to MS16 Qualifiers several days after the 3rd Wednesday of February, when players’ official US Chess ratings will have been determined in the March Ratings Supplement. Qualifiers are almost always rated 1400+, and champions are almost always experts (2000-2199) or masters (2200+). The names and ratings of all previous MS16 Champions are listed in the titles of the links to the MS16 crosstables far below under Recipients of the Annual MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship. Only eligible players who qualify for the MS16 may compete in it. For more details, see far below under MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules. Players may not purchase a registration for the tournament.
MD Sweet 16’s Roster of 16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, & All Backup Alternates—UPDATED 2026.03.05
Top 32 Eligible Players Rated 1400+ Who Expressed Interest in MD Sweet 16 by Emailing MD Chess at Tournaments@MDChess.com by 2026.02.18
| Y replied Yes | |||||
| blank not yet replied | |||||
| N replied No | |||||
| WB withdrawn for no reply & banned |
MS16 Page | Player Search | |||
| Seed | Status | 16 Qualifiers | US Chess Rating (Rating Table) |
US Chess ID | Grade |
| 1 | Y | Zlodorev, Alexander | 2192 | 17257303 | 11 |
| 2 | Y | Liu, Steven | 2161 | 30603409 | 6 |
| 3 | Y | Fedorov, Svetoslav | 2119 | 31479603 | 8 |
| 4 | Y | Yue, Andy | 2094 | 30030525 | 7 |
| 5 | Y | Thimmasamudram, Sandeep | 2065 | 16278356 | 9 |
| 6 | Y | Ramnath, Architsai | 2037 | 16946113 | 10 |
| 7 | Y | Wu, Eliot | 2003 | 15740871 | 12 |
| 8 | Y | Ghodgaonkar, Anirudh | 1986 | 16849974 | 8 |
| 9 | Y | Jiang, Caroline | 1923 | 31264605 | 10 |
| 10 | Y | Xu, Arthur | 1851 | 16879320 | 8 |
| 11 | Y | Sun, Eric | 1829 | 16550302 | 11 |
| 12 | Y | Kleese, Maximilian | 1819 | 30986987 | 11 |
| 13 | Y | Fang, Kevin | 1816 | 17113374 | 7 |
| 14 | Y | Gopi, Roshan | 1801 | 16442812 | 10 |
| 15 | Y | Liu, Caden | 1755 | 30149077 | 5 |
| 16 | Y | Sharma, Vishnu | 1736 | 16766498 | 9 |
| 2 Alternates | |||||
| 1 | Y | Yang, Aiden | 1732 | 15723841 | 12 |
| 2 | Y | Gong, Boaz | 1614 | 30905202 | 4 |
| All Backup Alternates | |||||
| 1 | Y | Jascourt, David | 1453 | 30650800 | 6 |
MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules
1. Qualifiers must be full-time students in grades K-12 who are currently enrolled in school or are home-schooled.
2. Qualifiers must be either residents of Maryland or non-residents of Maryland who attend a school in Maryland.
3. Qualifiers are the 16 players (excluding former MS16 Champions, who are ineligible to play again) with the highest official US Chess March ratings (according to the March Ratings Supplement, which is determined by unofficial ratings on the 3rd Wednesday of February). Official March ratings will be the determinative criterion, regardless of whether the MS16 will be held in late February or in early March. (The names and ratings of all previous MS16 Champions are listed in the links to the MS16 crosstables far below under Recipients of the Annual MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship.)
4. Qualifiers must have an established US Chess rating by the cutoff day (the 3rd Wednesday of February) for the tournament results that will determine a player's official rating in US Chess's March Ratings Supplement. This requirement prevents players from qualifying by rating based only on a provisional rating—worst-case scenario: after having played in only 4 Regular [≥ G30] US-Chess-rated games. (A provisional US Chess rating becomes an established US Chess rating immediately after the completion & submission of a player's 26th US-Chess-rated game.) No foreign rating (not even a FIDE rating) may be used as a substitute for an established US Chess rating.
5. Qualifiers must commit to playing in all 4 rounds of the MS16.
6. Qualifiers who do not intend to participate in all 4 rounds are required to email MD Chess in a sufficiently timely manner at Tournaments@MDChess.com. Failure to do so will result in the player being banned from participating in future MS16s—or from all of MD Chess's open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior.
MD-Sweet-16 Attendance Rules
1. The 16 Qualifiers must play in all 4 rounds.
2. The 2 Alternates are required to be in the Tournament Room at 10:30 AM, Saturday, ready to replace any Qualifier who were either to withdraw at the last minute or not show up for Round 1. MD Chess will pay for the 2 Alternates' entrance fee to the Old Line Open, in 1 of the 3-day, upper sections that run concurrently with the MS16—excluding the Friday night round. In case a Qualifier were to withdraw from a later round of the MS16, MD Chess prefers (but will not require) that the 2 MS16 Alternates play in every round of the Old Line Open that overlaps with a round of the MS16.
3. Backup Alternates are not required to be on site at any time, and MD Chess will not cover their entrance fee to the Old Line Open. MD Chess will contact a MS16 Backup Alternate shortly before the MS16 only if the Backup Alternate were needed to replace a withdrawn Alternate.
Typically each year there are 1+ Qualifiers and 1+ Alternates who do not play in the MS16. Consequently, typically each year 1+ Alternates becomes a Qualifier, and 1+ Backup Alternates becomes an Alternate.
The archive of MS16 articles is available via the MS16 tab (which is nestled within the Scholastic-Tournament-Info tab) in the sidebar on the left-hand side of MD Chess's home page.
Within 48 hours of being informed by email of their MD-Sweet-16 status, the Roster of 16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, & All Backup Alternates must inform MD Chess by email at Tournaments@MDChess.com whether they are willing to commit either to playing in all 4 rounds of the tournament (if they have qualified or were to qualify for it), or to being in the Tournament Room at 10:30 AM, Saturday, ready to replace any withdrawn or no-show Qualifiers (if they are or were to become 1 of the 2 Alternates). Any of the 16 Qualifiers or 2 Alternates who is unable and/or unwilling to commit to serving as a Qualifier, Alternate, or Backup Alternate, must inform MD Chess by email. Any Qualifier, Alternate, or Backup Alternate who fails to inform MD Chess within 48 hours of the player's unwillingness to commit to serving as a Qualifier, Alternate, or Backup Alternate, will be banned from participating in future MS16s—or from all of MD Chess's open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. All Qualifiers who accept MD Chess's invitation to compete in the MS16 must commit to playing all 4 rounds because each game will affect tiebreaks & pairings. Absent a medical emergency or other extraordinary circumstance (such as a death in the family), a Qualifier who commits to participating in the MS6 but fails to play in all 4 rounds, will be banned from participating in future MS16s—or from all of MD Chess's open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. The 2 Alternates must commit to being on site by 10:30 AM on Saturday, ready to replace any Qualifier who withdraws or is a no-show. Absent a medical emergency or other extraordinary circumstance (such as a death in the family), an Alternate who commits to being on site by 10:30 AM on Saturday but fails to fulfill that commitment, will be banned from participating in future MS16s—or from all of MD Chess's open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. MD Chess encourages the 2 Alternates to play for free on Saturday & Sunday in 1 of the 3-day, upper sections of the Old Line Open (which run concurrently with the MS16—excluding the Friday night round), in case 1+ of the Qualifiers were unable to play in a subsequent round. Please note that unlike the MS16, the Old Line Open offers cash prizes. After 10:30 AM on Saturday, if an Alternate is not needed as a substitute to play in Round 1 of the MS16, then the Alternate should inform an Old Line Open TD whether the player wants to play in the Old Line Open for free. MD Chess will then register for free either or both Alternates who want to play in the Old Line Open. (Alternates should not be registered online for the Old Line Open.)
Qualifiers' & Alternates' replies to MD Chess by email should employ this format:
Player commits to playing all 4 rounds: YES or NO
Player’s name
Player’s grade
Player's and/or parent's email address(es)
Player's and/or parent's mobile phone #(s)
Player’s home address (include zip code, etc.)
Player’s residential county (Baltimore City is a county equivalent. If the player lives out of state, then list the player's school's county.)
Player’s school (also include HS, MS, EMS, ES, or S)
Player’s school (also include HS, MS, EMS, ES, or S)
(The Director of UMBC’s Chess Program, Alan T. Sherman, requires all of this information.)
After the Roster of 16 Qualifiers & 2 Alternates is final, MD Chess will email those 18 players & all Backup Alternates. Players do NOT need to communicate further with MD Chess.
After MD Chess has notified the players that the Roster is final, if a Qualifier or Alternate will not be in the Tournament Room at 10:30 AM on Saturday, then the player must contact EVERYONE below immediately by email and/or text:
- MD Chess & MD Chess Scholastic Director John Rockefeller: Tournaments@MDChess.com
- MD-Sweet-16 Section Chief Tournament Director, Supplies-&-Trophies Deliverer, & MD Chess President Chris Kim: CYSKim@gmail.com, 410.794.6312 (M)
- Old Line Open Chief Tournament Director Mike Regan: MRegan@stsci.edu, 410.419.5130 (M)
- Old Line Open Assistant Chief Tournament Director Brent Layer: BrentLayer@gmail.com, 240.426.5477 (M)
Check the Rockville Hilton's website if you have a concern about a hypothetical site closing because of dangerous weather, etc.
MD Chess will provide boards, pieces, increment clocks, & scoresheets for all players in the MD Sweet 16. (Nonetheless, each player should bring a digital clock that supports increment as a backup, in case the batteries in 1 of MD Chess's clocks run out of power.) The MS16’s time control is G90 +30 (which might differ from the Old Line Open’s time control) because MD Chess wants elite scholastic players to have the opportunity to compete in games with the same increment time control used at most U.S. Open Invitationals run during the beginning of US Chess’s U.S. Open:
- John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions
—for which MD’s Senior (50+) State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High-School State Champions
—for which MD’s High-School State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions
—for which MD’s Girl State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle-School State Champions
—for which MD’s Middle-School State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary-School State Champions
—for which MD’s Elementary-School State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - GM Maurice Ashley National Tournament of K-3 State Champions
—for which MD’s K-3 State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - Paul Morphy National Tournament of K-1 State Champions—starting by 2030
—for which MD’s K-1 State Champion will receive MD Chess’s $750 stipend - FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions—exception: G3 +2
Furthermore, increment time controls are the international standard, as determined by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
MD Sweet 16: Tournament Site
Rockville Hilton
Monroe room (next to 2 skittles rooms: Wilson & Truman)
SATURDAY
10:30 AM—Monroe room (next to 2 skittles rooms: Wilson & Truman): Mandatory check-in for all 16 Qualifiers & the 2 Alternates who have committed to being on site. A withdrawn or no-show Qualifier will be replaced by the top Alternate. If 1+ of the 2 Alternates will not be playing in the MS16, then the Alternate should tell an Old Line Open Tournament Director whether the Alternate plans to play for free in 1 of the 3-day, upper sections of the Old Line Open, which run concurrently with the MS16—excluding the Friday night round. (MD Chess encourages the Alternates to play in the Old Line Open both on Saturday and on Sunday, in case 1+ of the Qualifiers were unable to play in a subsequent round. Moreover, note that unlike the MS16, the Old Line Open offers cash prizes.) MD Chess will then register either or both Alternates who want to play in the Old Line Open. (Alternates should not be registered online for the Old Line Open.)
10:45 AM—Photo taken of MS16 players for MD Chess's home page
10:55 AM—Announcements from an Old Line Open TD
11:00 AM—Round 1
5:30 PM—Round 2 (*)
SUNDAY
(Click here to see whether Daylight Savings Time begins today—that is, whether the time advances 1 hour at 2 AM)
9:30 AM—Round 3
2:45 PM—Round 4 (*)
* For Rounds 2 & 4 only, players may start their game up to 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, as long as all of the following conditions are met:
- the MS16’s previous round has been completed,
- the MS16’s next round’s pairings have been posted,
- both players agree to start early.
Playing at the Tournament
-
NEW SINCE 2026—The tournament follows FIDE rules and is both FIDE-rated and US-Chess-rated. Please study this summary of the differences between FIDE and US Chess rules.
-
FIDE Laws of Chess
- Tournament Announcements before Round 1 & Section Schedules
- Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at a MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
- MD Chess Scholastic Variations from US-Chess Rules: $20 fine for forfeiting a round; if players are not using a clock in a game with an increment time control of 10+ seconds, & if that game has lasted longer than the sum of the 2 players' base times, then a TD will add a clock set to G5 d5; etc.
- Increment Time Control
- Anti-Cheating Measures:
- Even when More Than 1 Player in a Section Can Achieve a Perfect Score, There Will Be No Major Variations; However, There Might Be Minor Variations. The following might be changed for any section, according to the number of players in the section: whether there are natural pairings (the norm at a Swiss-system tournament) or accelerated pairings in Rounds 1-2, and the number of trophies. In the rare instance of a section having an exceptionally low turnout, it might be merged with another section.
- US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 7th Edition (2019—updated for 2024)
- US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 7th Edition (2019—updated for 2026) (Search for rules & terms in the free downloadable version 7.0, comprised of only the most consulted chapters.)
- US Chess's Rulebook Changes (updated annually)
- US Chess's National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations 2025-2026 (Note that these regulations apply only to the 7+ scholastic tournaments run by US Chess. They do not apply automatically to scholastic tournaments run by MD Chess and are listed here only for purposes of comparison with MD Chess's Scholastic Variations from US Chess's Rules.)
- Current Standings: Individuals & Teams (live results updated every 60 seconds)
At 12 AM on Sunday, this tournament-announcement page might disappear from the top of MD Chess's home page; however, the page can still be accessed. On the lower, left side of MD Chess's home page, click on MD Chess's calendar. Click on By Month (at the top of the page) to display all tournaments within a month. Click on All Categories (at the bottom of the page) to display all types of tournaments (major & minor scholastic tournaments, major & minor open tournaments)—as well as chess camps. Navigate to & click on the desired tournament.
Although the ratings in US Chess’s March Supplement will be used to determine the 16 Qualifiers & 2 Alternates, the Old Line Open's BackRoom TD will use the US Chess Supplement of whatever month in which the tournament will be held (February or March) to determine MS16 pairings.
Clocks must be arranged to face in the same direction, in case multiple games are in time trouble and a TD wants to watch the clocks. Therefore, if Black does not wish for the clock to be on Black's right, then Black must rotate the board accordingly.
Spectators (parents & players) will be allowed in the Tournament Room to observe games. However, spectators will NOT be allowed to camp out (remain in 1 space) in the Tournament Room for the vast majority of a round. US Chess rules prohibit spectators from making any comments or from distracting any player during a game. If a player considers a spectator to be distracting, then the player should pause the clock and find a TD to handle the situation. If a spectator’s mobile phone makes a disturbing noise in the Tournament Room, then the spectator will be expelled from the Tournament Room for the remainder of the tournament.
16 Awards: 1 Trophy & 15 Plaques
Recipients of the Annual MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship
- US Chess’s Crosstables for All of MD Chess’s Tournaments
- 28. 2025 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Siddharth Ajay Kurup, 2060
- 27. 2024 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Nitesh Cherukuri, 2159
- 26. 2023 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Carissa Angela Zheng, 2045
- 25. 2022 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Bijan Tahmassebi, 2279—no UMBC Open (COVID-19)
- …….2021 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: ...............None...............—no UMBC Open (COVID-19)
- 24. 2020 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Benjamin E. Shoykhet, 2084
- 23. 2019 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Jason S. Daniels, 2187
- 22. 2018 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Sahil Sinha, 2355
- 21. 2017 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Richard T. Tan, 2097
- 20. 2016 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Pieter Heesters, 2003
- 19. 2015 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Alexander Davydov, 2087
- 18. 2014 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Jerry Wu, 1944
- 17. 2013 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Andrew Zheng, 2100
- 16. 2012 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Ramanuja Sreenivasan, 2004
- 15. 2011 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Jeffrey E. Chang, 1911
- 14. 2010 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Kevin Wang, 2206
- 13. 2009 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: David G. Kaufman, 1932
- 12. 2008 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Ian Schoch, 2019
- 11. 2007 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Alex Solomon Barnett, 2255
- 10. 2006 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Scott T. Low, 1881
- 09. 2005 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Shinsaku Uesugi, 1801
- 08. 2004 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Raghu Rajaram, 1713
- 07. 2003 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Zhi-Ya Hu, 1992
- 06. 2002 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Matthew J. Harding, 1790
- 05. 2001 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Eric Ma, 1806
- 04. 2000 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Aleksandr Bardakh, 1643
- 03. 1999 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: John Rouleau, 2006
- 02. 1998 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Yu Zhong Lu, 2059
- 01. 1997 MD-Sweet-16 Champion: Ray Kaufman, 1958
- 00. 1996 MD HS Champion: Mikhail Tsibulevsky, 2081
- 00. 1995 MD HS Champion: Eddie Tsibulevsky, 2050
The MD Sweet 16 has included K-9 players since its inaugural run in 1997, and it has excluded former MD-Sweet-16 Champions since 2002. Competition for the UMBC Chess Scholarship was restricted to HS players until 1996.
Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at a MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
P20. If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize can be divided and shared, then it will be. (For example, a title like MD Scholastic Chess Champion or a stipend for travel to a national tournament can be divided and shared.) If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize cannot be divided and shared, then a tiebreak procedure will determine the winner. (For example, trophies, the MD-Sweet-16 Scholarship to UMBC, and the opportunity to be MD’s sole representative at the GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High-School State Champions cannot be divided and shared.)
P20A. Format for Determining a Champion, when there is a Tie for First Place at the MD Sweet 16
If there is a tie for first place, then the MD Sweet 16 Scholarship to UMBC will not be divided and shared between those tied for first place, because there is only 1 scholarship.
If there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion. The player who is ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament’s scheduled final round, chooses color. If the player chooses White, then he plays G15 +5 (where Black plays with 5 fewer minutes: G10 +5) and can win only by the standard means of winning: checkmate, winning on time, etc. If Black draws White, however, then White loses, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes. If the player chooses Black, then he plays G10 +5 (where White plays with 5 more minutes: G15 +5) and can win with a draw against White, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes.
P20B. If there is a tie for first place among 3+ players, then a double round robin of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff will determine the champion. (In a single round robin, each player plays 1 game against each opponent; conversely, in a double round robin, each player plays 2 games [both as White and as Black] against each opponent.)
- After the double round robin of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then they play 1 round of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.
- After the double round robin of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie for first place among 3+ players, then the 2 players who finished ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament’s initially scheduled final round, play 1 round of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.
[US Chess requires Blitz games to be at least G5 and no more than G10. But that applies to a Blitz tournament or a tournament with a Blitz section, not to a Blitz playoff at the end of a tournament with longer time controls. So, if there’s a tie for first place after the final round at the MD Scholastic Chess Championships, then even a standard FIDE Blitz game (G3 +2) would be a viable option for determining the MD Scholastic Chess Champions.]
How MD Chess Determines the Individual Winner of a Section when There’s a Tie for First Place
MD Chess's Social-Media Profiles
If the tournament were to be rescheduled or canceled, then MD Chess would contact players (by email and/or text) and post an announcement at the top of this tournament-announcement page. The tournament will proceed as planned, if MD Chess neither contacts you, nor posts an announcement about a rescheduling or cancelation. Please do not contact MD Chess about a site's hypothetical closing because of dangerous weather, etc. A site closing would be announced separately by the site. Click on the tournament site’s link far above.
For more information about the tournament, contact MD Chess at Tournaments@MDChess.com.