I played the 125th US Open!
The US Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States. In 2025, the 125th US Open was held in Madison, WI, with over 500 participants playing nine rounds across three format schedules. The Invitationals were held simultaneously for the High School, Middle School, Girls, Elementary School, and Senior Champions of each state, and as a result the venue was packed with hundreds of players each day. Some of the best youth players and top grandmasters in the nation came to play, as well as some international players from different countries.
For the first time ever, I played the US Open. This was my first National tournament and I had been looking forward to this for weeks before the event. I played the four-day schedule and the US Open National Blitz Championship across four days, with many amazing results and incredible encounters. Buckle up, 'cause this gets wild!
Table of Contents:
- Overview of the event.
- Day 1: Four games against the world's elite.
- Day 2: Victory, but at what cost?
- Day 3: Blitz against GM, classical against NM.
- Day 4: Never resign.
- Conclusions.
Overview of the event.
Before we dive into the chess, let's take a look at the US Open. This tournament has been running since 1900 (when it was called the Western Open) and officially became known as the US Open in 1939. The format, attendance, and number of rounds has varied throughout the years, but for the past ten or so years the US Open has been nine rounds across seven days with options for a more condensed schedule. Many of the best Grandmasters in the world have played, and the record number of players was 836 during the 1983 Open held at Pasadena, California.
I played the four-day schedule for better timing, as it meant the tournament would only take four days as opposed to seven. The four-day schedule has you play the first six games with a time control of G60d5 (60 minutes for the whole game with a five second delay) and then you merge with the rest of the pack to play the final three games. The last games are all played together with the rest of the players who chose longer schedules and the time control is 100/40, SD30, +30s. That's 100 minutes from the start, and then at move 40 you get an extra 30 minutes added to your clock, AND there's a 30 second increment from move 1. That's a long time for a single game!
I also signed up for the blitz tournament on Saturday. The blitz is a 7 (double) round Swiss Open with a time control of 5+0. Flagging is common across the 14 games and the competition is fierce!
So my schedule across the four days looked like this:
- Day 1: Play four games of 60d5 classical.
- Day 2: Play two games of 60d5 classical and one longer game of classical.
- Day 3: Play the blitz tournament and one long game.
- Day 4: Play the final long game.
Day 1: Four games against the world's elite.
July 31, 2025: 8:30 AM. I drove into the beautiful capital of Wisconsin with my wonderful mother, my brother and cousin (who also played the US Open and blitz), and a whole lot of excitement. We checked into the hotel, and started preparing for the first round. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but I knew I would have to play my very best no matter the rating of my opponent. 13 Grandmasters registered for the US Open 2025, and the top seed was GM Daniel Naroditsky. The first game started at 10:00 AM and I was playing a 1300 rated opponent named Mitchell. After some time to get into the "zone", I sat down, listened to the TDs explain the rules, and played my first move in the US Open.
One for one! A well-played game, not perfect, but enough to get the job done. There was quite a bit of time afterward to discuss and relax since the second game started at 15:00. I had some lunch, hung around with my family, and mostly watched the proverbial "paint dry", just waiting for the next game.
After all of the results came in for Round 1, I looked at the standings for the four-day section and noticed something extraordinary. I was almost exactly in the middle of the pack of players who had won their first game. If you're familiar with Swiss pairings, you'll know what this means. I was going to play one of the top seeds, one of the highest rated players that were 1/1. Remember when I told you that multiple GMs had registered? Well, there were quite a few that played the four-day, and believe it or not, I was hoping against hope that I would play Naroditsky. I checked the standings, and noticed the colours worked out for me to play Naroditsky, and my placement in the standings meant I would either play Naroditsky or the third seed GM. After a nail-biting time of waiting, the pairings came out for Round 2. I was playing Polish-American Grandmaster Dariusz Swiercz on board 3.
Wow! I've played many GMs online, and as of the time of this writing I've managed to beat 10 in total (not counting variants)!! But I've never met or played them in person, and now I'm playing one in classical. I have the black pieces, and I'm playing the youngest Polish player to ever achieve the title of Grandmaster. Swiercz became a GM at the age of 14 years and seven months and won the World Junior Chess Championship in 2011.
What opening do you think I decided to play? Go ahead, take a guess. Did you get it?
I lost, but I learned. That's the most important thing about chess: you may lose, but you must learn. Defeats are inevitable, but the truly great players learn from them and come back stronger.
I don't accept defeat. It's time to fight, not to sit back and cry about a loss that I was likely to lose anyway.
Game 3. Time to play chess. In Round 3 I was paired against a 1400 rated player named Minh. Never underestimate someone because of their rating; this game was no cakewalk. The round started at 7:00 PM local time, and the energy drinks and electric atmosphere was kicking in. Let's roll!
Well, that was tough. I was winning, then losing, then in the end won, because he flagged. It was not the smooth win I was hoping for, but a win is a win and I will take them however they come.
After some time to relax and restore my energy, I got ready for the final game. The four-day schedule has the unenviable task of playing a game that starts at 10:00 PM and on top of that I was paired against another top player: NM Julian.
I was Black again and was ready to play well. Despite the late hours, I felt energized and up to the challenge.
This was the lowest point of the tournament for me. Coming so close, a move or two away from a draw, only to panic and blunder it all away at the last second. After the game, I felt low, and I did some soul-searching until 1:00 AM, trying to figure out why this had happened, why I had blundered, and what I could do next. Around 12:47 in the morning, I searched up some Bible verses about depression and plans, and I found one that resonated.
God knows the plans He has for me, and all I have to do is trust Him to take care of me. Refreshed by that knowledge, I fell asleep and prepared for a big day tomorrow.
Day 2: Victory, but at what cost?
August 1st, 11:00 AM. Round 5 started at 12:00 noon, with the same time control of G60d5. After getting five to six hours of sleep, I was rested and ready for the second day of chess! I hung out with my family and friends for most of the morning, did a light workout in the hotel exercise room, and travelled to the playing hall with plenty of time to spare. For Game 5, I had the White pieces against a 1600 named Alistair. Going into this game, I threw most of my preparation out of the window and just played what I knew, a simple Nimzo that turned positional. Here's how it went.
That didn't exactly settle me down, since I had kind of swindled my way into a third win. But a win is a win, and I'll take them however they come.
After some sustenance in the form of a hot chicken sandwich, I was ready to play my final game in the four-day schedule. After this game, all of the sections would merge and the time control would change, as would the pairings going forward.
Game 6 was different. It defied the patterns set so far. First off, I was playing a young player named Aarud, who would gain exactly 130 rating points by the end of this tournament. Pattern #1: So far the level of my opponents has been 'low rating' 'high rating' 'low rating' 'high rating'. This was a back-to-back pairing of lower rated opponents, which I was glad to see.
Pattern #2: So far in every single game I've played, White has won. Check it for yourself! Will this game be any different?
Yes it will! I have now won a game with Black, and the four-day schedule is over. Next game starts at 7:00 PM and the time control is G100/40, SD30, +30s. You start off with 100 minutes, with a 30 second increment from move 1, and on move 40 you get an extra 30 minutes.
4/6 so far! Time for a long game. After the pairings came out, I found out I was playing an 1800 rated gentleman named Senthil. I had the black pieces for a second game, and after the TDs explained the new rules, I sat down and got to work.
Whew! What a game. A solid middlegame where I was worse, but then transposed into a tactic filled endgame that I got the better of. Now I'm 5/7, two games left. I fell asleep at 11:00 PM at night, and got some rest.
Victory, but at no significant cost.
Day 3: Blitz against GM, classical against NM.
The title may spoil it a bit, but you'll find out anyway. It's Saturday!!!!
Besides just having another long game, this was also the day of the US Open Blitz Championship. It's a seven (double) round Swiss tournament with a time control of 5+0, and I had been looking forward to this since the start!
Blitz recap: US Open Championship Blitz
I played a total of 14 games and in the interests of time, I'll be brief. I'll focus on the important ones, and skim over the less important games.
Round 1: I started off the tournament against a 1200 rated player named Sameer. The time control being 5+0, the potential for flagging is huge and chess skill is somewhat thrown out of the window. Fortunately, the first round of the blitz gave me a chance to warm up against a relatively easier opponent.
In both games, I quickly established an advantage and won with a tactical flourish. Warm-up complete.
Round 2: I played Grandmaster Andrew Hong. Yep, that's right. I missed out on playing Danya again, this time by one board. I played on board 2, and started off my blitz journey against Mr. Hong by playing 1... a6.
He immediately started pressuring me, but I was able to stave off his initiative into the middlegame. Then the tables turned. I ended up with a better pawn structure and an attack against his king. I won an exchange and started pushing pawns, but I left some weaknesses in my own camp. Then I sacrificed a rook to blow open his queenside, but it didn't work out and he regained the upper hand. My winning advantage slipped and I ended up losing the endgame.
The second game wasn't close. He quickly won a pawn and started demolishing my Colle-type center, then won in convincing fashion.
So that was my time on the top boards. I was winning against a GM, but then slipped. Happens, I suppose. I shrugged it off and focused on the task at hand.
Round 3: Paired against a 1500 rated player, I played well and won in a knight endgame and a kingside attack.
Round 4: Here came a first serious challenge. I played an 1800 rated player and was in trouble for 75% of the first game before pouncing on an error to win. The second game wasn't close, I crushed him soundly.
Round 5: Now this was tough. In Round 5 I played a 2100. I did well, however, and almost held an exchange-down endgame. However the time got the best of me and I conceded my first defeat since Andrew Hong.
Game 2 was a different story. I was down a pawn for much of the game, but held on for dear life in an opposite coloured bishop endgame. With time dwindling and moves being played like popping popcorn, I flagged him for a well deserved win. Without an increment, flagging is a serious threat and I found my first victim.
Round 6: My reward for going 1 and 1 against a 2100 was to play a 2200. This 2200 was like a river of unstoppable force, the first game was a complete mess as I missed a tactic, hung a pawn, and then fell to smooth endgame technique.
Game 2 again was different. I was under pressure in the middlegame but held on and entered a heavy piece endgame with queens and rooks. But instead of holding on, I was pushing. I was better the entire endgame and won a pawn. Then I traded queens and was winning the rook endgame when he flagged!!
I won a game against a 2200, but not just on the clock. I was winning on the board, and I knew I would win the endgame regardless of time. I can beat 2200s, and the next game is proof of that.
Round 7: Here we go! The final round of the blitz, and I played another NM.
The first game he was pressing the entire time and won a pawn. Then we traded into an endgame with queens and knights, and then traded knights. With very low time on the clock, the NM blundered a losing queen trade and resigned! Another win on the board against a 2200!
The second game isn't worth telling. He wiped me out in 15 moves, weakening my king and ultimately winning a queen.
So there you have it! To summarize my blitz results, I: beat a 1400 twice, lost twice to GM Andrew Hong (but I was winning one game until I blundered), beat a 1600 twice, beat an 1800 twice, then capped off the tournament by going 1-and-1 against a 2100, a 2200, and another 2200! A very successful tournament!
Back to the classical game.
I was playing National Master Elliott Neff. Elliott Neff is a National Master in Chess, author of A Pawn's Journey (October 2018), and CEO of Chess4life, which exists to help kids develop life skills through the game of chess. What began for Elliott as a childhood fascination with chess has blossomed into an opportunity to positively impact tens of thousands of kids per week through Chess4Life programs. Elliott’s coaching expertise is reflected in his recent certification as a USCF Level V Coach, an honor that fewer than a dozen top level coaches in the US share.
This is a legend of US Chess, a titan on and off the chessboard, and I get to play against him. The other exciting part was that I am playing on Board 21 on a DGT board for the first time in my life! Our game is broadcast on the official live event page on chess.com, and I am even mentioned briefly in the official US Chess livestream! I was White, and my plan was to play a solid draw. Let's see how it went.
What a game. This is without a doubt one of the best games of my career, and I would have been winning if not for the perpetual check. After the game, we analyzed it together and I learned a lot about the thought processes of a National Master, as welll as from direct discussion about the game.
With a very good draw under my belt, I got some sleep and prepared mentally for the final game tomorrow.
Day 4: Never resign.
After an incredible game the day before, Sunday seemed like a break. I did a workout, went to a church service in Madison, went exploring with my family and had some interesting adventures around a lake. When I got back and checked the pairings, I found out I was still playing on the DGT boards - DGT Board 29 to be precise - and I was paired against a 2100 named Peter. After some scenario checking in the tournament standings, I figured out that I needed to win to guarantee a prize, and draw for any chance whatsoever. Quite a chore, having to win with black against a 2100. But after comfortably drawing a strong 2200, I felt up to the challenge. Here is the final game of the 125th US Open 2025.
After the game I checked it with a computer and was shocked to find out that I had never been losing in the endgame. The knight sacrifice was always going to save me, but I had to trust and play on.
Conclusions.
So that concludes my first time playing in the US Open. I scored 6/9, placed 77th overall out of 513 players, and gained 25 USCF rating points to bring me up to 1985. I also gained 67 blitz rating. I played with an average computer accuracy percentage of 87.8% in the 60 minute games and 88.8% in the longer time control. The highlight of the tournament was undoubtedly playing the Grandmasters and drawing Elliott Neff.
You remember the Grandmaster I played in Game 2? He went on to win the entire tournament outright with 8/9 points.
After the photo, Mr. Swiercz said to me: "Just don't play a6 again!" [Referring to our game]
"I won't. You taught me a lesson!" I replied.
The next time, I won't play 1... a6. Against him. But I will against other opponents. Because it works.
Thank you for reading about the 125th US Open 2025! Have a great day!
Other tournament recaps:
