The tactical bombs were bursting in air and the positional purple mountains were majestic as area players celebrated another Fourth of July by doing battle at the chessboard.
Independence Day in this region has long been linked to the game thanks to Philadelphia’s traditional World Open, held over the traditional midsummer break since 1973.
This year’s 53rd World Open winner, 17-year-old Indian GM Bharath Sbramaniyam, is not only one of the youngest players ever to take the title, but achieved the relatively rare feat of finishing alone in first in an event where a huge knot of players often share the glory at the top of the leaderboard. Bharath went undefeated at 7½-1½, using victories in the final two rounds to vault past a slew of grandmaster rivals.
Key to Bharath’s triumph was an impressive Round 8 win over New York IM Nico Chasin. White reacts well to Black’s relatively rare Sicilian line, and pounces early when Chasin becomes a little too complacent about his uncastled king.
Thus: 10. Nxd4 Na5?! (White already has a clear lead in development, so something simpler like 10…Nf6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bf4 e5 was indicated) 11. Ba2 Bd7 12. Bf4 Ne7? (see diagram; the d6-square was already a target, but this only makes things worse; Black had to try 12…Nc6 [e5?! 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. Be3! exd4 15. Bxd4 Qc6 16. Nb6 Rd8 17. Qh5!, hitting f7 and the unfortunate knight on a5] 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. b4, and resign himself to defending an inferior position) 13. Nf5! exf5 14. Bxd6 15. Bd5 Qb6 16. exf5 — White already has two pawns for the sacrificed piece and a paralyzing pin on the open e-file.
Things go from bad to worse for Black on 16…Nac6 (Bxf5 17. Bxe7 Bxe7 18. Bxf7+! Kxf7 19. Rxe7+! Kxe7 20. Nd5+ and wins) 17. a5! Qxb2 (Qd4 18. Bxc6 Qxd1 19. Bxd7+ Kxd7 20. Rxd1 Nxf5 21. Bxf8+, winning) 18. Qd2 Nb4 19. Bb3, and now Chasin’s queen has no route back to safety.
Bharath negotiates some tricky tactics, emerging after 28. Rb1 Kc7 (Nc6 29. Rxb7+ Kc8 30. Rb6 Kd7 31. Qd5 Nfe7 32. Rb7+ Kc8 33. Rxe7 Nxe7 34. Qxd6) 29. Rxb4 Bxb4 30. Qxb4 with a queen and a pawn for Black’s disconnected rook and knight.
Avoiding any back-rank mate tricks with 33. g3, White uses his queen to snuff out any Black hopes of setting up a defensive fortress. Bharath seizes the chance to trade down with 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Rc6 (Nh4+ 41. Kh3 Nf3 42. Qc5+ picks off the rook) 41. Qxc6! bxc6 42. gxf5 gxf5 43. Kf3 — Black resigns as his f-pawn will soon be lost and the ending is hopeless.
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Even closer to home, the Atlantic Chess Association staged a pair of events over the long holiday break at the Dulles Marriott: first a seven-round GM norm invitational won by Czech GM Vojtech Plat, and then a subsequent Swiss open event where Israeli GM Tal Baron took solo first.
Plat and Baron drew their game in the invitational, but the Israeli got the better of his rival in their fifth-round matchup in the open tournament, securing a positional edge out of a Maroczy Bind Sicilian before launching an energetic attack on Black’s position.
With Plat badly missing his dark-squared bishop, White’s forces are primed for action on 18. Rae1 Qb4 19. Bd1. The key battle commences on 19…Qc5?! (White is clearly ready to roll on the kingside, so something more dynamic like 19…b5!? 20. axb5 axb5 21. Nxb5 Rxc4!? 22. bxc4 Bxc4 23. Qd4 Qxb5 is called for here) 20. f5! Bd7 (gxf5 21. exf5 Bd7 22. Rxe7) 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Bxf5 23. Qc3+, and White’s initiative, spearheaded by his two dominating rooks, is well worth the sacrificed pawn.
Baron follows up energetically with 24. g4! Bd7 (on the tricky Qxd5+?, White wins a piece with 25. Rf3! Be4 26. cxd5 Rxc3 27. Rxe4) 25. Rxe7 Be8 26. Qf6, and the buzzards are circling the beleaguered Black king.
Facing a simple and devastating advance by the White h-pawn, Plat prefers to go down swinging: 26…b5 27. Rf3 (threatening 28. Rxf7! Bxf7 29. Qxf7+ Kh8 30. Rh3 h5 31. Qxg6) Qb4 28. Bc2! (alertly sidestepping the hasty 28. Rxf7?? Bxf7 29. Qxf7+ Kh8 30. Rh3 Qe1+ 31. Kd2 Qd2+ 32. Kg3 Qc3+ 33. Kf2 Qg7, defending) Qd2 29. Bxg6!, blowing up the Black defensive ramparts.
Plat resigned as mate is inevitable after 29…Qh6 (hxg6 30. Rxe8+! Rxe8 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Rh3+ and mate next) 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Bxf7+ Kf8 32. Qxh6+ Ke7 33. Qe6+ Kf8 (Kd8 34. Qxd6 mate) 34. Bxe8+ Kg7 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qf8 mate.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
​Bharath-Chasin, 53rd World Open, Philadelphia, July 2025
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nd4 4. Bc4 e6 5. O-O Qc7 6. d3 Nc6 7. Re1 a6 8. a4 d6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Na5 11. Ba2 Bd7 12. Bf4 Ne7 13. Nf5 exf5 14. Bxd6 Qc6 15. Bd5 Qb6 16. exf5 Nac6 17. a5 Qxb2 18. Qd2 Nb4 19. Bb3 O-O-O 20. Reb1 Qxa1 21. Rxa1 Bc6 22. Bxf7 Nxf5 23. Be6+ Bd7 24. Na4 Bxd6 25. Nb6+ Kc7 26. Nxd7 Rxd7 27. Bxd7 Kxd7 28. Rb1 Kc7 29. Rxb4 Bxb4 30. Qxb4 Rd8 31. Qc5+ Kb8 32. Qe5+ Ka8 33. g3 g6 34. Qc7 Rd1+ 35. Kg2 h5 36. h3 Rd2 37. Qc3 Rd6 38. Qc8+ Ka7 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Rc6 41. Qxc6 bxc6 42. gxf5 gxf5 43. Kf3 Black resigns.
Baron-Plat, 3rd Atlantic Independence Day Open, Dulles, Virginia, July 2025
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8. Be2 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd3 Be6 11. O-O Qa5 12. Bd4 Nd7 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. f4 Nf6 15. b3 Rac8 16. Kh1 a6 17. a4 Rfd8 18. Rae1 Qb4 19. Bd1 Qc5 20. f5 Bd7 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Bxf5 23. Qc3+ Kg8 24. g4 Bd7 25. Rxe7 Be8 26. Qf6 b5 27. Rf3 Qb4 28. Bc2 Qd2 29. Bxg6 Black resigns.
• Got a game or a chess tidbit to share? David R. Sands can be reached at davidrsands18@gmail.com.
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