If American GM Hikaru Nakamura succeeds in his quest to become the first American world chess champion since Bobby Fischer abdicated the throne 50 years ago, let the record show the crucial contributions provided by Tanush Dokka, Khanim Ismayilova, FM Matthew Guo Diao, IM Susal Thewjan De Silva and GM Praveen Balakrishnan.
The five were Nakamura’s opponents in the First Dulles Washington Open, played in Sterling, Virginia, this month. Nakamura, a five-time U.S. champion and the second-highest rated player in the world behind former world champ Magnus Carlsen, typically would be guaranteed a berth in next spring’s FIDE Candidates Tournament, which will decide the next challenger for reigning world champ GM Dommaraju Gukesh of India.
But Nakamura faced an unusual hurdle: Despite his unquestioned credentials, he had not played enough FIDE-rated classical games in recent months to qualify for the spot. Thus he embarked on a highly publicized quest to meet the criteria, entering a string of modest local events in Louisiana, Iowa and now Northern Virginia to write his ticket to the Candidates.
For Washington-area players, Nakamura’s entry in the weekend Swiss tournament provided a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be paired with a super-GM, even if a loss was all but guaranteed. Organizers told Chess Life Online that dozens of new entries emerged after Nakamura’s participation was confirmed in Sterling.
With fans mobbing him throughout the event, Nakamura scored on two fronts, winning the tournament itself with a 4½-½ score, while his quick last-round draw with Virginia GM Balakrishnan was his 40th rated game of the year, clinching his eligibility for the eight-player Candidates field.
Despite his hefty ratings advantage over his opponents, Nakamura did not go in for flashy brilliancies in his recent blitz, relying instead on sound principles and grandmasterly technique. That was on display in his Round 4 win over IM De Silva, a promising junior player who is already a three-time national champion in his native Sri Lanka.
Play is generally even in the early stages of this Closed Sicilian, with Nakamura as Black content to quietly improve his position. White manages to break up the Black queenside pawns, but gives his opponent a potent and mobile kingside majority that will prove decisive in the long run.
Even through 23. Nd2 Be7, the engines rate the position as completely level, but De Silva grows cautious as Black slowly but surely takes over the play: 24. Nf1?! (not wrong, but active moves such as 24. Qe4 were called for) Bc5 25. Qe2 Re8 26. Rd2 e4! 27. Red1 Bc8 28. a3?! (again too modest; 28. b4!? axb4 29. cxb4 Bxb4 30. Rd4 was an interesting pawn sacrifice for greater activity) a4!, putting the kibosh on any White b-pawn advances and allowing Black to concentrate on his kingside edge.
The kingside pawns mobilize with devastating effect after 33. Rd8+? (the urge to trade down is understandable, but this exchange will only enhance the latest power of Black’s bishop pair; tougher was 33. Ba2 f5 34. g3, though Black is still calling the shots) Rxd8 34. Rxd8+ Kg7 35. Be8 Rb7 36. Bxc6 Rxb2 37. Ne3 (Bxe4? Bxf2+ 38. Kh1 Bxf1) f5!, and the e- and f-pawns will soon sweep all before them.
After 39. Ng4 e3!, Black breaches the White’s king’s defensive ramparts and, after a few annoying checks, Nakamura’s rook and bishops deliver the kill: 44. Nf3 (Rd7+ Kf6 45. Ng4+ Ke6 46. Rc7 e2+ 47. Rxc5 e1=Q+) e2+ 45. Kh2 Bb7! (with the simple idea of removing the knight guarding the queening square) 46. Ne1 (Rd7+ Kh6 47. Rxb7 Rxb7 48. Bc2 Rf7 49. Ne1 Rf1 and wins) Bf2 47. Rd7+ Kh6 48. Nd3 e1=Q and De Silva resigns.
After 49. Nxe1 Bxe1, White is down material and can’t defend his g2-square.
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Speaking of the world championship race, GM Sam Shankland is the only American through to the quarterfinals in the 206-player FIDE World Cup knockout tournament now underway in Goa, India. Three precious Candidates’ slots will go to the top finishers in the event, with Indian star GM Arjun Erigaisi and Chinese GM Wei Yi among the notables still in the hunt.
Shankland, seeded 46th in the field, advanced over the weekend with a clean 2-0 sweep of talented Russian GM Daniil Dubov in the rapid playoff of their Round 5 match, after two classical games were drawn. Shankland played enterprisingly in the first playoff game from the White side of a Classical QGD line, allowing Black with 8 cxd5 cxd5 9. h4!? to trade knight for bishop and break up White’s pawn structure in exchange for fluid piece play.
Dubov’s dubious 16. h5 Bb4?! (h6 was stronger) 17. Rh3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 h6 19. c4 only helps repair White’s pawn structure and hand Shankland a clear initiative and central space advantage, which even an exchange of queens does not alleviate for Black. A defensive lapse gives White an opening to break through the Black blockade.
Thus: 29. Rd4 Nh7? (a waste of time; more challenging for White would have been 29…Rc5 30. Red3 Rd8 31. Nc4 Rcc8, though White can keep pressing with 32. a5 Nd7 33. Ne5) 30. Nc4! (Nc6?! Nf6 [and not 30…Rcxc6?? 31. dxc6 Rxd4 332. Re8+ Nf8 33. c7 Rd3+ 34. Re3 and wins] 31. Red3 Kh7, equalizing) Rd8 31. d6 Nf8 32. Re7 Ne6 33. Re4 a6 (see diagram; White also keeps an edge on 33…Rc3+ 34. Ke2 Kf8 35. Ne5 Rxd6 36. Rxf7+ Kg8 37. Rxa7) 34. d7! Rc3+ 35. Ke2 Kf8 (White’s rook seems precariously placed, but Shankland has things under control) 36. Re8+! Rxe8 37. dxe8=Q+ Kxe8 38. f5, and Black must lose material.
Dubov gets a piece and a pawn for the exchange, but White’s rook dominates the Black knight and king in the endgame. An instructive pawn maneuver finally forces Dubov’s concession on 44. Rc8 Ke7 45. Rxd8! Kxd8 46. f6!, and Black resigned ahead of 46…gxf6 (Ke8 47. fxg7 wins) 47. h6 b4 48. h7 b3 48. h8=Q+ Kc7 49. Qxf6.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
De Silva-Nakamura, 1st Washington Dulles Tournament, Sterling, Virginia, November 2025
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Nbd2 cxd4 7. Bc4 Qd8 8. Qb3 Nh6 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. N2f3 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Qc7 13. Re1 Nf5 14. Qa4 e5 15. Be3 Nxe3 16. Rxe3 Kh8 17. Qa3 f6 18. Rd1 Bf5 19. Ree1 Rfd8 20. h3 a5 21. Qa4 Bd7 22. Qc2 Bf8 23. Nd2 Be7 24. Nf1 Bc5 25. Qe2 Re8 26. Rd2 e4 27. Red1 Bc8 28. a3 a4 29. Ba2 Qe7 30. Qc4 Ba6 31. Qf7 Qxf7 32. Bxf7 Re7 33. Rd8+ Rxd8 34. Rxd8+ Kg7 35. Be8 Rb7 36. Bxc6 Rxb2 37. Ne3 f5 38. Bxa4 f4 39. Ng4 e3 40. fxe3 fxe3 41. Rd7+ Kf8 42. Rd8+ Kf7 43. Ne5+ Kg7 44. Nf3 e2+ 45. Kh2 Bb7 46. Ne1 Bf2 47. Rd7+ Kh6 48. Nd3 e1=Q White resigns.
Shankland-Dubov, FIDE World Cup rapid playoff, Goa, India, November 2025
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. Qc2 Ba6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. h4 Bxf1 10. Kxf1 Nxf4 11. exf4 Nd7 12. Rd1 c6 13. f5 exf5 14. Qxf5 Nf6 15. Ne5 Rc8 16. h5 Bb4 17. Rh3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 h6 19. c4 Re8 20. g4 Rc7 21. Re3 Qc8 22. Qxc8 Rcxc8 23. a4 Red8 24. Ke2 Nd7 25. f4 Nf8 26. d5 cxd5 27. cxd5 Rc2+ 28. Kf3 Rd6 29. Rd4 Nh7 30. Nc4 Rd8 31. d6 Nf8 32. Re7 Ne6 33. Re4 a6 34. d7 Rc3+ 35. Ke2 Kf8 36. Re8+ Rxe8 37. dxe8=Q+ Kxe8 38. f5 b5 39. axb5 Rxc4 40. Rxc4 axb5 41. Rc8+ Nd8 42. Rc7 Kf8 43. g5 hxg5 44. Rc8 Ke7 45. Rxd8 Kxd8 46. f6 Black resigns.
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