Peddi, So shine during a busy August for chess

August is the month when the world shuts down and the chess scene heats up.

The DMV was host to two major events last month — the Maryland Chess Association’s 12th Washington International and the 57th annual Atlantic Open, organized by the Continental Chess Association. On the national scene, some of the world’s top grandmasters were doing battle last week in the 12th Sinquefield Cup invitational at the St. Louis Chess Club.

This year’s Washington International attracted one of its strongest fields ever, with 18 grandmasters and dozens of titled players competing in the 114-player Championship section. In the end, Indian GM Rahul Srivatshav Peddi, a member of the powerhouse University of Texas at Dallas collegiate team, claimed the top prize at 7½-1½, a half-point clear of GMs Jianchou Zhou and Andrew Tang.

Zhou received a measure of compensation two weeks later, tying for first in the Atlantic Open alongside Italian GM Francesco Sonis at 4½-½. Here’s a special shout-out to Virginia junior expert Benjamin Amrany, who tied for third in the Atlantic at 4-1, with a loss to Zhou the only blemish on his scorecard.

Peddi broke away from a crowded field in the International with 2½ points in his final games against a trio of grandmasters, starting with a Round 7 demolition of GM David Brodsky. White’s 7. d3 Qd7 8. Qd2 breaks up the symmetry of the Symmetrical English, but it is Brodsky’s determination to attack while ignoring his own king’s safety that seals Black’s fate.

After 14. Qxb2 Nce5?! (0-0 was the better option here, even if White’s attacking chances seem remote for now) 15. h3 Nxf3+ 16. exf3 Ne5 17. Kg2 g5? (still charging forward, when 17…0-0 was the increasingly necessary alternative; after 17…0-0 18. d4 Nc6 19. d5 Nd4 20. Re1, Peddi has the more comfortable game but it’s still a fight) 18. Nd5 Qh5 19. g4! (the greedy 19. Nc7+?! Kd7 20. Nxa8 Qxd3 22. Rae1 Qxf3+ 23. Kh2 h5 22. d4 Ng4+ 23. Kg1 h4 leads a much messier position) Qg6 20. Rfe1 f6 21. d4 cxd4 (Nd3 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Qe2, evades the fork) 22. Qxd4, Black’s decision to delay castling looks ever more wrong-headed. Ironically, both 22…0-0?? and 22…0-0-0?? now would lose the Black queen to 23. Nxe7+.

Peddi’s 25. fxg4 Qh7? (Rd8 was a tougher defense) 26. Re3! puts a firm halt to Black’s h-file attacking dreams, leaving White to focus all his attention on the beleaguered Black king: 27. Qc3 dxc5 28. Nxe7! (the combinations come naturally when one’s opponent is so tied down) Ne5 (Nxe7 29. Qxf6+ Ke8 [Kg8 30. Qxg5+] 30. Rde1) 29. Nf5 b6 30. Rd6 Qf7 (see diagram) 31. Rxe5!, removing Black’s last effective defender.

It’s over on 31…fxe5 32. Qxe5 Qb7+ 33. f3 Rh7 34. Rf6+ Kg8 (Rf7 35. Rxb6!, hitting the queen and threatening 36. Qh8 mate) 35. Rg6+ Kf8 36. Qf6+, and Black resigned, not needing to play out such gruesome lines as 36…Ke8 (Qf7 37. Qd6+) Rg8+ Kd7 38. Qd6 mate.

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This year’s Sinquefield Cup hardly rates as one of the best editions of this elite event, with an uncharacteristic lack of fighting spirit among the 10 competitors in St. Louis. Several rounds saw only draws and two players — GMs Sam Sevian and Maxime Vachier-Legrave — managed to split the point in all nine of their games.

Still, the final result was a welcome triumph for American GM Wesley So, the U.S. No. 3 who seems to labor at times in the shadows of his more successful American rivals, GMs Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. So tied for first in Sinquefield with an undefeated 5 1/2-3 1/2 score, and then defeated Caruana and Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in a blitz playoff to take home the trophy, his second Sinquefield Cup since winning the event back in 2016.

So’s best win came in Round 7 against reigning Indian world champion Dommaraju Gukesh. White adroitly turns back Black’s early aggressions in a Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense and efficiently nails down the win in the end.

Black’s 11. Nd5 Bh4!? is apparently a new move in this trendy line, and a remarkable position arises after 14. gxh4 cxd5 — two of the planet’s best players find themselves with isolated, doubled pawns and barely any pieces deployed with the middlegame about to commence.

With 18. Bxd5 Be6!? 19. Bxb7, Gukesh offers a pawn for quicker development, but on 19…Rae8 20. Bc6 Re7?!, the Black rook’s awkward new post seems hardly an improvement. Black’s attempts to justify his sacrifice only lead him deeper into a hole.

Thus: 23. Kh1 (the half-open g-file created by the doubled pawns will now prove a valuable asset for So) Qg6 24. Re5!? (a slight inaccuracy, allowing Black a puncher’s chance; more consistent was 24. Bf4 Rd8 25. Ba4!, preserving the extra pawn and the better position) Bc8? (Black’s determination to sacrifice and attack comes back to bite him; tougher was 24…Nh4!, sending the game in a different direction after 25. Qg3 Bg4!? 26. Rxe7 Nf5 Qf4 [Qe5?? Bf3 mate] Nxe7 28. Bb5, and Black can fight on) 25. Bxd5 Rxe5 26. dxe5 Rd8 27. Rg1!, inviting such ugly lines as 27…Qb6 28. c4 Qxb2 29. Bg5 Rf8 30. Bf6 g6 31. Qh3 Be6 32. Rxg6+! fxg6 (hxg6 33. Qh8 mate) 33. Bxe6+ Rf7 34. Bxf7+ Kxf7 35. Qxh7+, winning.

Gukesh jettisons his queen with 27…Nh4 28. Qf4 Rxd5 (Qh5 29. Qf6! wins on the spot) 29. Rxg6 Nxg6 30. Qe3 h5, but does not get nearly enough material in return. The rest is professionally handled by So, giving his opponent no counterplay, and on 38. exf6 gxf6 39. Ba5, Black resigned.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Peddi-Brodsky, 12th Washington International, Rockville, Maryland, August 2025

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Bf5 7. d3 Qd7 8. Qd2 Bh3 9. Bxh3 Qxh3 10. b3 Nh6 11. Bb2 Ng4 12. Nd5 Bxb2 13. Nf4 Qh6 14. Qxb2 Nce5 15. h3 Nxf3+ 16. exf3 Ne5 17. Kg2 g5 18. Nd5 Qh5 19. g4 Qg6 20. Rfe1 f6 21. d4 cxd4 22. Qxd4 Kf8 23. Rad1 h5 24. c5 hxg4 25. fxg4 Qh7 26. Re3 Nc6 27. Qc3 dxc5 28. Nxe7 Ne5 29. Nf5 b6 30. Rd6 Qf7 31. Rxe5 fxe5 32. Qxe5 Qb7+ 33. f3 Rh7 34. Rf6+ Kg8 35. Rg6+ Kf8 36. Qf6+ Black resigns.

So-Gukesh, 12th Sinquefield Cup, St. Louis, August 2025

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. Nc3 Bf6 10. Re1 Nf5 11. Nd5 Bh4 12. g3 c6 13. Bh3 Nd4 14. gxh4 cxd5 15. c3 Qxh4 16. Bg2 Nf5 17. d4 d6 18. Bxd5 Be6 19. Bxb7 Rae8 20. Bc6 Re7 21. Bd2 d5 22. Qf3 Qf6 23. Kh1 Qg6 24. Re5 Bc8 25. Bxd5 Rxe5 26. dxe5 Rd8 27. Rg1 Nh4 28. Qf4 Rxd5 29. Rxg6 Nxg6 30. Qe3 h5 31. c4 Rd8 32. f3 h4 33. Kg1 Be6 34. b3 h3 35. Kf2 a6 36. Ke2 Bc8 37. Bb4 f6 38. exf6 gxf6 39. Ba5 Black resigns.

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