Young Yanks shine as Tata chess tournaments heat up

America’s biggest guns are sitting this one out, but three young Yanks are making a strong impression at the first elite chess tournament of the new year.

Top-ranked U.S. stars GM Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura are not in the field this year at the 14-grandmaster Tata Steel Chess Masters tournament in the historic Dutch seaside city of Wijk aan Zee. Both are deep into preparations for the March Candidates tournament in Cyprus to pick a challenger to Indian world champ Dommaraju Gukesh.

But 22-year-old American GM Hans Moke Niemann, who has rebuilt his career after a vicious clash with former champion Magnus Carlsen over cheating allegations, is filling the void in impressive fashion, currently in a tie for third behind front-runner GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and fellow Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov going into Tuesday’s Round 9.  

Two more rising American stars are making noise in the concurrent Tata Steel Challengers tournament, with young Texas GM Andy Woodward, just 15 years old, tied for first with French GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi and Massachusetts IM Carissa Yip, seeded 11th in the field, holding her own with a 4-4 score, including wins over two grandmasters.

(In a sign that patriotic ties only go so far, one of Yip’s losses was to Woodward, an epic, heartbreaking 131-move struggle capped by a long queen-and-pawn ending that Yip misplayed only at the very end.)

Niemann’s energetic style was on full display in his win over Indian GM Chithambaram Aravindh in Round 4, a Symmetrical English in which, after some initial positional shadow-boxing, Black’s relentless queenside push quickly overwhelms his opponent.

With 20-20 hindsight, we can say that White 13. Ne3 0-0 15. f5?! Nd4 15. g4 was not the way to go, as Aravindh’s hoped-for kingside attack never remotely materializes. By contrast, Niemann is like a dog with a bone pursing his chances on the other flank: 22. Rc1 Bg8! (a nice move that battens down the kingside while clearing space for Black’s knights and pawns) 23. Rd1 a5 24. Kh1 Nb3 25. Nc4 Nxd2 26. Rxd2 b3 27. Qg3 a4, and the queenside pawns are poised to crash through.

White’s hopes of holding back the flood are dashed as Black sees his b-pawn is at least as valuable as his queen — 35. Rf2 Qc8! 36. Rc2 (Nxc4 Qxc4 37. Rff1 Qb4 38. Nxg5 Ba2) Nxe5! 37. Rxc8 Rxc8 38. Nc5 (dxe5 Rc1+) Bxc5, when 39. dxc5 allows Black to break through with 39… Rxc5 40. Be4 Rc1+ 41. Kg2 Nc4 42. Qf2 Rb3.

The advanced b-pawn paralyzes White’s pieces, and a last attempt at counterplay if efficiently snuffed out on 44. Qe2 Nc3 45. Qd3 Nxb1 46. f6 (generating an actual mate threat and setting a trap: 46…g6?? 47. Qd4! wins for White) Rxc2! 47. Qxd5 gxf6 48. Qd8+. The Black king is forced on a long walk, but when the checks finally run out, Aravindh is busted: 53. Qd1+ Kxe3 54. Qxc2 Nd2 55. Qc5+ Ke2, and White resigned as even winning Black’s other rook leaves him lost in lines such as 56. Qf2+ Kd1 57. Qxb6 b1=Q 58. Qxb1+ Nxb1, with a won ending.

We chronicled last week some major howlers from the top players at Tata and Gukesh himself added to the list in his Round 6 game against Abdusattorov. The Indian star actually had the better of the play for much of the game, but the position was completely level in today’s diagram, with Abdusattorov as White having just played 35. Qg4-f5.

Now something sensible such as 35…Rf8 36. Re4 fxe5 37. Qxe5+ Qxe5 38. Rxe5 Rf7 would have preserved the balance, but Black inexplicably opted for 35…Rg5??, resigning at once after White accepted the gift with 36. Qxf6+, and the Black rook will be lost on the next move.

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Woodward, the reigning U.S. junior champion who turned heads with a surprise fifth-place finish in September’s FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, has continued his strong play in Wijk aan Zee. In his Open Catalan win over Dutch IM Eline Roebers, Woodward hounds Black’s king across the board to checkmate after his opponent unwisely opens up the play before completing her development.

Things go sideways for Black after 15. e5 c5? (Nb6, looking to quash any White hopes of a d4-d5 breakthrough, looks much more to the point) 16. Bg5 (already 16. d5!? was a possibility, though White’s choice is also good) Be7 17. Bxa8 Qxa8 18. Nxb5 Qa5 19. Bxe7 Kxe7 20. dxc5 keeps Black’s king stranded in the center, and 20…Qxb5?! 21. Qd6+ Kd8 22. Ra1 Qb8 23. c6 Qxd6 24. exd6 Nb6 25. Ra7 Rf8 26. f4 leaves Black paralyzed despite his extra piece.

A defensive lapse in a tough position starts the king hunt in earnest: 21. Qd6+ Kf6 (Ke8 22. Nc7+) 22. Nc3?! (the only blemish on White’s play; the engines say 22. f4! Ng4 23. f5! leads to an overwhelming attack) Qd8? (Roebers could have stayed in the fight now with 22…Rd8!; e.g. 23. Nd5+ Kg6 24. h5+ Kh6 27. Qxe5 Rxd5 28. Qf4+ Rg5 29. Qxf7 Qxc5 30. Qxe6+ g6, and it’s still a game) 23. Nd5+ Kf5 24. g4+!, and the Black king is drawn out into the open.

It’s over on 24…Kxg4 (Nxg4 25. Qf4+ Kg6 26. Qxg4+ Kh6 27. Ne3 and wins) 25. Qxe5 exd5 26. f3+ Kxh4 27. Kf2!, and the king clears the way for the rook to join the mating party. Black resigned just ahead of 27…Qd7 (f5 28. Qxf5 Qg5 29. Rh1 mate) 28. Rh1+ Qh3 29. Qg3+ Kh5 30. Rxh3 mate.

The tournament runs through Sunday. We’ll have more action and a wrap-up next week.

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

Aravindh-Niemann, Tata Steel Chess Masters, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, January 2026

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. c4 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc3 Nc7 7. O-O e5 8. a3 Rb8 9. d3 Be7 10. Nd2 Bd7 11. Nc4 f6 12. f4 b5 13. Ne3 O-O 14. f5 Nd4 15. g4 Kh8 16. Bd2 Be8 17. Ne4 Bf7 18. Bc3 b4 19. axb4 cxb4 20. Bd2 Bb3 21. Qe1 Ncb5 22. Rc1 Bg8 23. Rd1 a5 24. Kh1 Nb3 25. Nc4 Nxd2 26. Rxd2 b3 27. Qg3 a4 28. g5  a3 29. e3 fxg5 30. Nxe5 Rb6 31. bxa3 Nxa3 32. Rb2 Qe8 33. d4 Nc4 34. Rbb1 b2 35. Rf2 Qc8 36. Rc2 Nxe5 37. Rxc8 Rxc8 38. Nc5 Bxc5 39. Be4 Nc4 40. dxc5 Rxc5 41. Qf2 Nd6 42. Bc2 Bd5+ 43. Kg1 Ne4 44. Qe2 Nc3 45. Qd3 Nxb1 46. f6 Rxc2 47. Qxd5 gxf6 48. Qd8+ Kg7 49. Qe7+ Kg6 50. Qe8+ Kf5 51. Qd7+ Ke4 52. Qd4+ Kf3 53. Qd1+ Kxe3 54. Qxc2 Nd2 55. Qc5+ Ke2 White resigns.

Woodward-Roebers, Tata Steel Challengers, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, January 2026

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. O-O b5 7. Ne5 Nd5 8. e4 Nf6 9. a4 Bb7 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Bxa8 12. Nc3 c6 13. h4 Nbd7 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. e5 c5 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Bxa8 Qxa8 18. Nxb5 Qa5 19. Bxe7 Kxe7 20. dxc5 Nxe5 21. d6+ Kf6 22. Nc3 Qd8 23. Nd5+ Kf5 24. g4+ Kxg4 25. Qxe5 exd5 26. f3+ Kxh4 27. Kf2 Black resigns.

• Got a hot tip or a cool game to share? David R. Sands can be reached at davidrsands18@gmail.com.