2026 Autumn Open & Scholastic→ Online Entry Closes 6PM, Friday, September 25, 2026

See our 2025 Autumn Open & Scholastic coverage: Tournament Recap or Tournament Slideshow or Review Tournament PGN’s

September 25-27, 2026 (3-day schedule) or
September 26-27, 2026 (2-day schedule & scholastic)

Quick Links:
Schedule | Director Notes

Tournament Location

Delta Hotels by Marriott Orlando Celebration
2900 Parkway Boulevard, Kissimmee, Florida 34747
(407) 369-7000

Hotel Note: There may still be rooms available, simply email Delta Hotels group rate coordinator Kemail Bajramoski for assistance in making your reservations (make sure to mention the tournament).

$9,000 b/160 60 % Guaranteed*
Enhanced Grand Prix: 40
5 Rounds at G/90; d30 w/ 6 Sections
6 Sections - Top 2 Sections are FIDE Rated

3-day schedule:
All rounds G/90; d30
2-day schedule:
Rounds 1 & 2 - G/60; d5
Scholastic schedule:
All rounds G/60; d5

Event ENTRY FEEs:

Early Online Entry: $120 by midnight Friday, September 11, 2026 (EST)
Late Online Entry: $140 until 6PM this Friday, September 25, 2026 (EST)
(when online registration closes)
On-Site Entry Fee: $150
Scholastic U1200: $60 off each amount above

On-Site Registration Hours:
2-Day Schedule & Scholastic
9-10am, Saturday, September 26, 2026 (EST)
3-Day Schedule
5-6pm, Friday, September 25, 2026 (EST)

Saturday Night Open Blitz:

Saturday Night Open USCF-Rated 4SS G/3; d2
Double-Round Blitz Tournament
$20 Entry* - $500 Guaranteed Prize Fund
Enhanced Grand Prix: 10
1st - $150 - 2nd $100 - 3rd $72
Top U1800 $70 - U1500 $60 - U1200 $48

*Free entry for GM/WGM/IM/WIM
($20 entry fee deducted from any prize)

Note: Players can either register on-site with the tournament directors’ or register online by 7PM, Saturday, September 26, 2026 (when the blitz online registration closes)

Autumn Open Lecture:

9AM Sunday Morning: Short Lecture on the KGB and Russian Chess, Followed by a Reading from Spy's Mate: A Novel and Q&A with author Brad Buchanan

CFCC 2026 Autumn Open & Scholastic Tournament Page

USCF 2026 Annual Awards Ceremony: Charles Hatherill Awarded Tournament Director of the Year!

At USCF’s 2026 US Chess Awards reception held during the 126th US Open in Grand Rapids, MI., this past weekend, CFCC’s Charles Hatherill was awarded Tournament Director of the Year for his tireless contributions in directing national, regional, and local chess tournament events around the country.

Charles, a USCF National Tournament Director and FIDE Arbiter, along with Senior Tournament Director Steven Vigil, both serve as CFCC’s chief tournament directors at all of our weekend tournament events.

CFCC President Larry Storch was in attendance at the awards reception and was able to provide a few pictures of the occasion!

Charles Hatherill, USCF National Tournament Director and FIDE Arbiter, awarded USCF’s 2026 Tournament Director of the Year!

CFCC Chief Tournament Director Charles Hatherill (L) with CFCC President Larry Storch (R), 2026 US Open in Grand Rapids, MI.

USCF 2026 Tournament Director of the Year award

CFCC 2026 Sunshine Open Concludes With Vikram Srivastava Winning Clear 1st Place!

Final round, board 1 - FM Jean Marco Cruz (2295) (L) vs Vikram Srivastava (2290) (R), CFCC 2026 Sunshine Open & Scholastic, June 19-21, 2026

Post-tournament news coverage
Tournament Recap | Top Section PGN’s

2026 Sunshine Open

With 4.5/5 points, CFCC wishes to congratulate Vikram Srivastava (2290) for his clear 1st place win at our 2026 Sunshine Open this past weekend at Delta Hotels by Marriott Orlando Celebration in Kissimmee!

2026 Sunshine Open Scholastic (U1200)

CFCC wishes to congratulate Vladislav Nazarenko (1121) for his clear 1st place win with a perfect score of 5/5 points in our 2026 Sunshine Open Scholastic tournament!

2026 Sunshine OPEN SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

With a perfect score of 8/8 points, CFCC wishes to congratulate FM Corey Acor (2371) for winning clear 1st place in our 2026 Sunshine Open Saturday Night Blitz tournament!

We also wish to thank all the players who participated and congratulate those who placed in their respective sections!

Central Florida Chess Club (CFCC)

TOURNAMENT RATING REPORTS

MASTER-EXPERT ☞ CLASS A
CLASS B ☞ CLASS C
CLASS D ☞ SCHOLASTIC (U1200)
SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

MASTER-EXPERT ☞ CLASS A
CLASS B ☞ CLASS C
CLASS D ☞ SCHOLASTIC (U1200)
SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

2026 Sunshine Open & Scholastic
Tournament Recap

By Scholastic Chief TD Alex Dshalalow

The Central Florida Chess Club’s second major tournament of the year, the 2026 Sunshine Open & Scholastic, was held June 19–21 at a new venue in the Orlando area: the Delta Hotels by Marriott Orlando Celebration in Kissimmee.

The five-round event attracted 213 players across six sections: Master/Expert and Class A, both of which were FIDE-rated; Classes B, C, and D; and the popular Scholastic Section.

With 64 participants, the Scholastic Section was the largest of the tournament. As is customary at CFCC events, a blitz tournament was also held Saturday evening, drawing 39 players.

See my commentary below for each competitive section!

• Master/Expert

  In the tournament’s top section (Master/Expert), NM Vikram Srivastava (2277) emerged as the outright winner with 4.5 points. His only concession was a fourth-round draw against WFM Sophie Li (2122), and he secured first place by defeating FM Jean Marco Cruz (2295) in the final round. NM Abhiram Sai Pothuri (2219) and Landon Meadors (2118) tied for second and third places with 4 points each.

  One of the most notable features of the Master/Expert field was the outstanding performance of its young players. According to US Chess age-group rankings, Pothuri is ranked No. 29 nationally among 16-year-olds, while Meadors is No. 9 among 10-year-olds.

  Three more young players tied for fourth through sixth places with 3.5 points: CM Maxwell Yang (2131), Diego Jimenez Leyva (2135), and Yang Yu (2129). Yang and Jimenez Leyva are ranked No. 35 and No. 36 nationally, respectively, among 14-year-olds, while Yu is ranked No. 7 among 10-year-olds. Their success was especially impressive in a strong field that included experienced masters such as FM Corey Acor (2341) and NM Nickolas Moore (2304), both of whom finished farther down the standings.

• Class A

  The Class A Section produced a shared championship, as Alexander Kristjansson (1894) and Liam Gale (1893) finished with 4 points each. Both entered the fifth and final round with 3.5 points before drawing their head-to-head encounter.

  Rui Sha (1937), tournament warrior Jack Firestone (1837), and Jacob Vassiliev (1713) tied for third through fifth places with 3.5 points.

• Class B

  In Class B, Jordan Gould (1642) delivered one of the tournament’s most dominant performances, winning all five of his games to finish with a perfect score.

  Viraj Epuri (1702) and Marco Berdugo (1695) tied for second and third places with 4 points each.

• Class C

  Class C also produced a perfect-score champion. Srithan Nallamilli (1541) won all five of his games and posted an impressive 120-point rating gain.

  Rishab Ganesh (1568), Viraaj Choyal (1536), and Nico Nemeth (1406) tied for second through fourth places with 4 points each.

• Class D

  The Class D title was shared by Nikita Mylotskyi (1284) and Steve Fales (1232), who each finished with 4.5 points and recorded substantial rating gains.

  Just half a point behind them, Srinivas Chittibomma (1329) and Julian Vega (1302) tied for third and fourth places.

• Scholastic (U1200)

  The Scholastic Section, the largest section of the tournament, was dominated by Vladislav Nazarenko (1122), who won all five of his games to claim clear first place.

  Mithun Veeramreddy (877) finished alone in second with 4.5 points. Both players made significant rating gains as a result of their strong performances.

  A large group followed them with 4 points, tying for third through ninth places: Rajiv Honmurgi (1136), Henry Teaford (1099), Prerona Sarkar (1050), Pearson Fraser (971), Vijwal Chintamani (928), Anton Vassiliev (918), and Abhinav Nidadavolu (713).

• Saturday Night Blitz

  The weekend’s action continued Saturday evening with the Sunshine Open Blitz, which consisted of four double rounds for a total of eight games. FM Corey Acor (2371) swept the field with a perfect 8–0 score, while NM Alexander Jasinski (2151) finished alone in second place with 7 points.

  As in the Master/Expert Section of the main tournament, young players were well represented near the top of the standings, while established competitors such as WGM Jennifer Rodriguez (2222) finished farther down the table.

• Acknowledgements

  As with every CFCC event I have attended, the tournament was professionally organized and ran smoothly from beginning to end. Rounds began on time, players had ample space, and complimentary water was consistently available throughout the weekend.

CFCC 2026 Winter Open Concludes with GM Francesco Sonis Winning Clear 1st Place!

Final round, board 1 - GM Francesco Sonis (2626) (L) vs GM Igor Novikov (2542) (R), CFCC 2026 Winter Open & Scholastic weekend tournament

Jump to:
Tournament Recap | Tournament Slideshow | Top Section PGN’s

2026 Winter Open

With a perfect score of 5/5 points, CFCC wishes to congratulate GM Francesco Sonis (2626) for his clear 1st place win at our 2026 Winter Open this past weekend at the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Lake Buena Vista!

2026 Winter Open Scholastic (U1200)

With a perfect score of 5/5 points, CFCC wishes to congratulate Zane T. (1048) for a clear 1st place win in our 2026 Winter Open Scholastic tournament!

2026 WINTER OPEN SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

With 7.5/8 points, CFCC wishes to congratulate CM Antony Gospodinov (2161) for winning clear 1st place in our 2026 Winter Open Saturday Night Blitz tournament!

We also wish to thank all the players who participated and congratulate those who placed in their respective sections!

Central Florida Chess Club (CFCC)

TOURNAMENT RATING REPORTS

MASTER-EXPERT ☞ CLASS A
CLASS B ☞ CLASS C
CLASS D ☞ SCHOLASTIC (U1200)
SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

MASTER-EXPERT ☞ CLASS A
CLASS B ☞ CLASS C
CLASS D ☞ SCHOLASTIC (U1200)
SATURDAY NIGHT BLITZ

2026 Winter Open
PGN Games

PGN Reader provided by chesstempo.com

[Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 5, Board 1"] [White "GM Francesco Sonis"] [Black "GM Igor Novikov"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2626"] [BlackElo "2542"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "A13"] [PlyCount "109"] 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.b3 c5 5.Bb2 Nc6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.O-O Bd6 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 O-O 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.Be2 Re8 13.Nbd2 Bc5 14.Rc1 Bb6 15.Bb5 Rc8 16.Re1 Qe7 17.Nf1 Red8 18.h3 Be6 19.Re2 d4 20.exd4 Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Nxd4 22.Bxd4 Rxc1 23.Qxc1 Rxd4 24.Bc4 Qc5 25.Qe3 Nd5 26.Qe5 h6 27.Ne3 Nxe3 28.Qxc5 Rd1+ 29.Re1 Rxe1+ 30.Kh2 Nxc4 31.bxc4 b6 32.Qc7 Ra1 33.Qxa7 g6 34.Qxb6 Rxa2 35.Qd4 h5 36.c5 Rc2 37.Kg3 Rc4 38.Qd6 Kh7 39.Kf3 Rc2 40.Ke3 Bf5 41.Qd5 Be6 42.Qd4 Bf5 43.Kf4 Be6 44.Kg5 Rc4 45.Qe3 Kg7 46.Qe5+ Kh7 47.Kf6 Rc2 48.Qd4 Ba2 49.g4 hxg4 50.hxg4 Re2 51.f4 Re6+ 52.Kg5 Ra6 53.f5 Kg8 54.Qd8+ Kh7 55.f6 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 5, Board 2"] [White "CM Lyubomir Gospodinov"] [Black "FM Yans Girones"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2196"] [BlackElo "2462"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "E00"] [PlyCount "41"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.d5 d6 6.e4 Nbd7 7.Be2 g6 8.h4 h5 9.Nh3 e5 10.Ng5 Bg7 11.Be3 a5 12.b4 Nh7 13.c5 Nxg5 14.Bxg5 f6 15.Be3 axb4 16.axb4 bxc5 17.bxc5 Nxc5 18.Bxc5 dxc5 19.O-O Rxa1 20.Qxa1 O-O 21.Qa7 1/2-1/2 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 5, Board 3"] [White "WIM Annmarie Muetsch"] [Black "CM Antony Gospodinov"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2356"] [BlackElo "2161"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "B10"] [PlyCount "101"] 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Bf4 dxe4 4.Nc3 exd3 5.Bxd3 Nf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.Qe2 Nd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.Be4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qc7 12.O-O-O Nd7 13.g4 Bg6 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Ng5 Nf6 16.Qf3 e5 17.Qb3 Bd6 18.Ba5 b6 19.Rxd6 O-O 20.Rhd1 bxa5 21.Qc4 Nd5 22.Rxc6 Qe7 23.h4 Nb6 24.Qe4 Rfd8 25.Re1 Qd7 26.a3 Nd5 27.Rc5 Nf6 28.Qe2 Qxg4 29.Qxg4 Nxg4 30.Rc7 Nh6 31.Rxe5 f6 32.Ree7 Nf5 33.Ne6 Re8 34.Rxe8+ Rxe8 35.Nf4 Nxh4 36.c4 g5 37.Nd3 g4 38.Rxa7 Nf3 39.Rxa5 Re2 40.Rd5 Kf7 41.c5 g6 42.c6 Re7 43.b4 Ke6 44.Rd8 Rc7 45.b5 f5 46.Nc5+ Ke7 47.Rd1 f4 48.Na6 Rc8 49.c7 g3 50.fxg3 fxg3 51.b6 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 5, Board 20"] [White "Jolie Huang"] [Black "Juan Barthe"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1956"] [BlackElo "1881"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [PlyCount "35"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Nd2 Ne4 5.Nf3 b6 6.a3 Bxd2+ 7.Nxd2 f5 8.Nxe4 fxe4 9.d5 O-O 10.Bg2 Qf6 11.O-O exd5 12.Qxd5+ Qf7 13.Qxa8 Nc6 14.Bxe4 Qxc4 15.Bd3 Qb3 16.Bf4 b5 17.Rad1 Ba6 18.Bxh7+ 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.22"] [Round "Round 4, Board 1"] [White "CM Antony Gospodinov"] [Black "GM Francesco Sonis"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2161"] [BlackElo "2626"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "E10"] [PlyCount "72"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 a6 4.Bf4 b5 5.c5 Bb7 6.Nbd2 d6 7.Rc1 Be7 8.h3 O-O 9.e3 Nc6 10.Nb3 Re8 11.Be2 Bf8 12.O-O Rb8 13.Bh2 Ba8 14.Qd2 Ne4 15.Qc2 Nb4 16.Qb1 f5 17.a3 Nd5 18.c6 Rb6 19.Bd3 Ng5 20.Nxg5 Qxg5 21.e4 fxe4 22.Bxe4 g6 23.Na5 b4 24.axb4 Rxb4 25.Nc4 Nf6 26.Bf3 Qb5 27.Qc2 Nd5 28.Na3 Qb6 29.Qe2 Bxc6 30.Rc2 Rxd4 31.Rfc1 Bd7 32.Bxd5 exd5 33.Qf3 c5 34.Bf4 Rde4 35.Kh2 Bg7 36.Qg3 Rxf4 0-1 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.22"] [Round "Round 4, Board 3"] [White "FM Yans Girones"] [Black "Andrew Rea"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2462"] [BlackElo "2005"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "C41"] [PlyCount "53"] 1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.Be3 exd4 6.Nxd4 Nc5 7.f3 Bd7 8.Qd2 a6 9.a4 Ne6 10.Nb3 Be7 11.Bc4 O-O 12.g4 b5 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Qxa8 15.Bxb5 Bxb5 16.Nxb5 d5 17.g5 Nxe4 18.fxe4 d4 19.N5xd4 Qxe4 20.O-O Rd8 21.Qf2 Bxg5 22.Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Bxg5 Qg4+ 24.Kh1 Qe4+ 25.Qf3 Nxg5 26.Qxe4 Nxe4 27.Ne6 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 4, Board 7"] [White "FM Jean Marco Cruz"] [Black "Alexander Kristjanson"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2307"] [BlackElo "1903"] [EventDate "2026.01.18"] [ECO "D05"] [PlyCount "49"] 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 e6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Nbd2 O-O 7.O-O Qc7 8.e4 cxd4 9.cxd4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 Nd7 12.Be3 Nf6 13.Rc1 Qb8 14.Bb1 Ng4 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.Ne5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Kxh7 18.Qxg4 f5 19.Qh4+ Kg8 20.Bc5 Bd7 21.Bxf8 Qxf8 22.Rc7 Bc6 23.Rd1 Re8 24.Rd3 Qc5 25.Rxg7+ 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 3, Board 1"] [White "GM Francesco Sonis"] [Black "Goran Markovic"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2626"] [BlackElo "2134"] [EventDate "2026.01.17"] [ECO "A06"] [PlyCount "133"] 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.b4 c6 5.Bb2 Bg7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O Nbd7 8.Qb3 dxc4 9.Qxc4 Nb6 10.Qc2 Bf5 11.d3 Rc8 12.Nbd2 h6 13.Rfd1 Re8 14.Bf1 Qd6 15.a3 e5 16.Rac1 Nfd7 17.Ne4 Qe7 18.Nfd2 Bg4 19.Re1 Be6 20.Nc5 Nxc5 21.bxc5 Nd5 22.Ne4 Rcd8 23.Qb1 Rd7 24.Qa1 f6 25.g3 Rf8 26.Rc2 Kh7 27.Bg2 Bg8 28.Nd2 f5 29.e4 fxe4 30.Nxe4 b6 31.cxb6 Nxb6 32.Nc5 Rdd8 33.Bxe5 Rfe8 34.f4 Nc4 35.d4 Bd5 36.Qc1 Qf7 37.Ne4 Re7 38.Rce2 Rde8 39.Qc3 c5 40.Nxc5 Bxg2 41.Kxg2 Qd5+ 42.Ne4 Nd6 43.Qf3 Nxe4 44.Rxe4 Qc6 45.R4e2 Qa6 46.Re3 Bf8 47.h4 Rf7 48.h5 Rc8 49.Qe4 Qe6 50.d5 Qg4 51.hxg6+ Qxg6 52.Qxg6+ Kxg6 53.d6 Rd7 54.Kf3 h5 55.Rd3 Rc6 56.Ke4 Kf7 57.Kf5 Rc5 58.Red1 a5 59.Rd5 Rc2 60.Rxa5 Rg2 61.Rd3 Be7 62.Rc5 Bd8 63.Rdc3 Ke8 64.Ke6 h4 65.Rc7 Rxg3 66.Rxg3 hxg3 67.Rxd7 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.23"] [Round "Round 3, Board 4"] [White "CM Maxwell Yang"] [Black "GM Igor Novikov"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2157"] [BlackElo "2542"] [EventDate "2026.01.17"] [ECO "E41"] [PlyCount "96"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Ne2 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.O-O dxc4 9.Bxc4 O-O 10.a3 Bd6 11.h3 h6 12.d5 Ne5 13.Ba2 exd5 14.Nxd5 Bf5 15.Ng3 Bh7 16.Bf4 Nd3 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Bc4 Rad8 20.Bxd3 Bxd3 21.Re1 Qb6 22.b4 Bg6 23.Qe2 Rd3 24.Ne4 Qd8 25.Ra2 b6 26.f3 Qd5 27.Nf2 Rd4 28.Rb2 Rc8 29.Qe3 Kh7 30.Ree2 Qd6 31.Qe5 Qd7 32.Qe3 Rdc4 33.Red2 Rc1+ 34.Kh2 Qc7+ 35.f4 Rc3 36.Qd4 Rxa3 37.Ng4 f6 38.Ra2 Rc3 39.g3 Qf7 40.Ne3 Qe6 41.Nd5 R3c4 42.Qf2 Be4 43.Ne3 Rc1 44.g4 R8c7 45.Nd1 Bd5 46.Rab2 Qe4 47.Kg3 R7c3+ 48.Nxc3 Rxc3+ 0-1 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 3, Board 17"] [White "Jolie Huang"] [Black "Jack Firestone"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1956"] [BlackElo "1844"] [EventDate "2026.01.17"] [ECO "A64"] [PlyCount "61"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O Nbd7 10.Nd2 a6 11.a4 Re8 12.Qb3 b6 13.e4 Rb8 14.f4 Ng4 15.Nf3 Bd4+ 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Nd1 Nc5 18.Qc2 f5 19.b4 Nxe4 20.Qd3 Bb7 21.Bb2 Qf6 22.Bxd4 Qf7 23.Nc3 Ngf6 24.Rfd1 Nxd5 25.Nxd5 Bxd5 26.Bb2 Bb7 27.Qd4 Kf8 28.Rac1 Rec8 29.Qxb6 Rc4 30.Bxe4 fxe4 31.Qxd6+ 1-0 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 2, Board 2"] [White "CM Nate Ziegler"] [Black "GM Gabriel Flom"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2143"] [BlackElo "2477"] [EventDate "2026.01.17"] [ECO "A37"] [PlyCount "88"] 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.O-O Bf5 7.d3 Qd7 8.Nd5 Nf6 9.Bd2 O-O 10.Bc3 Bh3 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Bxf6 exf6 13.Qd2 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 d5 15.cxd5 Qxd5 16.Kg1 Rad8 17.Qf4 Rfe8 18.Rfe1 Kg7 19.b3 b6 20.Rac1 Re7 21.h4 h5 22.Qc4 Qd7 23.a3 Qh3 24.Qf4 a5 25.Rc4 Rde8 26.e3 Qd7 27.Rd1 Qd5 28.Rd2 Ne5 29.Nxe5 fxe5 30.Qe4 Rd7 31.Qxd5 Rxd5 32.Kf1 b5 33.Rc1 Red8 34.Ke2 f5 35.a4 b4 36.Rc4 e4 37.d4 cxd4 38.Rcxd4 Rxd4 39.Rxd4 Rxd4 40.exd4 Kf6 41.f4 Ke6 42.Kd2 Kd6 43.Ke2 Ke6 44.Kd2 Kd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "CFCC 2026 Winter Open"] [Site "Orlando, FL"] [Date "2026.01.18"] [Round "Round 1, Board 1"] [White "GM Francesco Sonis"] [Black "WIM Tea Gueci"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2626"] [BlackElo "2133"] [EventDate "2026.01.16"] [ECO "D02"] [PlyCount "65"] 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 h6 5.c4 Bd6 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.O-O O-O 8.b3 Re8 9.Bf4 Bxf4 10.gxf4 Ne4 11.Rc1 Ne7 12.e3 Nxc3 13.Rxc3 a5 14.Kh1 Nf5 15.Rg1 Re7 16.Qc2 c6 17.Bh3 Nd6 18.Nd2 b5 19.c5 Ne8 20.Qd1 b4 21.Rc1 Ba6 22.Nf3 Bb5 23.Ne5 Raa7 24.Qh5 Kf8 25.f5 exf5 26.Bxf5 Rec7 27.Rg3 a4 28.Rcg1 axb3 29.Rxg7 Qf6 30.Rg8+ Ke7 31.axb3 Ra2 32.Ng4 Be2 33.Rxe8+ 1-0

2026 Winter Open & Scholastic
Tournament Recap

By Scholastic Chief TD Alex Dshalalow

The Central Florida Chess Club’s Winter Open—its first tournament of 2026—was held in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend of January 16–18. The event drew 209 players across six sections, with the Masters/Expert and Class A sections FIDE-rated. A Saturday evening blitz tournament rounded out the weekend and attracted 42 participants.

Enjoy my recaps below for each competitive section!

• Master/Expert

   Masters/Expert Division

  The top section was won convincingly with a perfect 5/5 by Italian Grandmaster Froncesco Sonis (2624). Showing excellent control throughout the event, Sonis defeated Tea Gueci (2135), WIM Annmarie Muetsch (2317), Goran Markovic (2122), Antony Gospodinov (2191), and GM Igor Novikov (2542).

  WIM Annmarie Muetsch, visiting from Belgium, finished in clear second place. Her only loss came against GM Sonis, and she capped her tournament by defeating Lyubomir Gospodinov (2166) in the final round.

  A three-way tie for third place followed between GM Igor Novikov, Cuban FM Yans Girones Barrios (2464), and Lyubomir Gospodinov. The section was deep and competitive, featuring additional titled players including French GM Gabriel Flom (2477), Cuban FM Jean Marco Cruz, and Florida’s own FM Corey Acor.

  As usual, the final round shaped the standings in dramatic fashion. If Muetsch had lost to Gospodinov in the last round, Gospodinov would have secured clear second. Likewise, had Novikov defeated Sonis in round five, he would have claimed the title with 4.5 points, while Sonis would have finished on 4.0.

  On a personal note, having followed chess since the mid 1980s, it was a real treat to watch GM Igor Novikov in action, having read about him in various tournament reports, back when I was a kid. Originally from Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), Novikov represented the Soviet team at the World Youth (Under 26) Team Championship, earning a gold medal on board four. He also won the Ukrainian Championship in 1989, tying for first with GM Gennady Kuzmin. In the late 1990s GM Novikov emigrated to the United States.

• Class A

  Like the Masters section, Class A produced a clear and decisive winner. Jolie Huang (1947) posted a dominant 5/5, finishing a full 1.5 points ahead of the field. With this outstanding

  performance, she crossed the expert threshold and will likely be competing for prizes in the Masters/Expert section at upcoming events.

  Tied for places 2–6 were Rui Sha (1939), Juan Barthe (1881), Maksim Kalashnikov (1861), Mark Gao (1819), and Kevin McDonald (1816).

  Barthe was the one player who had a direct shot at stopping Huang late in the tournament: he entered the final round on 3.5, paired against Huang on 4.0. A Barthe win would have held Huang to 4.0 while lifting Barthe to 4.5. Huang, however, completed the clean sweep—and the rest was history.

• Class B

  Class B had a clear winner as well, with Austin Vogt (1819) taking first on 4.5 points. Nazar Deputat (1764) and Kiani Walker (1676) shared second and third on 4.0.

  Deputat entered the final round on a perfect 4/4, needing only a win or draw to secure first, but fell to Vogt. Walker, meanwhile, earned his prize finish by winning his last-round game against Bill Waite (1700).

• Class C

  Class C was the one section without a sole champion, as Richard Brent (1596) and Mithrran Prakash (1427) tied for first with 4.0 points apiece. Brent clinched his share with a crucial last-round win over Bruce Gilbert (1523), while Prakash settled for a final-round draw against Brandon Robertson (1626).

  The next prize group—places 3–7—was shared by Robertson, Robert Belvin (1562), Mauricio Coral (1475), Fritz Valcourt (1419), and Johnny Jobst (1355).

• Class D

  Aahan Gupta (1161) secured clear first with 4.5 points, sealing the title with a final-round win against Oxford Bates (1381). Places 2–5 went to Bates, Aariv Cherukuri (1226), Srithan Nallamilli (1243), and Ishaan Adhikari (1143). With the exception of Bates, all prize-winners won in the last round to lock up their finishes. Had Bates managed to score a draw or win in his final game, he would have taken clear first.

• Scholastic (U1200)

  Zane Tsai (1048) dominated the scholastic section with a perfect 5/5, defeating Vyom Reddy (659), Siddharth Prabu (880), Archit Dev (966), Alex Jacobson (646), and Giorgio De Erbiti Ramirez (1209).

  Vladislav Nazarenko (1062) and Inesh Adhikari tied for second and third. Nazarenko’s last-round draw against Prajwal Nidadavolu (1095) prevented him from matching Tsai’s perfect score.

• Saturday Night Blitz

  The blitz event—a four-round double Swiss (two games per round)—was highly competitive and featured titled players including GM Gabriel Flom (2500 blitz) and FM Corey Acor (2357). Both finished strongly but ultimately tied for 2nd–3rd on 7.0 points.

  The clear blitz winner was Anthony Gospodinov (2018) with 7.5 points, conceding only a single draw (round three) to Phillip Durand (1934). Flom and Acor effectively canceled each other’s chances for first: both started round four on perfect scores, but drew each other in both games.

• Acknowledgements

  The event was superbly organized by the Central Florida Chess Club, with the lion’s share of the work led by club president (and life master) NM Larry Storch and club vice president Kevin Sibbitt, whose professional photos capturing the spirit of the weekend can be found on the club’s blog. Steven Vigil and Charles Hatherill served as chief tournament directors, assisted by scholastic TD Alex Dshalalow.

2026 Winter Open Slideshow Gallery
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Longtime CFCC President Larry Storch Publishes "My Life in Chess" Book!

My Life in Chess by longtime CFCC President Larry Storch

We’re proud to announce that longtime CFCC president Larry Storch has authored My Life in Chess, a memoir about his 43-year chess journey in becoming an USCF original Life Master. In the book, he features 121 completely annotated games that help to tell his story. The hardback edition is currently available for pre-order at USCF Sales.

Larry expects to have copies of his new book available for sale at our upcoming 2025 CFCC Autumn Open & Scholastic weekend tournament, September 26-28, 2025 at the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Lake Buena Vista, 13351 State Road 535, Orlando, Florida 32821

From the preface of My Life in Chess

-By Larry Storch, CFCC President

My Life in Chess, by Larry Storch

“Chess has always been more than just a game to me; it’s a world of rewards and heartaches. I started my chess journey in 1974 at 23 and played continuously until retiring from OTB play in 2017. Over 43 years, I made lasting friendships and rivalries, won countless championships, and led teams to victory in major tournaments.

After thumb surgery in June 2024 kept me home for four months, I finally compiled my experiences into a manuscript. My book details the highs and lows of my chess career and balancing it with family life. I was not a professional player; As an educator, I had papers to grade and children to raise.

My goal in both chess and education was to be the best I could be. I earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership for my job, and worked hard to become a master, then an original Life Master in chess (you might say, I had a double masters degree). I was the Club Champion of the Orlando Chess Club and a five-time champion of the Central Florida Chess Club. How did I do it? Through relentless study and determined play, I forged myself into one of the most feared players in Florida. I also used my experiences to tutor young, talented chess players from Miles Ardaman to Daniel Ludwig. After my playing days were finished, I steered the Central Florida Chess Club as its president to unparalleled success.

Along with the stories of the tournaments I played are 121 completely annotated games. These games are the backbone of my career and contain my thoughts and strategies along with opening secrets I used to defeat my opponents. They show home preparation, creativity, and resilience. The reader will get rewarded with games that carried me forward for 43 years.”

Congratulations to Harvey and Roberta Lerman on Their 65th Wedding Anniversary!

Harvey & Roberta Lerman at their 65th wedding anniversary dinner

Larry (CFCC President) and Shaune Storch at Harvey’s anniversary dinner.

CFCC wishes to congratulate Harvey Lerman, CFCC’s longtime Senior Tournament Director, Board Member, and FIDE National Arbiter (2013), on his 65th wedding anniversary this past Saturday!

Harvey, who retired from directing CFCC chess tournaments just a few short years ago, supported the club throughout his retirement years by organizing and directing the majority of CFCC’s tournament events, including our 34 CFCC Club Championship’s spanning 33 years of voluntary service to the club (1986-2019).

With 413 USCF-rated tournaments now under the club’s belt, Harvey played a key role in growing our tournaments from just the club’s members in the early years to consistently having over 100 players at our hotel weekend tournaments before he retired.

-Central Florida Chess Club

USCF 2024 Annual Awards Ceremony: CFCC Accepting "Chess City of the Year" Award!

USCF’s 2024 “Chess City of the Year” was awarded to Orlando, Florida with CFCC President Larry Storch accepting the award at the 124th Annual U. S. Open Chess Championship from July 27 - August 4, 2024 in Norfolk, Virginia!

USCF President Kevin Pryor (L) & CFCC president Larry Storch (R)

USCF Communications Director Dan Lucas (L) & CFCC President Larry Storch (R)

CFCC President Larry Storch

USCF’s 2024 “Chess City of the Year”

USCF’s 2024 Chess City of the Year is Orlando, Florida!

The novelist T.M. Cicinski wrote, “No place which has ever once been perfect is worth the gamble of revisiting.” US Chess disagrees with this sentiment when applied to Orlando’s perfection as over the last 20 years, we have placed 25 national championships in the City Beautiful, including three of our U.S. Opens where we also hold our annual governance meetings. 

Just in this past fiscal year, 29 rated events have been contested in Orlando, including our 2023 National K-12 Grade Championships that had an incredible 2,449 players plus their families, friends, and coaches. 

Local business support for chess has been heartening. Rosen Hotels & Resorts has fully supported our efforts, including when the 2019 U.S. Open was canceled in St. Louis due to a hotel closure and on short notice, they made a space available for us. Rosen Shingle Creek hosted the Pan American Youth Championships that just completed two weeks ago and had almost 300 young players from across North and South America. Visit Orlando worked with us to allow those participants to experience the wonders of the city simply by showing their event badge, including discounted tickets to the major theme parks. 

We have one official US Chess Affiliate in Orlando: The Central Florida Chess Club (CFCC). Established in 1987 as a non-profit chess club, the CFCC has organized and hosted over 400 US Chess rated tournaments and continues to organize and host rated weekend tournaments in support of competitive chess players of all ages and skill levels in the Central Florida area. There are at least six other clubs in the central Florida area that aren’t official affiliates but that support chess.

This relationship between Orlando and US Chess will continue well into the future. SuperNationals VIII will be May 9-11, 2025 at the Orange County Convention Center. We are expecting over 7,000 players plus family, friends, and coaches for the largest chess tournament under one roof in history. The National K-12 Grade Championships will be in Orlando seven times between 2026 and 2033—three times at Rosen Shingle Creek and four times at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.

For all of these reasons, US Chess is pleased to name Orlando, Florida as the 2024 US Chess City of the Year.

Dan Lucas
USCF Communications Director

Information and Links for Local Chess Club Meetups!

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CFCC Announces Winners of October 15th Online Rapid Prize Tournament!

$250 Prize Fund Percentage: 50% (based on 8/18 players)

Congratulations to Sina Movahed (Akbar_mo) for winning clear 1st place in Saturday’s (10/15/22) rapid tournament with a perfect score of 4/4 points and a prize payout of $40, while Goran Markovic (goranm21) won clear 2nd place with 3/4 points and a prize payout of $25. Nicholas Claudio (nickclaud) won 3rd place with 2/4 points and a prize payout of $15.

Under Prizes

Arthur O'Connor (Ao1000) and William O'Connor (Wo1000) tied for our top U1200 prize earning them $7.50ea. There were no players who qualified for the top U1800 & U1500 under prizes.

We had 8 club players competing in Saturday’s rapid online prize tournament that includes a chess.com results table listing all the players and tournament standings.

CFCC Canceling Online Rapid Tournaments

CFCC Online Chess Club on chess.com

With Saturday’s 64th online rapid 15|10 tournament (we began hosting them in March 2020) CFCC has decided to not schedule any more rapid online tournaments due to waning interest over the past several months.

We appreciate all the players who have participated since April 2020. We’ll keep our CFCC Chess Club on chess.com so that we may host any future online tournament events should the club decide to do so.

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