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
TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.