After a long and difficult bout with COVID, I’ll be returning to tournament level chess in 2025. I’m primarily planning to play in the Midwest in the United States, but - if the opportunity arises - I’ll take advantage of competitive play in other places I travel to this year. A link to Chessbase videos is [here](https://videos.chessbase.com/en/myvideos). Chessbase news is [here](https://en.chessbase.com/). Chessbase [tips and tricks](https://books.chessbase.com/en/chessbase-17-tips-tricks). Chessbase Open Games book is [here](https://books.chessbase.com/en/openings-1-the-open-games). Chessbase Basic Pawn Structures book is [here](https://books.chessbase.com/en/basic-pawn-structures). The Chessbase Cozio opening book is [here](https://books.chessbase.com/en/master-the-cozio-variation-a-hidden-gem-in-th). The Fritz 20 User manual is no longer available in PDF format, instead the online version is [here](https://books.chessbase.com/en/fritz-20-handbook/introduction). The commentary on the World Chess Championship (2024) on chess.com is [here](https://www.chess.com/events/2024-fide-chess-world-championship). FIDE's web page is [here](https://worldchampionship.fide.com/). The Wisconsin Chess Association is [here](https://www.wischess.org/). GrowthChess recently moved to the westside of Madison, Wisconsin is [here](https://www.growthchess.com/). USCF data for me is [here](https://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlMain.php?12399860). The three national events I plan to play in this year are the US Amateur North Championship (see below), US Senior Open Championship (because of recent results, in July I decided against this and am playing in the July GrowthChess Open instead) and the US Open Championship (end of July and start of August). I have noticed that the 2027 US Open is going to be in Grand Rapids, Michigan. **Early 2025** [February 1 - Northeastern Open - Neenah](https://www.wischess.org/index.php/event-calendar/eventdetail/312/54/michael-a-selig-memorial-58th-northeastern-open-chess-championship) An unmitigated disaster including a game where I missed a mate in one, a game where I was nearly lost but held onto a draw and a game where I thought I was better for much of the game (but the computer shows how wrong I was). I understand that this was my first tournament in a long time, but the results were nothing short of terrible. Completed the tournament with two wins against lower rated players and lost 50 rating points. [[2025 Northeastern Open Summary]]. [Crosstable](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tfndp8s5j3jh8ei30c5h6/2025-Northeastern-Open-Crosstable.pdf?rlkey=ii3j8uy4bi76tlj4fvbb17z9y&dl=0). Round 1 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c1nt6i1n4r1u2nf6m5d40/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-1.pgn?rlkey=0b1kqvmpoqru9rmaq9r4kjdwb&dl=0), [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dql790a1unktrlwr1pfnj/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-1.pdf?rlkey=bcalwdz1xdelz0ltb4g5abh2c&dl=0)); Round 2 (draw; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/70penjvmgjqu9y9njn3ms/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-2.pgn?rlkey=mlithvnx42ctd7yfitnzg3lqr&dl=0), [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/06tupwoz11byykb0t9uq4/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-2.pdf?rlkey=gn8mi24gmqpbbjw7xrul1vepp&dl=0)) ; Round 3 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8hlyunmkiwgzhjpvleleg/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-3.pgn?rlkey=84p2dl8gzjrptp4qgpb8fjri4&dl=0), [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cd4rc71spy3s1beslcts5/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-3.pdf?rlkey=06tvbc5wyvdl8wrzmqelcen6n&dl=0)); Round 4 (win; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r3n262ur2xiuer0yppuii/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-4.pgn?rlkey=2q1jswqf88wbcnqjascrv9aqw&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eccr1efgys4oubnbpuwc5/2025-Northeastern-Open-Round-4.pdf?rlkey=x0ghb35b9zhzhn0b7ptkqk2jo&dl=0)); Round 5 (win; PGN; PDF). **Spring 2025** [April 12 - GrowthChess April $1,000 Open](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11X-fgSfyOdfXX34AEARt7zkNIhv4-P1G5k73uqyCscI/edit?usp=sharing) Four rounds in a day format with accelerated pairings. In the first round, I faced the eventual tournament winner and wound up making a mistake that gave my queen nowhere to hide. The second game was the white side of a Sicilian Defense where I allowed a queenside attack to overwhelm me. Then in round three and round four came fairly easy wins. Like the Northeastern Open there was a loss to a much lower ranked player. [[2025 GrowthChess April $1,000 Open Summary]]. Round 1 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mlae0i5xmxtldwfle5hfc/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-1.pgn?rlkey=bxkvdeu8ek5oz5icp383abm6e&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hj4721xdpworion3ou9c1/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-1.pdf?rlkey=zi2gup4yg6rl0td3voo4wfapk&dl=0)); Round 2 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o6gc0z9yb5tv1j7bf4wdk/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-2.pgn?rlkey=4ox5ac5htyyv81fyvahbl87r1&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lvwxlb4km3z18uf2nqgzn/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-2.pdf?rlkey=rfc2x88yethxca8u2srjp6gfi&dl=0)); Round 3 (win; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9rrwryub1v4umfzyi29m4/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-3.pgn?rlkey=bq1aajo8o6iwdwu84rmhdh4c7&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9vzw2l433cwpgro011ov7/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-3.pdf?rlkey=ulf3hl4m5eraew0gig6f90sp5&dl=0)); Round 4 ([PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rnxkdlkx7w7vou2kr2kzb/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-4.pgn?rlkey=aj577s46xjn2nutljyk8uar4z&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0ivp3cqeq1tcbu8dwiocb/GrowthChess-April-Open-Round-4.pdf?rlkey=ger559zjucvnfvyvd4z3w9pz7&dl=0)). [April 18 - United States Amateur Championship North - Brookfield](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/USamateur) Five rounds over three days in a national tournament. I had an odd set of opponents: 1 Candidate Master, 3 players rated in the 1300's and then a real oddity: a player ranked around 1000 whose online rating is north of 2000! I played well in three of the five games, but had a disaster in the third round against one of the 1300-rated players. Young players seemed to want to exchange all the pieces as soon as they possibly could and, when they were lost, still played the game out to the final mate. [[2025 US Amateur North U2200 Championship]] Round 1 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rtjz9egi4849ohp34y8w0/US-Amateur-Open-North-U2200-Round-1.pgn?rlkey=m1qyvzmldhxy5y3mxxuxmbouy&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mz10k68uduwrp0scp1swt/US-Amateur-North-U2200-Round-1.pdf?rlkey=9q3qut5kogsdey1ipe2unuf1t&dl=0)); Round 2 (win; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/owv7fv5bfxyp0qiv88bpz/US-Amateur-Open-North-U2200-Round-2.pgn?rlkey=m5ia7lg7kduq0xd2nnkt80f8u&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/87ysurfq7lp6anew3musy/US-Amateur-North-U2200-Round-2.pdf?rlkey=v3iow5y1bbu9gxah0c4zurvlw&dl=0)); Round 3 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6zd5t69hrok02nc72jg6x/US-Amateur-Open-North-U2200-Round-3.pgn?rlkey=r1xk081mstm9kse4txp3hd6v8&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l5m01q3ifev5xop14xd5c/US-Amateur-North-U2200-Round-3.pdf?rlkey=8aqemkwec0jr496xhbh7s02f2&dl=0)); Round 4 (win; PGN; PDF); Round 5 (loss; PGN; PDF). [May 3 - GrowthChess June $1,000 Open]() Just like the April event above, but the results were disastrous. Three games, three losses. Worst tournament result since I re-started playing. [Standings and Pairings](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11X-fgSfyOdfXX34AEARt7zkNIhv4-P1G5k73uqyCscI/edit?gid=1684391623#gid=1684391623). Round 1 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ly3d4zdxtybz29o3hbcuv/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-1.pgn?rlkey=49rnnian4hye2nmiio4vrxg1x&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xtyzs40wv5s6i5y4lihv3/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-1.pdf?rlkey=2qkvv4fdukw0rhxyty1qa1l4g&dl=0)); Round 2 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ka6ve1dr4y4x2clzjsc5r/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-2.pgn?rlkey=7fcuvqum00245hdxsexdn3zv0&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/domd0p81n8einysf9f2uu/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-2.pdf?rlkey=ridnx2q8bzawx8phlo8ie1mgr&dl=0)); Round 3 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5gh0u3hnew3q5p4sgvedw/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-3.pgn?rlkey=4chpaj51zcvaig2k446md65rk&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o7pc8sg0s6f8yj1jormkq/2025-GrowthChess-June-Open-Round-3.pdf?rlkey=zvg7446n3uf1umimuqobdcqfr&dl=0)). **Summer** [[July 26 - GrowthChess July $1,000 [[2025 GrowthChess July $1,000 Open Summary]]Open; Madison, WI]] Much better play than in the disastrous June event. Mostly prepping for the US Open, but did get to play against a master (and, the eventual winner of the tournament and current state champion!) and a very good 1900 player. The only unfortunate result was a loss to a player rated around 1240 (whose rating jumped almost 100 points partly thanks to me) in a Closed Sicilian where I was actually worse throughout much of the game (see the PDF analysis below). That's a weakness I need to work on during US Open week. Round 1 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rbo2hc5jzsxn37rzwcxw7/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-1.pgn?rlkey=km0m26ecg3rhvobxhfbe61ijh&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8ntobnkcegjmdf4z5m3bv/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-1.pdf?rlkey=2mpnmnasuvj84h3adwxarwxa7&st=6dqyjnrb&dl=0)); Round 2 (win; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yxqqa95oi6zbj28zzqjpw/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-2.pgn?rlkey=hqh54t8paw6q102kxon2zximg&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8hh5dpbzo6atx2dk9zwas/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-2.pdf?rlkey=7jyg6o0pt0kzfyexatnvlsp7l&st=austjgw2&dl=0)); Round 3 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8zxkhok9vcggug7fgzcjs/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-3.pgn?rlkey=4nqaywqrh9ri8rkp5zr5w0un9&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qmq9wqd05h8cted56kd3o/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-3.pdf?rlkey=r0t3mg75xe2j52k2el1zglu3t&dl=0)); Round 4 (loss; [PGN](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lgm3mmo8bend4mb5tr44m/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-4.pgn?rlkey=mdpo7zyo4ornk8qcmjgdtql1z&dl=0); [PDF](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nijmhphusc9636zr9ty9r/2025-GrowthChess-July-Open-Round-4.pdf?rlkey=2o4xb1ilpca92l4glmobvfab7&dl=0)). [[[2025 United States Open Championship]]] National event. Registered for the traditional schedule. Tournament announcement is [here](https://new.uschess.org/125th-annual-us-open-championship). Organizer website is [here](https://new.uschess.org/us-open-2025). The tournament results page is [here](https://uschess.org/results/2025/usopen/). Playing site is [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/GpTwPqv4bV3tfWT3A). July 28, 2025 To August 3, 2025. 1. Round One: Monday evening. {August 22-24 - Wisconsin State Championship - Madison, WI}(https://www.wischess.org/index.php/event-calendar/eventdetail/332/-/97th-wisconsin-closed-state-championship). More information is [here](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/97WCSC).Surgery on August 21 may prevent me from playing in this event. **Fall and Winter** [September 29 - Growth Chess September $1,000 Open](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/SEPTTHDO25) Registered! [October 4 - Hales Corners Challenge](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/HCC37) [October 31 - November 2 - Central States Master Challenge - Brookfield, WI](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/MasterChallenge) [November 8 - 9 - WCA Veterans Tournament - Manitowoc, WI](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/Vets2025) [December 26 - 28 - 2025 North Central Open - Brookfield, WI](https://www.kingregistration.com/event/2025NCO)