American Players Shine at 2025 FIDE World Cadets & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships in Rhodes, Greece

American players shined at the 2025 FIDE World Cadets & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships in Rhodes, Greece, with three podium finishes. Over 400 players from around the world participated in the five-day event, including seven talented Americans.

California’s CM Ethan Guo stood out with an impressive performance, earning gold in the Under-12 Open Blitz category with a dominating 10/11 score. Guo also secured a bronze medal in the Under-12 Open Rapid section with an 8½/11 performance.

Texas’s Siddharth Singh also made his mark by winning the bronze in the Under-14 Open Blitz division, finishing with an 8/11 score. New York’s Charles Bernstein narrowly missed out on a podium finish, tying for third but finishing fourth on tiebreaks in the Under-8 Open Blitz category.

The championships featured 22 rounds of chess over five days, with three days dedicated to rapid and two days to blitz. The competition was divided into Cadets (Under-8, Under-10, and Under-12) and Youth (Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18) sections based on age.

Guo, who entered the event ranked ninth in rapid and third in blitz, showcased his skills by adding over 100 FIDE points to his ratings. His standout performance included only one loss to Israel’s Noam Sason, who won silver in the rapid category.

Other American players like Roshan Sethuraman, Aayansh Guntaka, and FM Shaaketh Sivakumar also made significant gains in their ratings and displayed impressive gameplay throughout the tournament.

The event not only highlighted the talent of young chess players but also provided valuable lessons in openings and endgames. With engaging games and fierce competition, the 2025 FIDE World Cadets & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships was a thrilling showcase of the future stars of chess.