April 2026 at Donlon Elementary

178 players of all ages joined the Tri-Valley April 25th Open at Donlon Elementary in Pleasanton, a co-presentation of Emerald Hills Chess and the Emerald Knights Chess Club, and part of our monthly tournament series. 

In our 42-player Championship (1000+) Quads, we awarded more than $1,100 to our first-place winners:

Group 1 (1800+ (avg), $180 split): WFM and Emerald Hills Coach Saikhanchimeg “Sana” Tsogtsaikhan and David Cheyney 

Group 2 (1500+, $120 first): Wilson Han

Group 3 (1400+, $100 first): Yuvan Nandhakumar

Group 4 (1400+, $100 split): Ziyad Ashraf and Andrew Yu

Group 5 (1300+, $80 first): Michael Liu Wu

Group 6 (1300+, $80 first): Samuel Allen Saliva

Group 7 (1200+, $80 split): Arnav Solan and Anay Shedge

Group 8 (1200+, $80 first): Aarav Ganesh

Group 9 (1100+, $80 first): Brayden Li

Group 10 (1100+, $120 split): Sairaghan Kumar and Shenze Xia

In the 36-player Experts (U1200) section, Anvit Nadendla went a perfect 4-0 to win $100. Vedanth Thunga and Cayden Chen tied for 2nd at 3.5-0.5, winning $50 each. 

Six players tied for 4th at 3-1: Parishi Awastthi, Namish Shrivastava* (Sunday tourney training), Adrit Nudurupati* (Donlon), Rishabh Kaushik, Nirbhay Rana* (Sunday), and Evan Li* (Sunday).

(* denotes one of the 300 students of Emerald Hills Chess’s tourney training classes and afterschool clubs.)

Top U1000 players were Eli Chu, Advaith Halemutt Aravind, and Saketh Kollipara* (Fairlands).

In the 41-player Premier (U800) section, Dev Girish Kumar went a perfect 4-0 to take first. Briyan Chen and Neel Mehta* (John Green) tied for second at an undefeated 3.5-0.5 score.

Eight players tied for 4th at 3-1: Vedant Rao* (Coyote Creek), Gerry Laird* (Thurs Night Free Chess), Andre Wu* (John Green), Rishvik Paruchuri, Sarangan Vijayan, Shauryveer Jaykumar Chaundkar, Avvay Behara, and Kiaan Dosi. Rivaan Ermal won the top U600 trophy. 

In the 35-player K12 Challenger (U400), David Reich and Sumedh Kollipara* (Thurs Night) tied for first with perfect 4-0 scores. Aria Ponde took sole 3rd with 3.5-0.5. 

Seven players tied for 4th at 3-1: Vihaan Banka* (Sunday), Viaan Arjun Bokka, Titus Blatt* (Donlon), Vrishaak Rao* (Wed tourney training), Parth Nagpal* (Wed tourney training), Charit Appana, and Rishaan Gupta* (Coyote Creek).

Top U200/unrated were Aayush Nirvan, Vyom Kamboj and Ssetsen Enkhbayar.

In the 23-player non-rated Novices, Isaac Faris Omar took first with a perfect 5-0 record. Four players tied for 2nd at 4-1: Naman Pai* (Fairlands), Kiaan Benjamin, Arjun Srinivas* (Walnut Grove), and Aminerdine Batbayar. 

Bilegt Sumiyabaatar grabbed 6th place, while the top K-2 players were Biligt Naranbat and Aditya Dasika* (Wed tourney training).

Final Standings in tiebreak order and Tiebreakers explained

USCF-Rated results (not including Novices, and NOT in actual tiebreak order) and Rating system explained 

(Note: See your current published rating at your player profile in the USCF rating database, which is used by tournaments for section placement. Click on Tournament History in the upper right to see your live rating, including results from the Tri-Valley Open and other events within the last 30 days.)

Thank Yous

From lead organizers Emerald Hills Chess’s Eric Lai and Bhavna Jain to:

• Chief Tournament Director Scott Mason

• Floor TDs Viren Sethi, Shivish Aneja, and Reyansh Nuti  from Emerald High School/Emerald Knights Chess Club, Rehaan Malhotra from Dublin HS, and Anandharaman Pattabiraman* (Thurs Night Free Chess).

Coming in 2 Weeks! May 9th Tri-Valley Open

• 50+ individual trophies and ~$1,000 in cash prizes over five rated/unrated sections 

• Efficient 1/2-day schedule with up to 2 byes available

• Register by Tuesday May 5th to save $10

• Final chance this school year to put your skills into practice and compete for fun and prizes!

Summer 2026 camps and tournament training classes - Catch discounts for siblings and early birds by May 15th.

Offers from Friends of Emerald Hills Chess

Founded in 2002, Pleasanton’s Wu Xing Do Martial Arts & Fitness offers self-defense, martial arts and fitness classes for youth and adults. Try them for free for a month, no contract required, by mentioning “Emerald Hills Chess.”

Mathnasium’s enrichment programs will elevate your child's learning beyond traditional school curriculum, helping them achieve their greatest potential and reach new heights. Mention Emerald Hills Chess and Receive $250 Off Your Enrollment.

Mathnasium of Pleasanton - (925) 462-8411

Mathnasium of San Ramon - (925) 806-0600

Mechanics Institute is the oldest chess club west of the Mississippi. Get a $5 discount for its monthly Club Quads and Scholastic Swiss tournaments (see calendar) with the code ‘EMERALD’ (all caps) during checkout.

Since 1993, Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) has helped over a million students master the art of tackling challenges they've never encountered before. This summer, the Pleasanton campus invites students to join its 2-week programs and sharpen their critical thinking, deepen their conceptual understanding, and connect with a community of motivated peers; all in a rigorous, engaging environment. Explore their offerings here (full-day programs with Math and English here). Or reach out to pleasanton@artofproblemsolving.com!