41st Annual GM Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions

SwissStandard

52 players participated in this 6-round tournament, held from 28 Jul 2025 to 31 Jul 2025 in Middleton, WI, United States. 10 titled players from 2 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2342, and top seed was Liam Putnam (🇺🇸 USA, IM, 2462).

Bach Ngo (🇺🇸 USA, IM, 2363) won with 5.0/6, ahead of Liam Putnam (5.0) and Isaac Wang (4.5). Ngo shared the lead from round 3, winning on tie-break.

The biggest upset came in round 4: Noah Van Vugt (1844) beat Roger Zhang (2171), a +327-point gap.

Location

🇺🇸Middleton, WI, United States

Dates

28 Jul 2025 → 31 Jul 2025

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 6 rounds

Top seed

🇺🇸IMLiam Putnam2462

Avg top 10

2,342

Participants

Titled players · 10

IM×6

FM×3

CM×1

Federations · 2 represented

🇺🇸United States of America×50

🇻🇳Vietnam×1

Top 3

🥇
IMBach Ngo
🇺🇸USA·2363
5.0pts·2457perf+17.6
🥈
IMLiam Putnam
🇺🇸USA·2462
5.0pts·2481perf+2.1
🥉
IMIsaac Wang
🇺🇸USA·2378
4.5pts·2385perf+2.7

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 6 rounds

Tight race until R5; 2 players tied at 5.0/6, decided on Buchholz. Title race narrowed from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 2 at the finish.

Co-leaders

Ngo5Putnam5Liu4.5Wang4.5Vanapalli4.5Wongso4

R5–R6 · LEAD HELD

IM Bach Ngo held the sole lead from R5 through R6 without losing it.

R6 · TIEBREAK CLUSTER

2 players finish on 5.0/6. Ngo takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (19.5).

R1–R3 · WIN STREAK

IM Bach Ngo won 3 in a row (R1–R3).

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1IMBach Ngo	*	—	—	½
2IMLiam Putnam	—	*	—	—
3IMEric Liu	—	—	*	—
4IMIsaac Wang	½	—	—	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Ngo, BachIM	2363	USA	+29B	+13N	+23B	=6N	+7B	=3N	5.0	19.5	22.5	18.25	2457	+17.6
2	Putnam, LiamIM	2462	USA	+17B	=8N	+18B	=14N	+6B	+9N	5.0	19.0	22.5	18.75	2481	+2.1
3	Wang, IsaacIM	2378	USA	+32B	+35N	=14B	=7N	+10B	=1B	4.5	19.5	22.0	15.75	2385	+2.7
4	Vanapalli, VishnuFM	2292	USA	+33B	+19N	=7B	=10N	=12B	+14N	4.5	19.0	21.5	15.50	2287	+2.8
5	Liu, EricIM	2353	USA	=16N	+21B	=8N	+34B	=11N	+15B	4.5	18.5	21.0	15.25	2218	-6.6
6	Li, EricIM	2372	USA	+51N	+27B	+11N	=1B	−2N	=8B	4.0	21.0	21.5	12.00	2309	-2.5
7	Park, EvanIM	2429	USA	+31N	+15B	=4N	=3B	−1N	+28B	4.0	20.5	23.5	14.00	2312	-6.0
8	Vijayakumar, Advaith	2186	USA	+39N	=2B	=5B	+25N	=14B	=6N	4.0	20.0	22.5	14.00	2321	+23.8
9	Wongso, Steve	2154	USA	+25B	=10N	=12B	+24N	+23B	−2B	4.0	19.0	22.0	13.00	2209	+18.4
10	Cavanah, Troy	2064	USA	+40N	=9B	+26N	=4B	−3N	+23N	4.0	19.0	21.5	12.75	2291	+58.0
11	Nguyen, James LeCM	2150	USA	+42B	+34N	−6B	+30N	=5B	=12N	4.0	18.0	20.0	11.75	2116	-2.0
12	Mariappan, Anish	1890	USA	=36N	+48B	=9N	+42B	=4N	=11B	4.0	17.0	18.5	11.00	2187	+36.2
13	Ni, Beiyang	1950	USA	+44B	−1B	=33N	+37N	+24B	=19N	4.0	16.5	18.5	10.50	2160	+39.6
14	Kaplan, Avi HarrisonFM	2304	USA	+46N	+20B	=3N	=2B	=8N	−4B	3.5	21.5	23.0	11.75	2249	-4.0
15	Tripathi, Amogh	1853	USA	+47B	−7N	=17B	+22N	+16B	−5N	3.5	19.0	20.5	10.25	1993	+38.4
16	Van Vugt, Noah	1844	USA	=5B	−24N	+47B	+18N	−15N	+35B	3.5	17.0	18.5	9.75	2082	+67.6
17	Wadhwa, Aayush	1916	USA	−2N	+36B	=15N	+46B	=28N	=26B	3.5	17.0	18.5	8.75	2028	+21.6
18	Zhang, Roger	2171	USA	+38N	=28B	−2N	−16B	+47N	+33N	3.5	16.5	18.0	8.00	1960	-45.6
19	Liu, Chris Ping	2000	USA	+50N	−4B	=46N	=33B	+38N	=13B	3.5	15.0	16.0	7.50	1979	-4.4
20	Can, Chi Thanh	1927	VIE	+41B	−14N	−25B	+43N	+42N	=21B	3.5	14.5	16.5	8.25	1891	-12.4
21	Eaton, Gabriel	1823	USA	+49B	−5N	−42B	+50N	+30B	=20N	3.5	14.5	15.5	7.25	1819	-7.2
22	Dutoit, Ty Chen	1683	USA	−27N	+51B	=31N	−15B	+46N	+34B	3.5	13.5	14.0	6.00	1898	+69.6
23	He, Levon	1998	USA	+45N	+26B	−1N	+29B	−9N	−10B	3.0	19.0	21.0	8.00	2047	+4.4
24	Feng, EricFM	2194	USA	=48N	+16B	+28N	−9B	−13N	=29N	3.0	17.5	19.0	8.75	1926	-74.0
25	Van de Graaff, Brayden	1898	USA	−9N	+40B	+20N	−8B	=34N	=27B	3.0	17.0	19.5	8.75	1937	+6.4
26	Vinod, Aarush	2271	USA	+30B	−23N	−10B	+31N	=29B	=17N	3.0	16.5	19.5	9.25	1872	-93.2
27	Tang, Austin	1920	USA	+22B	−6N	−30B	+32N	=33B	=25N	3.0	16.5	19.0	9.25	2054	+24.0
28	Huang, Ayden	1941	USA	+37B	=18N	−24B	+36N	=17B	−7N	3.0	16.5	19.0	8.50	1962	-0.4
29	Xu, Alan	1743	USA	−1N	+44B	+35B	−23N	=26N	=24B	3.0	16.5	18.5	7.50	2026	+74.4
30	Wannamaker, Linus Quinn	0	USA	−26N	+45B	+27N	−11B	−21N	+43B	3.0	15.5	17.5	7.00	1902	0.0
31	Nixon, Niko	1859	USA	−7B	=47N	=22B	−26B	+45N	+37N	3.0	15.0	16.5	7.00	1775	-25.2
32	Hengen, Luke O	1932	USA	−3N	−43B	+45N	−27B	+50B	+42N	3.0	13.5	14.5	5.00	1814	-35.6
33	Manuel, Grayson	0	USA	−4N	+50B	=13B	=19N	=27N	−18B	2.5	18.5	19.5	6.25	1957	0.0
34	Kunchanapalli, Havish Nagasai Sashank	1853	USA	+52N	−11B	+43N	−5N	=25B	−22N	2.5	17.0	17.0	3.50	1789	-23.6
35	Lim, Timothy Chien En	2015	USA	+43N	−3B	−29N	=38B	+44B	−16N	2.5	15.5	17.5	5.25	1804	-66.4
36	Neff, Caleb	0	USA	=12B	−17N	+48N	−28B	=39N	=38B	2.5	15.5	17.0	6.00	1785	0.0
37	Johnston, Tristan A	0	USA	−28N	=38B	+39N	−13B	+48N	−31B	2.5	15.0	16.5	5.25	1785	0.0
38	Paukovitz, Samuel Anthony	1781	USA	−18B	=37N	+49B	=35N	−19B	=36N	2.5	14.5	16.0	5.25	1789	-0.8
39	Devanand, Daiwik Dev	1651	USA	−8B	=49N	−37B	+40N	=36B	=44N	2.5	13.5	15.0	5.50	1690	+0.4
40	Schill, Kevin	0	USA	−10B	−25N	=44N	−39B	+52N	+46B	2.5	13.0	13.0	2.50	1669	0.0
41	Hutchins, Will	0	USA	−20N	−46B	=51N	−48B	+49N	+47B	2.5	9.5	10.0	3.25	1657	0.0
42	Nero, Matteo	1724	USA	−11N	+52B	+21N	−12N	−20B	−32B	2.0	18.0	18.0	3.50	1699	-7.6
43	Pennington-Cross, Nicholas Lee	1704	USA	−35B	+32N	−34B	−20B	+51N	−30N	2.0	14.5	15.0	3.50	1833	+30.4
44	Howard, Evan Reese	1714	USA	−13N	−29N	=40B	+51B	−35N	=39B	2.0	14.5	15.0	3.00	1683	-11.2
45	Ekstrom, Roland Gabriel	0	USA	−23B	−30N	−32B	+52N	−31B	+48B	2.0	13.5	13.5	1.50	1722	0.0
46	Baskarraj, Samuel G	1762	USA	−14B	+41N	=19B	−17N	−22B	−40N	1.5	16.5	19.0	4.25	1618	-27.2
47	Zacharias, Joseph Z	1671	USA	−15N	=31B	−16N	+49B	−18B	−41N	1.5	16.0	17.5	3.00	1585	-14.8
48	Sharp, Elio	1871	USA	=24B	−12N	−36B	+41N	−37B	−45N	1.5	14.5	16.5	4.00	1849	-4.0
49	Callahan, Liam Pierce	0	USA	−21N	=39B	−38N	−47N	−41B	+52B	1.5	12.5	12.5	1.25	1410	0.0
50	Kuten, Samuel	1750	USA	−19B	−33N	+52B	−21B	−32N	F	1.0	12.5	12.5	0.00	1118	-34.0
51	Bai, Jason	1799	USA	−6B	−22N	=41B	−44N	−43B	F	0.5	14.0	14.0	1.25	1025	-79.6
52	FIDE 39988538	0	—	−34B	−42N	−50N	−45B	−40B	−49N	0.0	10.5	11.5	0.00	976	0.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Xu, AlanUSA
+74.4
3.0 pts · #18
2Dutoit, Ty ChenUSA
+69.6
3.5 pts · #13
3Van Vugt, NoahUSA
+67.6
3.5 pts · #9

Top rating losers

1Vinod, AarushUSA
-93.2
3.0 pts · #34
2Bai, JasonUSA
-79.6
0.5 pts · #50
3Feng, EricFMUSA
-74.0
3.0 pts · #16

Biggest upsets

R4+327 Elo gap
Van Vugt, Noah1844 beat Zhang, Roger2171
R2+273 Elo gap
He, Levon1998 beat Vinod, Aarush2271
R3+272 Elo gap
Xu, Alan1743 beat Lim, Timothy Chien En2015