2026 Charlotte February Open - Championship

SwissStandard

55 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 20 Feb 2026 to 22 Feb 2026 in Charlotte, NC, United States. 10 titled players from 6 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2283, and top seed was Francesco Sonis (🇮🇹 ITA, GM, 2561).

Francesco Sonis (🇮🇹 ITA, GM, 2561) won with 5.0/5, ahead of Sergey Erenburg (4.5) and Elshan Moradiabadi (4.0). Sonis won solo starting round 4.

The biggest upset came in round 2: Aldiyar Zhandaulet (1900) beat Naveen Prabhu (2277), a +377-point gap.

Location

🇺🇸Charlotte, NC, United States

Dates

20 Feb 2026 → 22 Feb 2026

Time control

Standard: 110 minutes for game with 10 sec increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 5 rounds

Top seed

🇮🇹GMFrancesco Sonis2561

Avg top 10

2,283

Participants

Titled players · 10

GM×4

FM×3

WFM×1

WCM×2

Federations · 6 represented

🇺🇸United States of America×50

🇨🇴Colombia×1

🇮🇹Italy×1

🇮🇳India×1

🇰🇿Kazakhstan×1

🇲🇽Mexico×1

Top 3

🥇
GMFrancesco Sonis
🇮🇹ITA·2561
5.0pts·2977perf+4.5
🥈
GMSergey Erenburg
🇺🇸USA·2474
4.5pts·2530perf+3.7
🥉
GMElshan Moradiabadi
🇺🇸USA·2496
4.0pts·2415perf-2.0

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 5 rounds

GM Francesco Sonis led from R4; +0.5-point edge over the runner-up.

Co-leaders

Sonis5Erenburg4.5Prabhu4Moradiabadi4Pendse3.5Kung3.5

R4–R5 · LEAD HELD

GM Francesco Sonis held the sole lead from R4 through R5 without losing it.

WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers

GM Francesco Sonis 5 wins (R1–R5)GM Sergey Erenburg 3 wins (R1–R3)Naveen Prabhu 3 wins (R3–R5)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1GMFrancesco Sonis	*	—	—	—
2GMSergey Erenburg	—	*	—	½
3Naveen Prabhu	—	—	*	—
4GMElshan Moradiabadi	—	½	—	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Sonis, FrancescoGM	2561	ITA	+26N	+8B	+12N	+35B	+6N	5.0	12.0	13.5	13.50	2977	+4.5
2	Erenburg, SergeyGM	2474	USA	+16N	+9B	+41N	=3B	+5N	4.5	13.5	14.5	12.50	2530	+3.7
3	Moradiabadi, ElshanGM	2496	USA	+22B	+13N	=7B	=2N	+14B	4.0	14.0	16.5	12.50	2415	-2.0
4	Prabhu, Naveen	2277	USA	+24B	−12N	+43B	+17N	+13B	4.0	10.5	11.5	8.50	2198	-5.8
5	Jonnalagadda, Vishnusankar	2104	USA	=19B	+18N	+28B	+7N	−2B	3.5	13.0	15.0	9.25	2124	+6.8
6	Zapata, AlonsoGM	2241	COL	=18B	+17N	+25B	+15N	−1B	3.5	13.0	15.0	8.75	2197	-0.7
7	Katsman, David	1926	USA	+45N	+14B	=3N	−5B	+37N	3.5	12.0	13.0	7.50	2136	+26.4
8	Sattaru, Sritej Sai	2107	USA	+30B	−1N	=22B	+41B	+21N	3.5	12.0	13.0	6.75	2116	+6.4
9	Pendse, Vihaan	2046	USA	+47B	−2N	=24B	+18N	+28B	3.5	11.0	12.0	6.50	2121	+17.2
10	Chirilov, James AFM	2264	USA	+27N	+23B	−35N	=31B	+25B	3.5	8.5	10.0	7.50	2120	-13.8
11	Kung, Thomas	2198	USA	=36N	+52B	=20N	+12B	=35N	3.5	8.5	9.0	6.25	2083	-10.8
12	Zhandaulet, Aldiyar	1900	KAZ	+51N	+4B	−1B	−11N	+46B	3.0	13.5	14.0	5.50	2162	+30.2
13	Wu, Andrew	2093	USA	+29N	−3B	+16N	+20B	−4N	3.0	13.0	15.0	7.00	2170	+17.6
14	Crump, Alexander J	2112	USA	+33B	−7N	+46B	+19N	−3N	3.0	12.0	13.0	5.50	2035	-9.0
15	Baliga, Zubin	2037	USA	F	+36B	+54N	−6B	+43N	3.0	6.0	6.0	2.50	2186	+15.2
16	Vivek, Dhruv	1904	USA	−2B	+30N	−13B	+47N	=17B	2.5	12.0	13.0	4.25	1953	+8.8
17	McCartney, Patrick	1862	USA	+44N	−6B	+29N	−4B	=16N	2.5	12.0	13.0	4.25	2001	+14.4
18	Ma, Cuihan	1837	USA	=6N	−5B	+42N	−9B	+54N	2.5	11.5	11.5	2.75	1994	+35.6
19	Rathi, Naitik	1804	USA	=5N	+26B	=31N	−14B	=23N	2.5	11.0	13.0	6.00	2012	+50.8
20	Karthigeyan, Kishan	1977	USA	+21N	F	=11B	−13N	+29B	2.5	11.0	11.0	6.25	2069	+19.2
21	Paukovitz, Samuel Anthony	1768	USA	−20B	=33N	+26B	+32N	−8B	2.5	10.0	12.0	5.00	1985	+42.8
22	Joseph, Veronique	1871	USA	−3N	+51B	=8N	−37B	+42N	2.5	10.0	10.5	3.25	1909	+4.8
23	Atassi, CelineWCM	1927	USA	+53B	−10N	=37B	=24N	=19B	2.5	9.5	9.5	3.00	1889	-11.6
24	Srivastava, Arav	1921	USA	−4N	+45B	=9N	=23B	−41N	2.0	11.0	12.0	4.00	1917	-4.8
25	Sanghani, Tanay	1939	USA	F	+42B	−6N	+27B	−10N	2.0	10.0	10.0	3.00	2015	+12.0
26	Rallabandi, Krishna Kishore	1893	USA	−1B	−19N	−21N	+55B	+53N	2.0	10.0	10.0	0.00	1809	-28.0
27	Zhang, Brian Qixuan	1830	USA	−10B	+48N	=39B	−25N	=34B	2.0	9.0	10.0	2.75	1888	+10.4
28	Basavaraju, Siddharth Sriram	1835	USA	F	+32B	−5N	+54B	−9N	2.0	9.0	9.0	2.00	1993	+32.0
29	Chen, CelineWCM	1837	USA	−13B	+53N	−17B	+49N	−20N	2.0	9.0	9.0	1.00	1849	+1.2
30	Harit, Neil	1683	USA	−8N	−16B	+45N	−42B	+44N	2.0	8.0	9.0	2.00	1765	+16.0
31	Chu, Alex HaoningFM	2025	USA	+34N	F	=19B	=10N	F	2.0	8.0	8.0	5.00	2116	+14.4
32	Quintans, Ruben Yanmi	1964	USA	F	−28N	+34B	−21B	+36N	2.0	8.0	8.0	3.50	1845	-24.8
33	Kollipara, Advaith	0	USA	−14N	=21B	=38N	+52B	F	2.0	7.5	7.5	2.50	1881	0.0
34	Mendenhall, Todd M	1905	USA	−31B	=44N	−32N	+51B	=27N	2.0	7.0	7.5	2.00	1796	-30.0
35	Fogo Esquivel, Levi Kalani AlexanderFM	2100	MEX	F	F	+10B	−1N	=11B	1.5	12.0	12.0	5.25	2321	+30.8
36	Li, Allen	1874	USA	=11B	−15N	+44B	−43N	−32B	1.5	9.5	10.5	2.75	1842	-11.2
37	Kothapalli, Eshwar	1681	USA	F	F	=23N	+22N	−7B	1.5	8.5	8.5	3.75	1908	+34.0
38	Yan, Isabella	1823	USA	F	F	=33B	−46N	+48B	1.5	4.0	4.0	2.00	1878	+6.0
39	Tisserand, Miles	1882	USA	+48B	F	=27N	F	F	1.5	3.0	3.0	2.00	2031	+7.6
40	Cutitaru, Marius	1753	USA	F	F	=52N	+53B	F	1.5	0.5	0.5	0.25	1990	+24.8
41	Vuyyuru, Shriyan	1982	USA	F	F	−2B	−8N	+24B	1.0	10.0	10.0	2.00	2011	+0.4
42	Austin, Freya	1726	USA	F	−25N	−18B	+30N	−22B	1.0	9.0	9.0	2.00	1640	-18.0
43	Chen, Alan Zishun	2000	USA	F	F	−4N	+36B	−15B	1.0	8.5	8.5	1.50	1938	-11.6
44	Murthy, Ayush	1759	USA	−17B	=34B	−36N	=48N	−30B	1.0	8.0	9.0	1.50	1594	-39.2
45	Aadhav N R	1713	IND	−7B	−24N	−30B	F	+52N	1.0	8.0	8.0	0.50	1645	-14.0
46	Regam, JessicaWFM	1911	USA	F	F	−14N	+38B	−12N	1.0	7.5	7.5	1.50	1820	-7.6
47	Katz, David A	1832	USA	−9N	F	+55N	−16B	−49B	1.0	7.0	7.0	0.00	1711	-23.2
48	Vinodh Kumar, Trishona	1844	USA	−39N	−27B	=51N	=44B	−38N	1.0	6.0	6.5	0.75	1571	-69.2
49	Jagga, Harshil	1899	USA	F	F	−50N	−29B	+47N	1.0	4.0	4.0	1.00	1725	-28.4
50	Sharma, Arya	1891	USA	F	F	+49B	F	F	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.00	2699	+20.4
51	Craigmile, Charles	1763	USA	−12B	−22N	=48B	−34N	F	0.5	8.5	8.5	0.50	1558	-17.2
52	Naushad, Musa	1820	USA	F	−11N	=40B	−33N	−45B	0.5	8.0	8.0	0.75	1615	-33.2
53	Tumuluri, Vasishta	1773	USA	−23N	−29B	F	−40N	−26B	0.0	8.0	8.0	0.00	1052	-31.6
54	Meadors, Landon	1857	USA	F	F	−15B	−28N	−18B	0.0	7.5	7.5	0.00	1103	-53.2
55	Williams, Christopher	1767	USA	F	F	−47B	−26N	F	0.0	3.0	3.0	0.00	1058	-15.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Rathi, NaitikUSA
+50.8
2.5 pts · #15
2Paukovitz, Samuel AnthonyUSA
+42.8
2.5 pts · #30
3Ma, CuihanUSA
+35.6
2.5 pts · #17

Top rating losers

1Vinodh Kumar, TrishonaUSA
-69.2
1.0 pts · #42
2Meadors, LandonUSA
-53.2
0.0 pts · #54
3Murthy, AyushUSA
-39.2
1.0 pts · #40

Biggest upsets

R2+377 Elo gap
Zhandaulet, Aldiyar1900 beat Prabhu, Naveen2277
R4+196 Elo gap
Paukovitz, Samuel Anthony1768 beat Quintans, Ruben Yanmi1964
R4+190 Elo gap
Kothapalli, Eshwar1681 beat Joseph, Veronique1871