Andy Woodward

Grandmaster Andy Woodward, who turned 15 this past May, is the youngest player in the 2025 U.S. Championship, and is making his debut. His early development saw continual progress rather than a sudden leap forward.. The Dallas area native achieved the National Master title in 2020, the FIDE Master title in 2021 and the International Master title in 2022. Next followed the Grandmaster title in the summer of 2024. Then Andy suffered a major reverse when he had a disastrous result in the 2024 Spice Cup.

Sometimes it’s one step backwards, two steps forward, but in 2025 it has been mostly three steps forward for Andy including a career best result in the Sharjah Masters held in the United Arab Emirates this past May. Playing against an all-Grandmaster field he scored 5 ½ from 9 for a performance rating of 2708. This summer he won the U.S. Junior Closed in St. Louis..

Andy is the 2025 Chess.Com Puzzle Battle World Champion.