This summer, chess players don’t have to choose between cheese and chess. The U.S. Open, an annual tournament run by US Chess, returns to Middleton, Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s nickname is “America’s Dairyland” and state residents are sometimes referred to as “Cheeseheads.”
Cheese Life
If Wisconsin were a country, it would be the fourth-largest cheese producing country in the world, after the U.S., Germany, and France. A company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, produces cheese-themed clothing, such as shirts with the motto “Cheese Life.”
Besides “cheese” and “chess” having many of the same letters, there are other overlaps. Programmer Patrice Duhamel developed Cheese, a free chess engine written in C++. A “cheesy” move in chess is one which, according to an AI summary, involves “sacrificing positional principles or developing pieces suboptimally in exchange for creating immediate threats or confusion.”
Chess Life
Besides serving as the playing site for the U.S. Open and for invitationals, the Madison Marriott West hotel in Middleton will host the Delegates Meeting and other US Chess governance activities.
Chess Life Online editor JJ Lang has created an online hub for the happenings from July 28 to August 3. Chess Life editor John Hartmann will likely run a cover story about the 2025 U.S. Open.
Return to Middleton
Middleton is a suburb of Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin. The Madison Marriott West hotel, in Middleton, previously hosted the 2018 U.S. Open won by GM Timur Gareyev. All its last-round games stopped for 3.5 hours when the playing hall was evacuated after the sudden death of a U.S. Open participant. This 2018 Chess Life Online report by Al Lawrence provides more details.
GM Awonder Liang versus GM Timur Gareyev was interrupted just before White’s 15th move. When the game resumed, Gareyev defeated Liang, who is a native of Madison.
Cheese versus Mustard
Although Wisconsin is the cheese state, the National Mustard Museum is in Middleton, WI. The expression “cut the cheese” has a negative definition; it means to pass gas. In contrast, the expression “cut the mustard” has the positive meaning of meeting or exceeding a performance standard.
Let’s hope the 2025 U.S. Open “cuts the mustard” and is a memorable, and safe, event for all involved. The U.S. Open advance entry fee goes up after July 7, 2025, so make plans now to attend!
