Yip Wins Women's Championship With Round To Spare; Caruana On Cusp Of Glory
GM Fabiano Caruana has maintained his half-point buffer heading into the final round of the 2024 U.S. Chess Championships after three out of five games in round 10 games were drawn. GM Ray Robson, who toppled GM Abhimanyu Mishra, moved into second on 5.5 points alongside GM Awonder Liang, however, due to his scheduled bye in round 11, Robson cannot win the title.
IM Carissa Yip was confirmed as the U.S. women's champion with a round to spare despite losing her game to IM Anna Zatonskih, thanks to IM Alice Lee's victory over WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. Wins by WGM Thalia Cervantes, FM Rose Atwell, and GM Irina Krush were inconsequential in terms of the podium.
The final round of the U.S. Championships will start on October 23 at 2 p.m. ET/20:00 CEST/11:30 p.m. IST.
Round 10 Standings: Championship
Round 10 Standings: Women's Championship
U.S. Championship
Round 10 Results: Championship
Caruana is on the cusp of joining an illustrious group of American players who have won four U.S. Championship titles and, should he win with White against GM Sam Shankland on Wednesday, the deal would be sealed.
The world number-two looked right at home in his round-10 clash with GM Leinier Dominguez and from the black side of a Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo, Fianchetto Variation, Caruana equalized and liquidated into a queen and pawn ending.
As the 40th move approached, Caruana flirted with the idea of playing for a win, though defensively, Dominguez was unwavering and a repetition soon occurred.
Liang was arguably even more impressive with Black against GM Wesley So— the second-placed GM finished with more than one hour on the clock and held the initiative for most of the game.
For those wondering what Liang was doing during So's thinking time, it wasn't always calculating. Instead of building a house of cards, Liang built a chess piece tower on the side of the board.
The only other title contender heading into round 10 was GM Hans Niemann, who tried in vain to overcome GM Grigoriy Oparin but missed an opportunity to consolidate his advantage when it came knocking.
Hoping to finish his tournament with a bang, Robson spent every ounce of energy grinding down Mishra in a queen and rook endgame. The ending bore a striking resemblance to Caruana-Mishra from round four and just like in that game, White was the victor.
Take a look at these two diagrams and try to spot the differences! Abhimanyu Mishra is trying to defend a very similar position against Ray Robson, just like the one he had in his game against Fabiano Caruana.#uschesschamps pic.twitter.com/WgUVTxcyfY
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 22, 2024
Robson's +1 score has resulted in a seven-point rating gain and he is back in the 2700-club.
The second decisive result of the round came about when Shankland blundered late in the game with 49.Nc3?, which opened the floodgates for Sevian's three passed pawns to run rampant. The four-pronged pawn chain that Sevian managed to build in the middlegame was a thing of beauty.
One would assume that the player with the bye would rest and perhaps do some sightseeing. However, on GM Levon Aronian's day off he joined Titled Tuesday and duked it out against the likes of GMs Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi. Aronian finished fourth and was the only player to beat the winning player, GM Nikolas Theodorou.
With one round remaining in the U.S. Championships, a playoff for the title is still a possibility and this would require Caruana drawing with Shankland and Liang winning his game against Dominguez. A three-way tie for first is also mathematically possible if Caruana loses, Liang draws, and Sevian-Niemann ends decisively.
U.S. Women's Championship
Round 10 Results: Women's
Two losses in a row have come as a cold shower for Yip at the tail-end of the women's event although her performance has been so dominant that she only needed 10 rounds to defend the title of U.S. Women's Champion.
Carissa Yip has secured her third US Women's Chess Championship title with one round to spare! Despite losing her game today, her incredible performance throughout the tournament ensured her victory. Congratulations to the new champion 💥@carissayipchess!#USChessChamps pic.twitter.com/lts7kd6qW8
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 23, 2024
Speaking to WGM Anastasiya Karlovich after her round-10 game Yip stated that she was "pretty nonchalant about the whole thing" and admitted that she was "devastated" by her round nine and 10 games.
While the $64,000 "Fischer Prize," which was confirmed to be on offer, is off the table, Yip will walk away with $40,000 for first and a healthy rating gain regardless of how her game with IM Alice Lee pans out.
Tokhirjonova's comeback came to a screeching halt on Tuesday after a loss to Lee, courtesy of an endgame brilliancy that was missed by Tokhirjonova. Adding salt to the wounds, Lee now joins Tokhirjonova in second place on 6.5/10, a significant point considering that a second 2025 FIDE World Cup spot is on offer (Yip has already secured the first).
Fans of the players will watch with bated breath as the pair's final games dictate who will claim the spot.
The remainder of the games were an exhibition of what happens when ambition meets fatigue. Sparkling combinations, advantage squandering, and fancy finishes all played a part in an entertaining penultimate round.
Check out Cervantes' conversion against FM Megan Lee which came after the former's Sicilian Defense: Kalashnikov Variation paid dividends.
With the U.S. Championship coming down to a sprint finish and a Women's World Cup spot up for grabs, the final round of the event should be a spectacle.
Round 11 Draw: Women's
The live broadcast was hosted by WGM Katerina Nemcova and GMs Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila.
See what happenedYou can follow the games from the U.S. Championships on our Events Pages: Open | Women.
The 2024 U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational classical event that determines the chess champion of the United States. The 2024 U.S. Women's Championship is being held concurrently. Both events start on October 11 and have the same format: a 12-player, 11-round tournament with a $250,000 prize fund for the U.S. Championship, and $152,000 for the U.S. Women’s Championship.
Previous Coverage
- Round 9: Caruana Draws With Liang, Maintains Lead; Yip's Streak Is Snapped
- Round 8: Yip Scores 8th Straight Win, 3 Away From Fischer's Record
- Round 7: Yip Wins Seventh Straight Game, Liang Closes Gap To Caruana
- Round 6: Yoo Temporarily Suspended By US Chess And Charged By Police; Caruana, Yip Lead
- Round 5: Yoo Expelled From U.S. Championship Due To "Gross Violations" Of Code Of Conduct
- Round 4: Caruana Beats Mishra, Assumes Sole Lead; Yip Still Perfect
- Round 3: Olympiad Players Fall As Caruana, Niemann, Liang Join The Leaders
- Round 2: So, Sevian Register First Wins; Caruana, Shankland Miss Golden Opportunities
- Round 1: "Fischer Prize" Off The Table As U.S. Championship Gets Underway
