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The opening day of the fourth edition of the American Cup featured tightly contested games, with all four encounters in the open section ending in draws. The top seeds, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, both had the white pieces but failed to capitalise on their positions, leaving them vulnerable in the second games of their two-game matches.
Caruana built a significant time advantage against Ray Robson, but the latter, known for his ability to navigate time trouble, managed to escape with a draw by threefold repetition. Meanwhile, Nakamura faced Abhimanyu Mishra in a technical rook endgame. Despite Abhimanyu's inaccuracies, Nakamura was unable to convert his advantage into a win in a rook ending. GM Karsten Müller provides a detailed analysis of the missed opportunities in this complex endgame below.
The other two games of the day also ended in draws. Wesley So and Leinier Dominguez concluded the first game of the round without decisive action, while Levon Aronian's encounter with Sam Sevian lasted 40 moves before the players agreed to a draw.
With all matches still level, the second games of these encounters will be crucial. Caruana and Nakamura, in particular, must now hold with the black pieces to avoid being sent to the elimination bracket.
Ray Robson | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
Hikaru Nakamura | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The women's section got off to an eventful start, with three out of four games ending decisively, all favouring the player with the white pieces. The two former champions of the event, Irina Krush and Alice Lee, both began their campaigns with victories. Krush defeated Atousa Pourkashiyan, while Lee overcame Nazi Paikidze. Carissa Yip also secured a full point, beating Thalia Cervantes in a dramatic and unexpected turnaround.
Yip's victory was the most striking of the day, as she was on the verge of defeat before Cervantes missed a straightforward winning sequence. Cervantes had built a winning position and reached a decisive moment on move 35, where she had a forced mate-in-four.
35...Qe5+ 36.Kf2 Qe2+ 37.Kg1 Qf1#. However, instead of delivering the winning sequence, she played 35...Bd5, missing her opportunity. This allowed Yip to respond with 36.Bxd7+ Kxd7 37.Qd2, pinning Cervantes' bishop and shifting the dynamics of the position.
Yip gradually consolidated her advantage, and despite Cervantes' attempts to defend, she eventually collapsed, allowing Yip to convert the advantage into a win after 66 moves.
Thalia Cervantes | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Meanwhile, the only drawn game of the round saw Tatev Abrahamyan converting her advantageous middlegame position into a queen and knight endgame, which was also favourable but gave more chances for the player on the defensive side. Anna Zatonskih showed her technical prowess to escape with a draw.
Defending champion Alice Lee | Photo: Crystal Fuller
