The 2026 edition of the American Cup began with two days of quarterfinal action, played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Each match in both sections consisted of two classical games with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. If the match score remained tied after the classical portion, a blitz playoff was held after the second game on Wednesday. The event follows a double-elimination format, meaning players defeated in the Championship Bracket continue their campaign in the Elimination Bracket, where a further loss results in elimination.
In the open section, two of the highest-rated participants progressed to the Championship Bracket semifinals. Fabiano Caruana secured a 1½–½ match victory over Abhimanyu Mishra, while Wesley So defeated Ray Robson by 2½–1½ after the match was decided in blitz tiebreaks.
The remaining quarterfinals produced results in favour of the lower-rated contenders. Sam Sevian overcame Leinier Dominguez, first drawing with the black pieces and then winning convincingly with white. Sevian's victory came from a Semi-Slav structure, where he gradually built a positional advantage before converting in 33 moves.
The closest contest saw Awonder Liang eliminate Levon Aronian. Both classical games ended in draws, sending the match to blitz. Liang prevailed in the playoff by winning with the black pieces and then holding a draw with white, thereby advancing to the next round.
As a result, the Championship Bracket semifinals will see Caruana face Liang, while So will meet Sevian.
Fabiano Caruana | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Wesley So | Photo: Austin Fuller
Sam Sevian | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The women's quarterfinals saw three of the four matches were won by the higher-rated players, all of them decided during the classical portion.
Carissa Yip and Tatev Abrahamyan each advanced with 1½–½ victories in their respective matches, while defending champion Alice Lee recorded the most convincing victory of the round, winning both classical games to knock down Rachel Li with a 2–0 score.
The only upset came in the match between Zoey Tang and eight-time US women's champion Irina Krush. Tang lost the first classical game but recovered by winning the second, sending the match to blitz. After both players scored a win with the white pieces in the initial playoff encounters, Tang scored with black in the third blitz contest of the day. Krush then needed to win the final blitz game to stay in the match but could not generate sufficient chances, and a 65-move draw confirmed Tang's overall triumph.
The Championship Bracket semifinals in the women's competition will feature Yip against Abrahamyan, while Lee will face Tang. Meanwhile, the players defeated in the quarterfinals continue their campaigns in the Elimination Bracket, where they must now avoid a second loss to remain in the tournament.
Zoey Tang | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Four-time US women's champion Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Alice Lee won the last two editions of the event | Photo: Lennart Ootes
| Advertising |
.jpeg)
