The open section of the American Cup will feature a final between the two top seeds, as Fabiano Caruana defeated Awonder Liang and Wesley So overcame Sam Sevian. Both matches finished with a 2½–1½ score.
Caruana and So will now meet in the Championship Bracket final. The winner of that match will advance directly to the Grand Final and will wait for the player who emerges from the Elimination Bracket. Caruana already has one American Cup title to his name, having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022. So, meanwhile, has twice finished runner-up, in 2023 and 2024, but has yet to claim the title in the double-elimination event.
Despite their semifinal defeats, Sevian and Liang remain in contention for the overall title, as they drop to the Elimination Bracket. On Saturday, they will face Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez respectively in two-game rapid matches. The losers of those matches will be eliminated from the tournament.
Fabiano Caruana | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The match between So and Sevian was decided in blitz after the two classical games ended in draws. In the first playoff game, So obtained a win with the white pieces, gradually outplaying his younger opponent out of a Giuoco Piano. In the second blitz game, So obtained an edge with black, but Sevian had a clear opportunity to turn the tables.
After So blundered with 23...Rg6??, Sevian replied with 24.Kf2?, after which Black consolidated with 24...Qa4 and regained the initiative.
Instead, Sevian could have played 24.f5!, when after 24...exf5 White has the powerful 25.e6! (diagram below) Qxe6 26.Re1, and the rook and dark-squared bishop coordinate magnificently. If Black tried 25...fxe6 instead, then 26.Ne5 would follow, with a deadly fork.
With this tactical chance missed, So regained control of the position, and the game was soon agreed drawn once it became clear that the result was sufficient to send him to the Championship Bracket final.
Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
While the two top seeds reached the final in the open event, the finalists in the women's section are the players seeded first and third. Carissa Yip, the rating favourite and four-time US women's champion, defeated Tatev Abrahamyan, while defending champion Alice Lee got the better of Zoey Tang.
Both matches were decided in the classical portion, with the eventual winner prevailing in her game with the white pieces.
Carissa Yip | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Lee's victory over Tang on Friday was relatively quick, as Tang blundered into a tactical sequence already on move 19.
After 19...Qd7??, Lee responded with 20.Nc6! bxc6 21.dxc6, after which the knight on c5 was doomed to be captured.
The queenside passed pawn that Lee obtained after this small combination proved particularly strong in the resulting structure, and Lee converted the advantage without major difficulty, bringing the game to an end in 36 moves.
Following their semifinal defeats, Abrahamyan and Tang move to the Elimination Bracket and will play for survival on Saturday. Abrahamyan is set to face Rachel Li, while Tang will take on Anna Sargsyan. The losers of those matches will be eliminated from the competition.
Alice Lee | Photo: Crystal Fuller
| Advertising |
.jpeg)
.jpeg)