Open: So comes from behind, Aronian remains in contention in Elimination Bracket
The Championship Bracket final in the open section saw Wesley So come from behind to defeat Fabiano Caruana. Caruana took the lead by winning the first classical game on Saturday, but So responded with a victory in the second classical encounter.
With the score level after the classical portion, the contest was decided in blitz tiebreaks. So performed convincingly in the faster games, scoring a 1½–½ victory in the playoff to secure the match and advance to the Grand Final.
Caruana was therefore sent down to the Elimination Bracket, where he will face Levon Aronian on Monday. The winner of that match will earn the right to challenge So in the Grand Final.
Unleash your chess potential with this dynamic course focused on mastering the initiative.Aronian secured his place in the final stage of the Elimination Bracket after an extended run through the lower bracket. Having lost his opening match in the Championship Bracket to Awonder Liang, the Armenian-born grandmaster first defeated Abhimanyu Mishra and Sam Sevian by 1½–½ scores to remain in contention.
His most demanding match in the Elimination Bracket came against Liang. The first two rapid games ended in draws, sending the encounter to blitz tiebreaks. Aronian missed a direct win in a rook-and-knight endgame in the first blitz game, which ultimately finished drawn. In the subsequent rematch, however, he made the most of his chances and secured victory after 49 moves, thereby eliminating Liang from the tournament.
Two of the three highest-rated players from the United States facing off once again at the Saint Louis Chess Club | Photo: Lennart Ootes
So v. Caruana: Highlights
The two classical games of the match saw one of the contenders outplaying his opponent in a technical endgame. In the second encounter, So demonstrated that not all endings with bishops of opposite colours are drawn.
White is only a pawn up in this technical setup, but Black needs to be extremely careful to keep his drawing chances alive. The key factor is that the white king is more active than the black monarch. In fact, a single mistake by Caruana, on move 60, allowed So to secure the win that took the match to a blitz playoff.
After Caruana agreed to sign a quick draw from a position of strength (with black) in the first blitz game, So prevailed with black in the rematch. In a closed structure, Caruana had a knight against So's bishop, a factor which would have likely favoured White in the long run. However, Black's initiative on the kingside turned out to be the decisive factor.
39.Rc4?? was the losing mistake (39.Rc3 was necessary), since after the forcing 39...f3+ 40.Nxf3 Rxd3 41.Ne1 Rd4, Black has a major advantage.
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Black will either get a strong passer on the d-file after the trade of rooks (as happened in the game) or will capture the pawn on e4. It only took three more moves for Caruana to throw in the towel, as the black passer was already too strong.
Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Aronian v. Liang: Highlights
After missing a few chances in the previous games, Aronian got to end the match against Liang in style, as his good-looking 48...g4 soon forced his opponent's resignation.
All Black wants is to create a passer on the kingside, even by allowing his opponent to get a passed pawn himself - the king will easily deal with it.
There followed 49.gxh4 gxh3 and Liang resigned. A sample line that might have followed is 50.Bg3 Kf5 51.h5 Kg4 52.Bh2 Kxh5 53.Ke1 Kg4 54.Bc4 Bc7 b5
Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.The white king and bishop can control the dark squares around the e and h-pawns, but Black is ready to create yet another passer on the queenside.
Levon Aronian | Photo: Lennart Ootes
All games - Championship Bracket
All games - Elimination Bracket
Women's: Lee to play fifth consecutive American Cup Grand Final
The Championship Bracket final in the women's event was also decided in tiebreaks. Carissa Yip and Alice Lee, who are both rivals and good friends, drew their two classical games, leaving the match to be settled in blitz.
Lee, the winner of the previous two editions of the event, secured victory by winning both blitz games, thus advancing to the Grand Final. Her qualification continues a remarkable sequence of results in the competition. In addition to her titles in 2024 and 2025, Lee had already reached the Grand Final in the 2022 and 2023 editions, losing both times to Irina Krush. With Sunday's victory, she has now reached the deciding match in all five editions of the Women's American Cup.
Considered a master of prophylaxis, Petrosian sensed dangers long before they actually became acute on the board. In his prime, Petrosian was almost invincible. Let our authors introduce you into the world of Tigran Petrosian.Yip remains in contention through the Elimination Bracket and will face Tatev Abrahamyan to determine who will advance to challenge Lee in the Grand Final.
Abrahamyan entered the lower bracket after losing to Yip in the Championship Bracket semifinals but has since defeated Rachel Li and Anna Sargsyan to keep her title hopes alive.
Her match against Sargsyan on Sunday proved particularly close, lasting six games. The players exchanged wins with the white pieces in the rapid games and again in the first pair of blitz tiebreaks. In the second blitz set, Abrahamyan first secured an important draw with black and then won the following game with white, thereby clinching the match and advancing to face Yip for a place in the Grand Final.
Three players of Armenian descent are currently prominent figures in the US chess scene - Tatev Abrahamyan, Levon Aronian and Anna Sargsyan | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Lee v. Yip: Highlights
After losing the first blitz game, Yip was in a must-win situation in the playoffs. She did manage to get an imbalanced position, but her opponent did not go for a passive strategy (only needing a draw) - Lee, in fact, pushed her kingside pawns, putting pressure on her friend's position.
Following Lee's 34...g4 - not the most accurate continuation - Yip faltered with 35.Rf4?
After 35...Ng5 36.Kh1 Nf3 37.h4, Lee ended the game (and the match) with a flourish.
Top trainers strongly recommend regular study of well-explained classical games to improve your understanding of chess in the long term. 33 modern classics are explained in details on this video course.37...Qxf4 led to White's immediate resignation - after 38.gxf4 Rxh4+, checkmate can only be delayed by giving up the queen on h3.
Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Abrahamyan v. Sargsyan: Highlights
Plenty of fighting chess was seen in this match, with a number of tactical combinations either deciding games or drastically changing evaluations. One of the most attractive was seen in the fourth game (the second blitz encounter) when Sargsyan found 19.Nxd5
After 19...exd5 20.Bxd5 Rxd4, the attack with the queen and bishop along the light squares is lethal, as was seen in the game.
Notably, if Black plays, for example, 19...Qc5, it is the knight the one that joins the queen in the attack via 20.Nf4
Unleash your chess potential with this dynamic course focused on mastering the initiative. Again 20...Rxd4 is insufficient, as White has 21.Nh5, attacking g7.
It was a match full of ups and downs - Tatev Abrahamyan | Photo: Lennart Ootes
All games - Championship Bracket
All games - Elimination Bracket
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