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Playing in open tournaments can easily be difficult for top players, but with 5.0/5 Caruana had a concinving start in Charlotte. However, in round 6 the world's number 2 stumbled against GM Nikolas Theodorou.
Fabiano Caruana
With this win Theodorou took the lead, but then drew his games in rounds 7 to 9, while Caruana won all three remaining games and took the tournament by a whole point ahead of Grigoriy Oparin.
Final standings
| # | Name | Rating | Fed | Pts | Prize |
| 1 | GM Fabiano Caruana | 2805 (2857) | USA | 8.0 | $7500.00/trophy - 1st Place |
| 2 | GM Nikolas Theodorou | 2612 (2694) | GRE | 7.5 | $3500.00 - 2nd Place |
| 3 | GM Grigoriy Oparin | 2653 (2730) | USA | 7.0 | $1700.00 - 3rd Tie |
| 4 | GM Illia Nyzhnyk | 2576 (2637) | UKR | 7.0 | $1700.00 - 3rd Tie |
| 5 | IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova | 2385 (2459) | USA | 7.0 | $3300.00 - 3rd Tie / U2500 1st / Womens 1st |
| 6 | GM Awonder Liang | 2687 (2755) | USA | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 7 | GM Alexander Donchenko | 2617 (2617) | GER | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 8 | GM Abhimanyu Mishra | 2616 (2714) | USA | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 9 | GM Olexandr Bortnyk | 2603 (2677) | UKR | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 10 | GM Lázaro Bruzón | 2578 (2658) | USA | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 11 | GM John Michael Burke | 2573 (2661) | USA | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 12 | GM Bharathakoti Harsha | 2531 (2638) | IND | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 13 | GM Guha Mitrabha | 2511 (2511) | IND | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 14 | GM Gleb Dudin | 2510 (2636) | HUN | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie |
| 15 | IM Isik Can | 2508 (2508) | TUR | 6.5 | $314.29 - 5th Tie GM NORM |
Games
In the FIDE Circuit leaderboard Caruana is now just behind Arjun Erigaisi.
Source: FIDE
The player with the most points in 2024 will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, and this is a race between Caruana and Erigaisi, although Nodirbek Abdusattorov still has a slight chance.
After the U.S. Masters Caruana travelled to Saint Louis to collect more circuit points in the Saint Louis Masters, which starts on 3 December. Meanwhile, Erigaisi and Abdusattorov will try to pick up points at the Qatar Masters, which also starts on 3 December.
The last chance to gain the necessary points to win the Circuit will come at the end of the year at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York.
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