"One Has to Have A Little Bit Extra Left for the Last Round"

That's what Alexander Onischuk said yesterday when asked if he had enough gas left in the tank. That's the way of chess competition – players measure themselves by tournament victories, not individual games. Ask Yaro Zherebukh how he feels now. I bet he would trade his win over Caruana for a just a measly half a point added to his total score that would have left him with a chance to win the title.

As it was, only Caruana and Nakamura had that ghost of a chance, but they needed help. A lot of it, as all the three leaders had to lose their games to make a five-way possible. Wesley So made sure it won't happen by taking a quick draw against Naroditsky, using the old, tried-and-true, strategy made famous by Tigran Petrosian in his victorious Candidates tournament in 1963. Wesley obviously felt good about his chances in a possible rapid chess tiebreak.

Keeping it simple, Wesley So steered the game to a quick draw

Let's see how So' competitors responded. First, Kamsky-Onischuk was agreed drawn after about 30 moves of quiet play. Alexander's trademark realistic approach has served him well for 25 years of his career, and he saw no reason to tweak it today, particularly since Gata is still a formidable opponent. Maybe, in a different situation, if Kamsky had chances to do something in the tournament the game would have taken a different course.

It almost looked like Gata Kamsky might make things hard on Alexander Onischuk, but in the end, it was a draw

Varuzhan Akobian's job didn't get any easier as he went by Caruana and the rest of competition. The luck of the draw handed him the black pieces against a very angry (in a chess sense, or course) Hikaru Nakamura.

Hikaru Nakamura vs Varuzhan Akobian

Despite a disappointing end of his 2017 Championship campaign Varuzhan Akobian has nothing to be ashamed of. He proved once again that he is a true warrior through and through. Will he ever get that elusive US Championship title? Ask Varuzhan, maybe he'll do a credible impersonation of his famous fellow Californian, “I'll be back” with the bicep flex and all.

Akobian knows how big a chance he had

Throughout the tournament Ray Robson struggled with inconsistent play. Some flashes of brilliance – the Shabalov game comes to mind – and then the next game brings a series of long reflections, indecisiveness and self-doubt. Today, he had a chance to go for glory against the scuffling Fabiano Caruana, and failed to capitalize.

Ray Robson vs Fabiano Caruana

Jeffery Xiong, like many other less fortunate competitors of this year's Championship, just wanted to put this whole thing past him. An uneventful draw with Yaro Zherebukh, left the tail-ender Shabalov a chance to catch up. For a long time it seemed that Alex was in a position to do just that, as his tricky move order against Sam Shankland's Sicilian netted him a quick gain of a pawn. Well, when it rains it pours, and poor Shabba couldn't convert a situation where White had the extra pawn and the compensation, as in famous quip by Roman Dzindzi.

There will be a playoff on Monday.

Men's standings after eleven rounds

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Fittingly, the women's side contributed more drama to the tale of the last round. Two players, Sabina Foisor and Nazi Paikidze, had the field for themselves, as the closest pursuit was a full point behind.

Nazi looked like the favorite for a while, but in the end could not keep up, and finished second

Sabina came as more than just an underdog, she came almost as a hero in a Greek tragedy. In spite of repeated participation in the US Women’s Championship, she had consistently performed below her ability, yet in spite of this never gave up. This was in no small part thanks to her mother, Romanian IM Cristina Foisor, herself a five-time Romanian Women’s champion, who always encouraged her daughter, always supported her.

In fact, in 2016, Sabina had found herself in an awkward position when having recently gotten a job at the university, asked her supervisor for a leave of absence to play in the US Women’s championship. She had expected him to be sympathetic as he himself was a weak amateur player, but instead he refused, saying it wasn’t as if she actually had a chance to win it. She left her job, and played.

Cristina Adela Foisor (photo from the family album)

This year, Sabina had other things on her plate as her mother passed away just before the Women’s World Championship, just 49 years old, losing her battle with cancer. With no special preparation, she came with just the expectation of another championship, where the two top seeds held 11 titles and the reigning champion as well as runner-up from 2016 were sure to be in the fight for the podium. On the other side of the spectrum, there were the young names fighting for their own stakes such as Jennifer Yu and Clarissa Yip. Among the pundits, Sabina was literally one of the last names on the radar.

Yet, like every great comeback tale, every tale of redemption, whether it be Miracle on Ice, when the Americans won the gold at Lake Placid in ice hockey, or the amazing 110-foot shot by Larry Mize to win the 1987 Master in golf, Sabina defied all the odds and predictions.

Larry Mize was a massive underdog at the 1987 Masters, the top golf event, and faced Greg Norman, a player who was no. 1 for 331 weeks total. It all came down to this one miracle shot.

Out of six games with white, Sabina came out on top all six times, including a truly wild round ten when both leaders, herself and Nazi Paikidze, found themselves alternately dead lost and won, until ultimately they alone were left standing.

On paper, the last round favored the reigning champion for several reasons: she had white, whereas Foisor would be playing black, and while Paikidze’s opponent was nearly 200 Elo less, Foisor’s opponent was a mere 10 Elo away. But the tale of the tape has never been a better indicator than grit and determination, and like every good fairy tale, this one ended in a spectacular finale befitting all that had led up to this moment.

Ed: This was the sort of excitement your author felt as he Skyped messages throughout

Sabina Foisor wrapping up her brilliant campaign with a queen sacrifice to mate her opponent

Apurva Virkud vs Sabina Foisor

Sabina Foisor leaves the venue with her fiancé and coach, GM Elshan Moradiabadi

It was a long time coming for Sabina Foisor. Seven years of competing in National Championships, many tours of duty to Chess Olympiads and World Teams, and finally she gets what she deserves. Remarkably, it came soon after Sabina suffered a terrible personal loss. Congratulations!

Nazi Paikidze won the title last year on the strength of a great last round victory over Irina Krush. This year, Nazi just couldn't summon that magic at the finish line.

Nazi Paikidze was feeling the heat now as she knew her rival had won, and anything less would mean silver at best

Nazi Paikidze vs Jennifer Yu

Big thanks to all 24 participants of the U.S. Championships for their great efforts. There are always going to be winners and losers, but I love you all!

Women's standings after eleven rounds

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US Championship pairings/results

US Women's Championship pairings/results

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN All Women's games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.