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Fabiano Caruana clinched his fourth US Championship title by defeating Sam Shankland in the final round of the 2024 event. This marks Caruana's third consecutive national title, putting him one victory away from joining the ranks of legends like Samuel Reshevsky, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura (among others), who have each won five US titles. His dominant performance throughout the tournament reaffirms his position as one of the most accomplished chess players in American history.
Entering the final round with a half-point lead over Awonder Liang and Ray Robson, Caruana secured outright victory and the $62,000 first prize by overcoming Shankland. Liang, who faced Leinier Dominguez in his final game, made an audacious start with 1.a3 but faltered on move 41, ultimately losing the game. Robson, who had a bye due to Christopher Yoo's expulsion, finished tied for second without the chance to contest the leader.
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
Caruana's 7/10 score left him 1½ points ahead of his closest chasers, with Wesley So being the only other undefeated player - So's round-2 win over Yoo was annulled for tournament purposes, and the Filipino-born grandmaster drew all his remaining games. Caruana's strong showing not only earned him the national title but also saw him regain the world number-two ranking, as he returned to the prestigious 2800 rating club.
In addition to Caruana's and Dominguez’s victories, Levon Aronian also scored a full point in the final round. The event concluded with six players tied for second place with 5½/10 points, including Liang, Robson, Dominguez, Aronian, Niemann and Sam Sevian.
The action does not stop in Saint Louis, as next week the Chess9LX tournament will kick off, featuring the chess960 or Fischer Random format. Eight of the twelve US Championship participants, including Caruana, will compete, along with special guests Hikaru Nakamura and living legend Garry Kasparov.
Back in the 2800 club - Fabiano Caruana | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Despite playing 1.a3, Liang reached the following playable position in the middlegame against Dominguez. His 41.Qd3, however, turned out to be a fatal mistake.
Crucial here was to play 41.g5, as after 41.Qd3 it is Black who gets to play 41...g5, which Dominguez found, and the opening of the position on the kingside only favours Black.
There followed 42.Rf1 Bg6 (placing the bishop on the same diagonal as the queen on d3) 43.Qd2 Bxd4 44.Qxd4 fxg4 45.Rcc1 Be4 46.Kh2 Nf5
If we look at the two diagrams above, it is clear which side has made progress, as Black's bishop and knight have found strong attacking outposts. Only three moves later, Liang decided to throw in the towel.
Magical Chess Endgames Vol. 1 & 2 + The magic of chess tactics
In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.
Leinier Dominguez beat Awonder Liang with black and climbed to shared second place | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Levon Aronian also won to finish tied for second place | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Carissa Yip had already secured her third US Women's Chess Championship title with a round to spare, making the final round a battle for second place rather than first. Despite suffering back-to-back losses in rounds 9 and 10, Yip's perfect 8/8 start allowed her to comfortably defend her crown. Meanwhile, three players were left contending for the silver and bronze medals as the tournament neared its conclusion.
Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova and Alice Lee entered the final round tied for second place, while Megan Lee trailed by a full point. In the decisive round 11, Tokhirjonova defeated Tatev Abrahamyan, Alice Lee held Yip to a draw with the black pieces, and Megan Lee secured a victory over Rose Atwell. These results saw Tokhirjonova finish in sole second place, Alice Lee in third, and Megan Lee just behind in fourth.
Attacking with the Jobava London System
The Jobava London System is a minor form of the London System. White tries to play Lf4 quickly followed by Nc3.
Interestingly, this marks the third time that Tokhirjonova has claimed the runner-up spot in the US Women's Championship. Her consistent performances over the years have made her a formidable competitor in the event. Moreover, Tokhirjonova's strong showing in this year's edition secured her a spot in the Women's World Cup, a significant achievement for the Uzbek-born International Master.
Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Reigning US women's chess champion Carissa Yip | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Alice Lee | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Master Class Vol.16 - Judit Polgar
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
Megan Lee | Photo: Crystal Fuller
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