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After a relatively peaceful opening round, the second round of the US Chess Championship was far more eventful, with intense battles on most boards. Wesley So and Sam Sevian emerged as the early co-leaders after scoring victories over Christopher Yoo and Ray Robson, respectively.
Meanwhile, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez managed to secure draws from inferior positions against Fabiano Caruana and Sam Shankland, escaping with half-points in games where they were under significant pressure.
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.
Wesley So demonstrated his exceptional technique in a smooth victory over Yoo, while Sevian employed the sharp Jobava variation out of the London System to defeat Robson in a tactical battle. Both So and Sevian won with the white pieces and will play with black in round 3. So is set to face former champion Sam Shankland, while Sevian will take on the youngest competitor in the field, 15-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra.
Sam Sevian | Photo: Crystal Fuller
It was a frustrating round for defending champion Fabiano Caruana and Sam Shankland.
Caruana, with 9 minutes on his clock and a winning position, missed the only move, 34.Ne6, which would have maintained his advantage against Aronian.
The key idea was that after 34...Bxe6, White would deliver a crucial check with 35.Qe5+, leading to a decisive attack.
However, Caruana's 34.Rh2 allowed Aronian to find the defensive resource 34...Rb7, neutralising White's threats. Caruana now cannot play 35.Ne6 due to 35.Qxe6, as the rook on b7 effectively defended the h7-square.
Aronian was still in a bit of trouble, but continued to defend resourcefully until securing the draw after Black's 79th move.
Fabiano Caruana | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Shankland also let victory slip from his grasp in his game against Dominguez. After getting a clear edge in the late middlegame and keeping his advantage throughout, he faltered with 43...Kh7, allowing Dominguez to force a perpetual check with the stunning 44.Qg8+.
If Shankland had played 43...Kh5 or 43...f6 instead, he would have won the game. For instance, after 43...f6 44.Rxf6+ Qxf6 45.d8Q hxg2+ 46.Kxg2 Qxf8 47.Qh4+ Kg6 (diagram), White's king would be exposed, and 48.Qxe1 would fail to a checkmate with 48...Qf3#.
Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 + Vol.2
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!
Leinier Dominguez | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Defending champion Carissa Yip emerged as the sole leader after round 2 of the US Women's Chess Championship, claiming her second consecutive victory. Yip, playing with the black pieces, defeated Rose Atwell, who had impressed with a win in the opening round. Atwell misplaced her rook early in the middlegame, losing an exchange, and Yip capitalised on her material advantage to secure a comfortable win, maintaining her perfect start to the tournament.
Three other players joined the chase by grabbing full points on Saturday and now share second place, half a point behind Yip. Tatev Abrahamyan defeated Nazi Paikidze, Atousa Pourkashiyan overcame Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, and Irina Krush, an 8-time US women’s champion, beat Megan Lee. Krush sealed her victory with a clever tactical shot in the endgame.
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.
Krush here played 62.Rxf8, which won a bishop as 62...Nxf8 would have been met by the unstoppable 63.g7, promoting her pawn. Although Lee fought on until move 72 after going for 62...Ra1, the loss of the bishop made her position untenable.
Irina Krush playing white against Megan Lee | Photo: Crystal Fuller
In Sunday's third round, Yip will face two-time US women's champion Jennifer Yu, with the defending champion playing white.
Among the chasing pack, Pourkashiyan and Abrahamyan, both on 1½ points, will clash in what promises to be an exciting duel. Another highlight will be the match between Anna Zatonskih and Krush, two multiple champions who frequently battled for the title before the emergence of a new generation of top players in US women’s chess.
Carissa Yip | Photo: Crystal Fuller
