US Championships: Caruana, Niemann and Liang win, join the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
10/14/2024 – In the open section of the US Championships, Fabiano Caruana, Hans Niemann, and Awonder Liang (pictured) secured wins to join Wesley So and Sam Sevian in a five-way tie for the lead. Meanwhile, Carissa Yip remains the sole leader in the women's event after claiming her third consecutive victory, with Tatev Abrahamyan standing close behind after grabbing a second win in a row. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

Five co-leaders in the open

Five players are tied for the lead with 2/3 points after a thrilling third round of the US Chess Championship. Fabiano Caruana, Hans Niemann, and Awonder Liang all secured victories on Sunday, joining Wesley So and Sam Sevian, who drew their games with black. So had to work hard to maintain balance in a Berlin Defence against Sam Shankland, who was eager to bounce back after missing a significant opportunity in the previous round.

The standout performance of the day came from Niemann, who played an aggressive, attacking game to defeat Leinier Dominguez. Niemann later described the win as one of his favourites in recent times, a result that propelled him past Dominguez in the live ratings, making him the fourth-highest-rated player in the US. Niemann's bold approach and sharp tactical play were key to his success in this round.

Caruana also impressed with his victory, outplaying Ray Robson from the black side of a Queen's Gambit. While Robson suffered his second consecutive loss, Caruana was pleased with his 2/3 score, having already played two games with the black pieces. The defending champion is looking strong after holding an in-form Niemann to a draw in the first round and seems ready to challenge for another title.

The most surprising result came from Awonder Liang, who defeated Levon Aronian, one of the tournament's top seeds. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin prevailed with black after converting a tricky endgame in which he had a rook and six pawns against Aronian's rook, bishop, and two pawns. The game lasted 97 moves, highlighting how difficult it is to overcome a player of Aronian's calibre, but Liang's perseverance paid off.

Wesley So, Ray Robson

Co-leader Wesley So sharing a laugh with good friend Ray Robson | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Niemann 1 - 0 Dominguez

Analysis by André Schulz

Niemann, Hans Moke27331–0Dominguez Perez, Leinier2741
USA Championship 2024
Saint Louis13.10.2024[Schulz,A]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 0-0 7.Re1 a5 7...h6 8.Nbd2 Bb6 9.a4 a5 10.h3 Be6 11.b3 Re8 12.Bb2 Ne7 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Nc4 Ng6 15.Nxb6 cxb6 16.d4 Qc7 17.c4 Rad8 18.Qd2 Rf8 19.Rad1 Nh5 20.Re3 Nhf4 21.Kh2 d5 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Rc1 Qf7 24.Qc2 dxe4 25.Qxe4 exd4 26.Nxd4 Rde8 27.Qc2 Rxe3 28.fxe3 Nd5 29.Re1 Nb4 30.Qe2 Ne5 31.Bc3 Qc7 0-1 Niemann,H (2733)-Nakamura,H (2802) Chess.com SpeedChess Final Paris blitz 2024 (2.16) 7...a6 8.Nbd2 Ba7 9.Nf1 Ne7 10.h3 b5 11.Bb3 Bb7 12.Ng3 Ng6 13.Nf5 c5 14.Bc2 d5 15.exd5 Qxd5 16.Bg5 Qe6 17.N5h4 Nd7 18.Bb3 c4 19.dxc4 Nxh4 20.Nxh4 bxc4 21.Bxc4 Qxc4 22.Qxd7 Bc8 23.Qd6= 1-0 Niemann,H (2711)-Vitiugov,N (2678) London rapid m 2024 (6) 8.h3 h6 9.Nbd2 Be6 10.Bb5 Bb6 11.Nc4 11.Nf1 Ne7 12.d4 exd4 13.cxd4 d5 14.e5 Ne4 15.Ng3 Nxg3 16.fxg3 c6 17.Bd3 Nf5= ½-½ Niemann,H (2675)-Tari,A (2635) Titled Tuesday intern op 13th Feb Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (5) 11...Bc5 12.Ba4 Bxc4 13.dxc4 Nh5 14.g4 14.a3 Bb6 15.Bc2 Qf6 16.b3 Nf4 17.Ra2 Qe6 18.a4 Rae8 19.Bb1 g5 ½-½ Hagelstein,D (2320)-Mihai,P (2339) ROM-ch62 email ICCF email 2023 14...Nf6
Black's position is somewhat more solid. 15.g5 hxg5 16.Bxg5 Qc8 16...Qe7!? 17.Kh2 Nd8 18.Rg1 Ne6 17.Kh2 After 17.Bxf6 there follows the surprising Qxh3‼ with the idea of 18.Bg5 Rae8 and 19.-- Re6 17...Nh7 17...Qe6!?= 18.Rg1 Qe6 19.Rg2 Ne7 Threatens Nxg5 and Qh6. 19...Nxg5 20.Nxg5 Qh6 21.Bxc6 bxc6 22.Qg4 20.Bd2 Ng6 21.Qe2 Qf6 Threatening Nf4 with an advantage. 22.Rg4 c6 23.Rag1 Now h4-h5 is up in the air. Kh8
24.Bc2 Engines already give White a decisive advantage. Less powerful was 24.h4 Rg8 25.h5 Nf4 26.Bxf4 exf4 27.Bc2± 24...Bb6 25.R1g2 Bd8 26.c5‼ A deep attacking move that clears the b3-f7 diagonal for the bishop. More direct was 26.h4+- 26...dxc5 27.h4 c4 27...Rg8 28.Bb3 a4 29.Bc4 b5 30.Bg5 Qd6 31.Bxf7 Bxg5 32.hxg5+- 28.h5 Ne7 29.Rxg7 Rg8 30.R7g3 b5 31.Ng5 Nxg5 32.Bxg5 Qe6 33.Qf3 Nc8
34.Bf6+‼ Bxf6 35.Rxg8+ Kh7 36.Re8 36.Re8 Qxe8 37.Qf5+ Kh8 38.Qxf6+ Kh7 39.Qg7#
1–0

Hans Niemann

Hans Niemann | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 3

Loading Table...

All games

Loading...
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.

Yip keeps on winning in the Women's

Carissa Yip remains the sole leader of the US Women's Chess Championship after securing her third consecutive win. The highest-rated woman player in the country defeated Jennifer Yu with the white pieces, capitalising on Yu's underestimation of Yip's queenside attacking chances. Yip's dominant form continues, but she faces a tough challenge in Monday's fourth round, where she will play with black against 8-time US women's champion Irina Krush.

Tatev Abrahamyan is close behind Yip, standing half a point back after scoring her second consecutive victory. Abrahamyan defeated Atousa Pourkashiyan with black, demonstrating her endgame technique in a rook-and-pawn ending. Both players had five pawns, but Abrahamyan's superior handling of the position secured her the win. In round 4, she will play white against Megan Lee, aiming to keep up the pressure on the tournament leader.

Pourkashiyan v. Abrahamyan
Abarhamyan converted this slightly advantageous position into a 50-move win

Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova also notched a victory in round 3, as she continues her streak of decisive games in this year's event. The Uzbek-born IM bounced back from her round-2 loss to Pourkashiyan by defeating Megan Lee with black. Interestingly, both of Tokhirjonova's wins in the tournament have come with the black pieces.

Tatev Abrahamyan

Tatev Abrahamyan | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Carissa Yip

Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 3

Loading Table...

All games

Loading...
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.

Links


Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.