Fabiano Caruana moved into sole first place after overcoming Sam Shankland in a tense endgame. Adopting the Taimanov Sicilian, the four-time US champion made his intentions clear from the outset, signalling that he was ready for a fight. The game developed dynamically, with Shankland equalising comfortably out of the opening and even maintaining a slight edge for some time. Gradually, however, Caruana gained the upper hand, steering the game into an ending where he could press without risk.
The decisive moment came on move 39. In an equal position, with fifteen minutes still on his clock, Shankland chose the wrong square for his bishop, overlooking a tactical nuance that turned the evaluation instantly.
39.Bb7 was the losing mistake - 39.Bd5 would have kept the balance, with Black likely to trade bishops, entering a drawn rook endgame.
After the text move, Caruana grabbed the initiative by giving five checks in a row: 39...Bg6+ 40.Kd2 Rd4+ 41.Ke1 Re6+ 42.Kf2 Rd2+ 43.Kg3 Rd3+ 44.Kf2 Rb6
Shankland here found nothing better than to play 45.b4, giving up the bishop on b7. Caruana converted the ensuing advantage with characteristic precision.
The win, his fourth of the tournament, allowed him to pull half a point ahead of Wesley So. This was also the third win in a row with the black pieces for the defending champion.
Sam Shankland | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Earlier in the day, Hans Niemann had bounced back from two consecutive losses with a confident victory over Awonder Liang. Their game followed a well-known Berlin Endgame line through the first moves before diverging into original play.
Niemann gradually outmanoeuvred his opponent, winning a pawn and pressing in a slightly superior ending. Liang briefly had a chance to fight back when Niemann retreated a knight awkwardly, but almost immediately blundered in return, allowing Black to regain full control and seal the point.
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
Hans Niemann | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The remaining four games were drawn. Caruana now leads with 6½ points, followed by So on 6 and Aronian on 5½. Round ten will see Caruana face Abhimanyu Mishra with the white pieces, while So takes black against Dariusz Swiercz.
Levon Aronian | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The battle for the US women's title tightened dramatically after Anna Zatonskih defeated Alice Lee, ending the 16-year-old's run as sole leader. The victory brought Zatonskih level with Lee and defending champion Carissa Yip, who beat Rose Atwell in another decisive round that saw only two draws. With two rounds to go, the tournament is finely balanced, with three players tied for first and three more trailing by half a point.
Zatonskih's encounter with Lee was complex from the start. The four-time champion gained an advantage early on, but let it slip before regaining control after Lee failed to find a critical defensive move.
From that moment on, Zatonskih's play was precise, her rook establishing complete dominance on the eighth rank.
The win left both players on 6 points, sharing the lead with Yip.
The playing hall during round nine | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Yip was the first to finish, defeating Atwell from the white side of a French Defence. Black's early b-pawn advance left structural weaknesses, with Yip making the most of the situation, counterattacking effectively in the centre .
Once Black's temporary initiative subsided, Yip converted her positional edge smoothly.
Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Among the chasers, Irina Krush scored her fifth win (she has only drawn once throughout the event), defeating Atousa Pourkashiyan out of a Sicilian. The victory brought the eight-time US women's champion within half a point of the leaders.
With three rounds to go, Zatonskih, Lee and Yip share first place on 6 points, followed by Krush, Anna Sargsyan and Nazi Paikidze on 5½. In round ten, both Zatonskih and Lee will play with the black pieces - against Sargsyan and Atwell respectively - while Yip will have white against direct contender Paikidze.
Alice Lee | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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