10/23/2026 – In the end, Wesley So did it! Following his bitter defeat to Sam Sevian in the final round of the 2026 US Championship - which ended his 48-game unbeaten run at the event - he defeated Fabiano Caruana 1½–½ in the rapid playoff for the title. It was a thrilling encounter, not without mistakes, but full of interesting moments. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club
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Tata Steel 2026 with analyses by Bluebaum, Giri, L'Ami, Woodward and many more. Opening videos by Kasimdzhanov, Marin and Zwirs. 10 exciting opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more.
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"This title is so hard to get"
The first exciting moment came as early as move 11 of the first game: in a variation of the Nimzo-Indian, Wesley So surprised with the novelty 11...Nb6!?, a move that at first glance looked like a mistake and invited White to win a piece. But Fabiano Caruana apparently considered the gift poisoned and opted for a quiet continuation.
So continued to play energetically and strongly, however, and gradually increased his advantage - on move 27 he won a pawn, and on move 34 he missed a forced win. But then the game turned around, and Caruana generated more and more counterplay in a tactically complicated position in which both sides had only seconds left on the clock. After 72 moves, the game ended drawn by repetition.
The opening in the second game was also surprising. This time around, it was Caruana who came up with the surprise. Playing black, he chose a dubious, speculative gambit line. So responded cautiously and returned the pawn, but in doing so, secured a clear advantage.
Then, once again, the tension of the playoff and the long tournament began to show: Caruana miscalculated and blundered a piece. A few moves later he resigned, and Wesley So was declared the 2026 US chess champion!
While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players. After exploring the fundamentals of calculation in his first ChessBase course, International Master Kostya Kavutskiy now turns to the other half of chess mastery: positional play.
This course offers a structured and practical introduction to the core elements of positional chess.
In his interview with Maurice Ashley after the playoff, Caruana tried to explain why he had chosen the double-edged opening. "I knew this line existed. I don't know why I chose it. I mean, it's probably a bit too risky".
He was also puzzled by his tactical oversight at the critical moment of the game: "I thought that his queen had to go to a4. I didn't really spend any time calculating, I just went for it, which was obviously insane".
More generally, Caruana was frustrated with his rapid-chess form. "I have lost about 110 Elo points in a year. But I don't know what's been going on. I haven't been able to find my form".
Wesley So, who despite all the excitement on the board appeared calm, focused and composed throughout the playoff, revealed in his interview after the round how much the defeat against Sevian had affected him. "I think I only slept for two or three hours, and I was not in the mood to play today at all".
But he praised his opponent: "Sam had a very tough tournament. I was shocked with the way he played - it was a very good game. But I also played very badly".
Despite winning the title, So was not satisfied with his play overall: "I don't think I deserved to win this year, but I'll take it of course." He added that both players had made many mistakes in the playoff, noting that both contenders were very tired.
For all his self-criticism, So was ultimately satisfied: "I am very happy to have won my fourth US Championship. This title is very difficult to win, especially now that so many strong grandmasters are taking part".
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to. In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves
After a short break, chess continues in Saint Louis: from 27 to 29 October, the tournament Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown will take place. Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Javokhir Sindarov will be competing.
The four grandmasters will play an 18-game rapid tournament in which wins become increasingly valuable as the event progresses. Six games will be played on each of the three days. On the first day, a win is worth one point, on the second day two points and on the third day three points. A total prize fund of US$425,000 is at stake, including additional bonuses for games won and a jackpot for the tournament winner.
Johannes FischerJohannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
10/21/2026 – The US Championships are taking place on 9-21 October at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Each tournament is a 12-player single round-robin with a classical time control. Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian are the highest-rated players in the open, while Carissa Yip, Alice Lee and Irina Krush head the women's field. | Follow the action live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Pictured: Grigoriy Oparin | Photo: Lennart Ootes
10/20/2026 – Wesley So maintained his full-point lead at the US Championship after drawing his direct encounter against defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round nine. Grigoriy Oparin defeated Sam Shankland to join Caruana in second place. In the women's tournament, 16-year-old Rachael Li took the sole lead on 7/9 after beating Nazi Paikidze. Irina Krush defeated Alice Lee, leaving both players a full point behind Li with two rounds remaining. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club
This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.
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Most players don’t lack the urge to attack, they just strike at the wrong moment, and GM Sipke Ernst shows you which signals tell you to go for the king and which tell you to choose another plan.
How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
Italian Game Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains 8571 top class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 479 are annotated.
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