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The fourth round of the US Chess Championship in Saint Louis produced four decisive games, with Fabiano Caruana defeating Ray Robson to join Wesley So in the lead. So drew his encounter against Levon Aronian, while previous co-leader Awonder Liang suffered his first defeat in his game with black against Jeffery Xiong. Caruana and So now share first place on 3/4, half a point ahead of Liang and Andy Woodward.
Caruana, the defending champion, has gained ground after drawing his opening encounter against Aronian. The five-time US champion has since defeated Grigoriy Oparin and Robson, collecting two consecutive wins to move into a share of first place. Against Robson, Caruana gradually took control of the position and converted his advantage to secure the full point.
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One of the most notable results of the day was Xiong's victory over Liang. The former had begun the tournament with a win against Sam Sevian, but subsequently lost two consecutive games. His encounter against Liang was far from straightforward, as the players reached a Berlin Defence endgame which initially appeared to offer few winning chances for either side.
However, the position became unexpectedly complicated, and Liang eventually found himself with an extra piece but facing serious practical difficulties.
Engines evaluate many of the subsequent moves as imprecise, but finding the exact continuations was particularly demanding with little time on the clock. Still, Xiong continued to make progress, and he eventually managed to end the game in style.
Like Xiong, Hans Niemann also returned to an even score by defeating Abhimanyu Mishra. Niemann, who had lost his opening-round encounter against Liang, obtained a favourable position and steadily increased his advantage. His opponent was left with several weaknesses, while Niemann enjoyed the bishop pair and greater activity.
Niemann concluded the game with a small tactical combination.
So, meanwhile, was unable to add a third victory to his tally. The three-time US champion had won his first two games, both after surviving difficult positions, before drawing against Liang on Sunday. His fourth-round meeting with Aronian also ended peacefully, leaving him unbeaten on 3/4. Aronian has now drawn all four of his games.
The fourth decisive game saw Grigoriy Oparin defeat Sam Sevian. Oparin had entered the round with a negative score but managed to recover by collecting his first victory of the tournament.
Andy Woodward, who had defeated Robson in round three, drew his fourth-round encounter and remains among the closest challengers. He shares third place with Liang on 2½/4, while a group of players on 2/4 are a further half-point behind.
Following Tuesday's rest day, play will resume on Wednesday, 14 October. The fifth round will feature a direct encounter between Woodward and Caruana, with the former having the white pieces. So will play black against Oparin, while Liang will face Shankland.
Levon Aronian smiles as he agrees a draw with co-leader Wesley So in a heavyweight battle of round four | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Hans Niemann | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Grigoriy Oparin grabbed his first win of the event | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Alice Lee emerged as the sole leader of the US Women's Championship after defeating former co-leader Megan Paragua in round four. The victory was Lee's third in a row and brought her score to 3½/4, half a point ahead of Thalia Cervantes, who drew her game on Monday. Irina Krush also collected a full point, defeating Nazi Paikidze to move into a share of third place with Rachael Li and Paragua on 2½/4.
Only two of the six encounters ended decisively, making this the first round of the women's tournament in which the majority of games finished drawn. Nevertheless, several encounters featured considerable changes in the evaluation, with missed opportunities playing an important role.
Jennifer Yu and Tatev Abrahamyan played a battling 63-move encounter which ended with bishop, knight and king against knight and king on the board | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The main pairing of the day brought together Lee and 13-year-old Paragua, who had both started the championship with two victories before drawing their third-round games. Paragua, the youngest participant across both sections, had already defeated defending champion Carissa Yip in round two and was looking to maintain her unbeaten record.
Lee obtained the better prospects during the middlegame, but a serious oversight suddenly gave Paragua an opportunity to turn the tables.
Having survived the scare, Lee consolidated her position and gradually simplified the game into an opposite-coloured bishop endgame in which she had two extra pawns.
The new tournament sole leader continued to make progress until Paragua resigned.
Lee's position after four rounds is particularly noteworthy given the difficulties she encountered earlier in the tournament. She escaped with a draw from a losing position against Yip in round one and subsequently turned an inferior position into a victory against Jennifer Yu. In round three, she benefited from a tactical oversight by Paikidze before again surviving a missed opportunity against Paragua.
The other decisive encounter saw eight-time US women's champion Irina Krush defeat Paikidze, who suffered her second consecutive loss. Krush has now won two games, in rounds two and four, after her unexpected first-round defeat against Rachael Li, when she horribly blundered her queen.
Against Paikidze, Krush obtained a favourable position and gradually increased her advantage. Her opponent had opportunities to generate counterplay, but a few inaccurate defensive decisions allowed Krush to take control. Already in a clearly better position, the experienced grandmaster found a good-looking tactical shot that prompted Paikidze's resignation.
Cervantes maintained her unbeaten record by drawing her fourth-round encounter. The 23-year-old had started the event with victories over Tatev Abrahamyan and Rachael Li, both obtained after recovering from inferior positions, before splitting the point in rounds three and four. She now stands alone in second place on 3/4.
Following Tuesday's rest day, Lee will face Abrahamyan with the black pieces, while Krush will have white against Cervantes in a direct encounter between two of the leading contenders.
Fully focused - Rose Atwell | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Four-time US women's chess champion Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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