Open: Four players tied for first place

The sixth round of the US Chess Championship in Saint Louis saw Fabiano Caruana and Awonder Liang score victories to join Wesley So and Andy Woodward at the top of the standings. All four players now have 4/6 points, with Jeffery Xiong following half a point behind. Caruana defeated Sam Shankland with the black pieces, while Liang got the better of Levon Aronian. The remaining four games ended drawn.

Caruana's victory came a day after his defeat against Woodward, which had ended his 54-game unbeaten streak at the US Championship. The five-time national champion responded by defeating Shankland in an encounter that remained balanced for much of its duration. However, a critical mistake by Shankland in the endgame allowed Caruana to seize the initiative and convert his advantage quickly.

The Fundamentals of Positional Play

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.

Free video sample: Introduction

Free video sample: Strategic Classic: Bondarevsky - Smyslov

Liang's victory over Aronian was the other decisive result. Playing white against the Berlin Defence, Liang initially reached a balanced position, but an inaccurate decision by Aronian to exchange queens left his king vulnerable. Liang created serious threats and subsequently obtained a favourable endgame, in which Aronian's knight became stranded on the queenside. The new tournament co-leader eventually converted his advantage to secure his third victory of the tournament.

Awonder Liang defeated Levon Aronian | Photo: Lennart Ootes

The Scotch Game

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

Meanwhile, the two players who entered the round sharing first place both drew their games. Woodward faced Hans Niemann with the black pieces and successfully defended a queen endgame in which his opponent had an extra pawn. So came closer to victory against Abhimanyu Mishra, obtaining an extra pawn and considerable winning chances, but the 17-year-old defended accurately to hold the draw.

The remaining encounters, Xiong against Grigoriy Oparin and Sam Sevian against Ray Robson, also finished drawn. Xiong remains the closest challenger to the four co-leaders on 3½/6.

Round 6 results

Standings after round 6

All games

Women's: A crucial win by Rachel Li

Alice Lee's four-game winning streak came to an end in round six of the US Women's Championship, as the tournament leader lost to Rachael Li with the white pieces. The result allowed Li to catch Lee on 4½/6, while Thalia Cervantes joined them at the top of the standings by defeating Nazi Paikidze. Eight-time champion Irina Krush also won and now stands just half a point behind the three leaders.

Lee had entered the round with a full-point advantage after winning four consecutive games. However, her ambitious approach against Li left weaknesses that her opponent was able to exploit. Playing black, Li gradually took control of important central squares and obtained a clear advantage. Although her conversion was not entirely precise, she maintained the better chances and eventually secured the full point.

Your Calculation Compass: Know When to Calculate

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

Cervantes also collected a victory, defeating Paikidze with the black pieces. Cervantes initially found herself in a difficult position but generated counterplay as her opponent failed to maintain the advantage. The game eventually reached an unusual material imbalance, with Cervantes' queen facing two rooks. She handled the complications more effectively and converted her advantage to remain unbeaten after six rounds.

Krush continued her recovery from an opening-round defeat by beating Anna Sargsyan. The eight-time US women's champion gradually increased the pressure, and although Sargsyan's position remained defensible until a late stage, a mistake allowed Krush to secure her third victory of the tournament.

Defending champion Carissa Yip also collected her first full point of the event, defeating Anna Zatonskih. Her opponent struggled with time pressure and eventually committed a serious error that cost her a piece. Yip converted the resulting advantage, moving to 2/6 after a difficult start to the championship.

Irina Krush | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Middlegame Secrets Vol.5 - The Inner Strength of Kings

In this video course, kings will play a role of strong and active pieces. We will explore how Kings can be helpful in defence and prophylaxis, or even in attack!

Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes

The remaining games ended drawn. Megan Paragua escaped from an inferior position against Tatev Abrahamyan, while Jennifer Yu defended successfully against Rose Atwell despite reaching a rook endgame with two fewer pawns.

With Lee, Li and Cervantes sharing first place on 4½/6, Krush follows on 4/6, while Paragua remains within striking distance on 3½/6.

Round 6 results

Standings after round 6

All games

Links

• Official website
• Fabiano Caruana targets fifth consecutive US title
• Reports from previous editions: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019