Wesley So retained his full-point lead at the US Chess Championship after drawing his direct encounter against defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round nine. The Filipino-born grandmaster now has 6½/9 points, while Caruana and Grigoriy Oparin share second place on 5½/9. Oparin was the only player to score a victory in the open section, defeating Sam Shankland with the white pieces.

Caruana entered the round knowing that a victory against So would greatly improve his chances to win the tournament with two rounds remaining. Playing white, the five-time US champion opted for the Dubov Gambit in the Italian Game, sacrificing material to obtain rapid development and attacking chances. The opening appeared to catch So by surprise, but the tournament leader found an effective defensive plan, including a novelty that helped him neutralise White's initiative. The position eventually simplified into a balanced rook endgame, and the players agreed to a draw.

The result was particularly favourable for So, who remains the only unbeaten player in the open section. Having won five games and drawn four, he is now within two rounds of claiming his fourth US Championship title, following his previous victories in 2017, 2020 and 2021.

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

Oparin continued his strong run by defeating Shankland to join Caruana in second place. Playing white against the King's Indian Defence, Oparin obtained a favourable endgame and eventually won the exchange. Shankland nevertheless managed to reach a theoretically drawn ending, but failed to find the precise defensive continuation, allowing Oparin to convert his advantage.

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.

The other four encounters ended drawn, leaving the standings largely unchanged. So will face Hans Niemann in round ten before concluding his campaign against Sam Sevian. Caruana and Oparin will need to collect points in their remaining games while hoping that the tournament leader fails to maintain his advantage.

Round 9 results

Standings after round 9

All games

Women's: All six games end decisively, Li grabs the sole lead

Sixteen-year-old Rachael Li took the sole lead of the US Women's Championship after defeating Nazi Paikidze in round nine. Li now has 7/9 points, a full point ahead of Alice Lee and Irina Krush, who share second place on 6/9. Krush defeated Lee in their direct encounter, while all six games in the women's tournament ended decisively.

Li's victory against Paikidze was far from straightforward. Playing white, she maintained pressure for much of the encounter but was unable to obtain a decisive advantage. The players eventually reached a knight endgame in which Li had an extra pawn, although the position was objectively drawn. Paikidze defended successfully for a considerable period, but a serious mistake late in the game allowed Li's passed pawn to advance decisively.

The victory also gave Li her first international master norm, an important achievement in her debut appearance at the US Women's Championship. Born in Texas in 2010, Li became a National Master at the age of nine and earned the Woman International Master title in 2025.

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

Krush recovered from her eighth-round defeat against Jennifer Yu by defeating Lee with the white pieces. The eight-time US women's champion obtained a promising position from a Réti Opening and gradually increased the pressure.

A critical moment came when Krush exchanged both rooks for Lee's queen, obtaining a favourable material imbalance. She subsequently consolidated her advantage and converted the position to move into a share of second place.

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!

Jennifer Yu also continued her recovery by defeating Thalia Cervantes. Having beaten Krush in round eight, Yu scored her second consecutive victory after finding a tactical continuation that won material. Cervantes, who had been just half a point behind the leaders, dropped further back in the standings.

Thirteen-year-old Megan Paragua defeated Anna Zatonskih with the black pieces, finding a tactical sequence involving a queen sacrifice. Defending champion Carissa Yip also won, recovering from a losing position against Anna Sargsyan, while Tatev Abrahamyan defeated Rose Atwell.

With two rounds remaining, Li leads on 7/9, followed by Lee and Krush on 6/9. The tournament leader will face Atwell and Zatonskih in her final two encounters, while her closest pursuers will need to make up a full point to challenge for the title.