US Championship 2026: Tiebreak!

by ChessBase
10/22/2026 – The 2026 U.S. Championship came to a dramatic conclusion: Wesley So lost to last-placed Sam Sevian in the final round, ending his 48-game unbeaten streak at the U.S. Championships. Fabiano Caruana, meanwhile, won on demand against Awonder Liang to catch So at the top of the standings. The title will now be decided in a playoff, beginning with two rapid games at 15+10. If the scores remain level, another two rapid games will follow, then up to two two-game blitz matches at 5+2. If the players are still tied, the arbiter will decide how to proceed. | Live with commentary from 12.00 CDT / 18.00 BST / 19.00 CEST | Photo: Crystal Fuller
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Old Rivals

Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana have played numerous games against each other, including in tiebreaks. In classical chess, Caruana has the better head-to-head record, with 8 wins, 5 losses and 34 draws (including the current championship). In rapid and blitz chess, however, their records are remarkably close. In rapid, So leads by 15 wins to 14, with 23 draws, while in blitz, Caruana has a narrow lead of 17 wins to 16, with 19 draws.

The two are no strangers to playoffs, either. At the 2020 Clutch Chess Champions Showdown, So prevailed after a 9-9 tie thanks to the special scoring system used for the so-called clutch games. At the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, Caruana and So faced Praggnanandhaa in a three-player blitz playoff. So won the tiebreak and the tournament.

At the Grand Chess Tour Finals in August, Caruana defeated So in the semifinals, while So came out on top at the American Cup in St. Louis. There is therefore no clear favourite going into today's playoff.

Games

Commentary

Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley and Katerina Nemcova commentate

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