Antipov Wins Saint Louis Masters, Four Norms Earned

The 2026 Saint Louis Masters took place February 25 through March 1 at the Saint Louis Chess Club. A preamble to the American Cup (which begins tomorrow after today’s blitz), this tournament featured 70 top competitors representing 23 federations, ranging from five American Cup participants to young norm-seekers.

Almost of half of the field consisted of American players, and it was indeed Americans who finished first and second, although the winner might not have been your pre-tournament pick.

Mikhail Antipov is the Saint Louis Masters champion! (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

When all was done, 11^th-seeded GM Mikhail Antipov finished in clear first with 7½/9, a half-point ahead of top-seeded GM Fabiano Caruana. Antipov won $25,000 for his victory, with $15,000 of the $100,000 prize fund going to Caruana. A full breakdown of prizes can be found here, and standings are here.

Antipov had Caruana in the background — literally! — in the last round, but managed to keep ahead. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Austin Fuller)

Entering the final round, Antipov and Caruana each entered with 6½/8 scores, putting them a full point ahead of the field. Caruana had winning chances in his game, but was unable to convert:

Antipov, on the other hand, jumped out to an early initiative against GM Andy Woodward and never relinquished it:

The third-round draw between Caruana and Antipov turned out to be one of the most important results of the tournament. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

Antipov and Caruana played each other way back in round three, agreeing to a draw after Caruana was again unable to convert an advantage:

The tournament victory puts Antipov back over 2600 FIDE for the first time since November of 2024.

Such elite Swiss events are ripe for norms, and this tournament did not disappoint, with three players — New Yorkers IM Liam Putnam and IM Tanitoluwa Adewumi, along with Canadian IM Anthony Atanasov — earning GM norms and California’s FM Rose Atwell earning an IM norm.

Putnam and Atanasov each scored 5½/9 to earn their norms, while Adewumi tied for fourth with a 6/9 score and 2640 performance.

Tani Adewumi earned a GM norm for finishing with the highest score of all non-grandmasters. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Crystal Fuller)

Liam Putnam earned his final GM norm in St. Louis. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Austin Fuller)

This was Putnam’s third and final GM norm, and since he had already crossed the 2500 ratings threshold, he will be eligible for the GM title at the next FIDE congress.

Both Putnam and Adewumi had to pass on the 58^th annual New York State High School Championship to compete in St. Louis. With a spot in the 42^nd Annual GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions on the line, this could not have been an easy choice for either Adewumi or Putnam, who is also the reigning co-champion. But with norms in hand for each, I’m guessing it’s a choice they’d happily make again. It also worked out for Jason Jiang, who earned the state’s hotly contested Denker nomination thanks to tying for first in Saratoga (Paragua and Lin are ineligible due to still being in middle school).

Atanasov was the only foreign norm-earner, picking up 25 FIDE rating points for an undefeated performance featuring two wins over GMs, including this highlight:

Rose Atwell earned an IM norm with a 4/9 score against a tough field. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Crystal Fuller)

In a testament to the strength of the field, Atwell’s 4/9 score was good for a 2494 performance rating and a whopping 36 FIDE points. She got off to a hot start with a win over GM Harsha Bharathakoti and managed to hold four more GMs to draws. Add a win over IM Nico Chasin (who is already eligible for the GM title) to the mix, and that’s a norm!

IM Carissa Yip earned $2,500 as the top-finishing female player. Finishing with an even score, Yip had to claw back up the standings to compete for the top prize after starting the event on an 0/3 score, before not being paired in round four.

Carissa Yip against Bok in a key game for the women's prize standings. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Austin Fuller)

Yip finished the event with 4½/5, capped off with a win over GM Benjamin Bok:

Yip managed to shake off a slow start and is now in fine form ahead of the American Cup. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Crystal Fuller)

The American Cup begins with the first classical game at noon CST on Tuesday, March 3. More information about the innovative format, participants, and how to follow live can be found on the event page.