Corrales, Molner Take Inside Track On U.S. Championship Spot With One Round To Go In U.S. Open

And then there were four! After an intense eighth round that saw decisive results on each of the top nine boards, GMs Jianchao Zhou, Semen Khanin, Fidel Corrales, and Mackenzie Molner share the lead with 7/8 scores heading into the final round of the 124th Annual U.S. Open.

With Corrales having already played both Molner and Zhou (drawing each game), we should expect the final pairings to be Khanin – Corrales and Molner – Zhou. Games begin at 3 p.m. EDT, with live commentary from WGM Sabina Foisor and Gopal Menon on our Twitch and YouTube pages.

Besides the title of U.S. Open champion, American players are competing for the qualifying spot in this fall's U.S. Championship. Of the leading quartet, both Molner and Corrales are eligible for this honor. Zhou competes for China, and Khanin for Russia.

The most intriguing match-up was Molner's pairing against former U.S. Open Champion (2022) GM Elshan Moradiabadi, as a win would give either player a clear path to qualifying for the U.S. Championship.

Elshan Moradiabadi (R) had an intriguing idea for a queen sacrifice in his must-win game against Mackenzie Molner, but resolute defense delivered Molner the point (Photo by Caroline King)

Clearly playing for a win, given the log-jam of players atop the standings and lively positions on the other top boards, Moradiabadi was unable to achieve much out of the opening. Then, an intriguing queen sacrifice ended up backfiring, with Molner scooping up the full point from there.

The remaining co-leaders' games mostly followed a similar logic. The boards were tense and mostly even from the start, but a combination of subtle positional factors and clock advantages gave one player the upper hand, often manifesting in a knockout blow.

One of the more intriguing games was on board five, where CM Avi Kaplan got a great position out of the gate against GM Mikhail Antipov. Anything could have happened, as Kaplan’s top form continued to shine, but in the end the GM prevailed.

Antipov now leads a pack of six players a half-point behind the leading quartet. Also on 6½/8 are GMs Awonder Liang, Varuzhan Akobian, and Alonso Zapata. Rounding out the pack are reigning Haring champ WIM Zoey Tang and Caleb Denby, who delivered an excellent victory against GM John Fedorowicz last night:

A win from either Corrales or Molner will clinch their spot in the U.S. Championship, unless of course they both win. But if neither player wins today, then that opens the door for Antipov, Liang, Akobian, Tang and Denby. Zapata plays under the Colombian flag.

In the 2024 U.S. Open National Blitz Championship, CM Avi Kaplan delivered a fine performance, finishing clear first with a 12½/14 score over seven grueling double-rounds of five-minute (no increment/delay!) blitz. FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi was second with 12/14, and CM Joseph Wan and FM Donald Johnson split third with 11/14 scores.

After eight days of side events, committee meetings, and more, today is all about the final session of the delegates meeting (beginning this morning at 9 a.m.) and the the final round of the tournament (3 p.m. EDT).

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