Full report: Khanin Wins 124th Annual U.S. Open, Liang Qualifies for 2024 U.S. Championship

The final round of the 124th Annual U.S. Open went down to the wire in Norfolk, Virginia. With four players entering Sunday's games with 7/8 scores, it was anybody's guess who would win the championship. In the end, GMs Jianchao Zhou and Semen Khanin won their respective games over GMs Mackenzie Molner and Fidel Corrales.

In a marathon game, Corrales entered a sharp, Ragozin-esque position out of Khanin's Exchange Variation against the Queen's Gambit Declined. The result was a real three-result game, with Khanin slowly taking over as Corrales waded into time trouble before move 40. But Black would not go quietly, pushing Khanin into his own time trouble in the endgame:

Molner played an enterprising pawn sacrifice against Zhou's English Opening, consistent with his energetic play throughout the tournament and the need to play for a win. Black had nagging compensation for the pawn, but could not simply play to regain the pawn at the expense of losing winning chances. Zhou took nice advantage of this predicament:

With both Zhou and Khanin finishing with impressive 8/9 scores, an Armageddon playoff was needed. Playing the white pieces, Khanin began the game with more time, but Zhou had draw odds. Zhou seemed likely to hold the draw, but the ensuing time scramble of a rook endgame quickly left Khanin playing for a win. 

In the end, one decisive error from Zhou gave Khanin the title of U.S. Open Champion and a $200 bonus. Zhou and Khanin each earned $8,000 dollars for their shares of first and second place. Below are three key moments from the rook endgame. Could you make the right decision with mere seconds on your clock (and no increment)? Solutions can be found in the game below.

Both Corrales and Molner were eligible for the qualifying spot in the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship, but neither Zhou (China) nor Khanin (Russia) were. As a result, the qualifying spot would go to the top American finisher. On boards three through five, Americans GM Awonder Liang, Mikhail Antipov, and Varuzhan Akobian all won their games to finish in a tie for third with 7½/9 scores. Below are Liang and Antipov's games:

Akobian drew the short straw, finishing third on tiebreaks, and thus not qualifying for the Armageddon playoff game. Antipov took the white pieces, but it was Liang playing creatively and adventurously from the start. 

Once everything settled down, the players reached an equal endgame which, of course, was unacceptable for Antipov. Under a minute each, Antipov then made one fatal blunder that handed Liang the qualification spot. 

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Photo by Caroline King

Liang, Antipov, and Akobian each won $3,167 for their shares of third-through-fifth place. Full results are available here. Stay tuned tomorrow for a full report with annotated games.

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