Round 8: How the Tables Turn

Just three days ago, we had a tie atop the U.S. Championship standings while IM Alice Lee led the U.S. Women’s Championship field by a full point. Now, it’s fellow Minnesotan GM Wesley So leading by a full point while Lee is tied with WIM Rachael Li.

Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes.

Today is the second and final rest day, and play resumes Monday at noon CDT in St. Louis. Today, we are again joined by 2017 U.S. Women’s champion WGM Sabina Foisor with annotations from the key games.

Open: Wesley So Does it Again

Today’s headliner was the clash between So, a three-time U.S. Champion, and reigning U.S. Junior champion GM Andy Woodward. Woodward entered the game only a half-point behind So, but he now finds himself in a four-way tie for third.

Weak players analyze with engines. Strong players, such as Wesley So (L) and Andy Woodward, analyze with baked goods. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

After a highly technical king-and-pawn endgame in which Woodward twice missed the saving plan, So emerged victorious.

The Olympiad teammates faced opposite fates on Saturday. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

The only other decisive result was GM Sam Shankland’s win over GM Hans Niemann.

Shankland’s win moves him up to a tie for eighth place with 3½/8.

Graphic courtesy of SLCC.

When play resumes Monday, Caruana – So will set the tone for the rest of the tournament. A win as Black will practically (but not mathematically) clinch an outright win for So, while a draw will put him in a very comfortable position. But a Caruana victory will change everything.

Women’s: Cervantes Nears Leaders Lee and Li

Lee had a chance to score another full point, and she appeared to be on the way to scoring a knockout against IM Anna Zatonskih. But Zatonskih created a tremendous amount of counterplay to withstand Lee’s attack and, at one point, even came close to taking down the co-leader.

With both co-leaders drawing their games, WGM Thalia Cervantes was able to make up for some of Friday’s lost ground. Her win over IM Carissa Yip, whose woes continue, puts her just a half-point behind Lee and Li.

Thalia Cervantes is on track to tie (or surpass) her best-ever finish in a U.S. Women's Championship (third place). (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

Jennifer Yu took down a longtime rival in Irina Krush on Saturday. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

GM Irina Krush’s bid for a late surge took a major hit courtesy of WGM Jennifer Yu, who moved up to “minus-one” with her win.

IM Rose Atwell scored another major win to join Krush in a tie for seventh, taking down FM Megan Paragua after choosing to avoid playing into the 13-year-old’s tactical strengths.

Nazi Paikidze essayed one of the most intriguing wins of the round. (Photo courtesy SLCC/Lennart Ootes)

Finally, IM Nazi Paikidze’s win over Anna Sargsyan moved her into a tie with Sargyan for ninth place on a 3/8 score.

Graphic courtesy of SLCC.

Li plays White against Paikidze on Monday, and Lee will have to defend as Black against Krush, who would be right back in contention with a win. Cervantes, playing against Yu, will also enjoy the first-move advantage, making this four-player race all the more exciting.