Sargsyan and Woodward Display Brilliant Play in Round 2

The 2025 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Championships in St. Louis are unfolding with drama, tension, and upsets in every round. Both fields are fiercely competitive, and Round 2 brought a mix of precision, pressure, and a few painful blunders.

U.S. Championship

In Round 2, GM Ray Robson stumbled late in his game against Wesley So, who punished the mistake brilliantly by marching his black king all the way to the f3-square to seal the win.

Wesley So delivered an entertaining victory featuring a very active king (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

After yesterday’s loss to GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Grigoriy Oparin borrowed a page from Caruana’s creative playbook and succeeded in confusing GM Hans Niemann early on.

Hans Niemann faced pressure early but held his draw against Grigoriy Oparin (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

Although Oparin initially navigated the complications well, a few imprecise moves later cost him the chance to press further, and the game eventually fizzled into a draw.

Caruana, the defending champion, once again surprised with an unusual opening choice, but, this time, it nearly backfired. GM Andy Woodward, the U.S. Junior Champion, responded with energetic and accurate play, leaving Caruana in deep time trouble.

Andy Woodward had Caruana fighting for his life from as early as move eight (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

In trademark fashion, Fabiano found a last-minute resource to escape and salvage half a point.

GM Sam Shankland looked ready to sign a peaceful draw with U.S. Open Champion GM Dariusz Świercz, until a few awkward decisions by Dariusz handed Sam a full pawn.

Sam Shankland joined the group of co-leaders with 1½/2 after his win on Monday (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

With precise technique — and one final blunder from his opponent — Shankland converted confidently to claim the win.

Meanwhile, GM Levon Aronian pushed for an edge against GM Awonder Liang, but, despite trying to squeeze every ounce of positional play from the position, the balance held firm and the game ended in a draw. GM Abhimanyu Mishra, similarly, was pushing with White, but GM Sam Sevian was able to hold firm.

Aronian Liang — Levon Aronian and Awonder Liang played a tense game on Monday, but the pair of notoriously creative players were joined by a third stooge shortly after the handshake. (Photos courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

Yip joins in post-mortem — Levon Aronian and Awonder Liang played a tense game on Monday, but the pair of notoriously creative players were joined by a third stooge shortly after the handshake. (Photos courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

After two rounds, the standings remain tight with four co-leaders and no one threatening Bobby Fischer’s legendary bonus prize for a perfect score anymore.

Graphic courtesy of SLCC

So – Shankland is the only match-up of co-leaders, with Aronian taking the black pieces against GM Sam Sevian and Caruana facing his first turn as Black against Liang.

U.S. Women’s Championship

After two rounds, Anna Sargsyan is the only player in either section still eligible for the Fischer Prize (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

The women’s event delivered even more surprises and momentum shifts. IM Anna Sargsyan continues to impress, defeating eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush to reach a perfect 2/2 start.

Sargasyan during the pre-event interviews (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

IM Nazi Paikidze notched her first win of the tournament, launching a determined kingside attack against WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan, who couldn’t find adequate counterplay.

Nazi Paikidze (R) keeps tabs on her competition between turns (Photo courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

IM Alice Lee, celebrating her sixteenth birthday, bounced back from Round 1 with an impressive victory over WGM Jennifer Yu, featuring several powerful moves and a confident exchange sacrifice that showcased her trademark creativity.

Cupcakes! — No ice cream? SLCC celebrated Alice Lee's 16th birthday with something sweet, but Lee celebrated with something even sweeter (a win). (Photos courtesy of Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

IMs Tatev Abrahamyan and Carissa Yip battled through a well-known line of the Scotch Game, showing deep preparation on both sides. The position stayed balanced throughout, and the game ended peacefully. A similar story unfolded between IM Anna Zatonskih and the youngest participant — FM Megan Paragua — who also shared the point after an even fight. Finally, FM Rose Atwell bounced back from yesterday's loss with a fine win over WGM Thalia Cervantes:

The women’s championship is already taking unexpected turns, with Sargsyan in clear first while tournament favorites have already suffered early losses.