U.S. Champs: Yip Remains Perfect After Five Rounds; Caruana Preserves Lead as Yoo Expelled From Tournament

If the rest day was the calm before the storm, then the fifth round of the U.S. Championship was truly the storm, with a whopping ten decisive games out of twelve. In the Women’s section, defending champion IM Carissa Yip extended her lead as she moved to a stunning 5/5 score. In the Open, defending champion GM Fabiano Caruana also remains in the lead, although an incident leading to a player’s expulsion reshaped the leaderboard.

Photos courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC unless otherwise noted

Women’s

The U.S. Women’s Championship saw games packed with action and tension right from the start. Combative opening choices, such as the Modern Defense and King’s Indian Attack, set the stage for a round full of decisive games. Precise calculation and courageous play from the players led to dynamic pawn sacrifices for the initiative, Exchange sacrifices for the attack, and queen sacrifices to end the game.

One of the most anticipated matchups of the round was IM Carissa Yip's game against IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. The duo were neck-and-neck during last year’s championship, with the title hanging in limbo until the final moments of the final round. Then, as teammates last month, Tokhirjonova and Yip played boards one and two, respectively, for the American Women’s Olympiad team that boasted its best finish in 16 years.

It was hardly a surprise, then, when they entered yesterday’s round as the top two players in the standings: Yip in the sole lead with 4/4 and Tokhirjonova in clear second with 3/4. Also of note: the players had combined for a total of zero draws between their eight games, speaking to their competitive spirits and ambitious styles.

Yip had been experimenting with flank openings beginning with 1. Nf3 or 1. c4 during her recent hot streak, but against Tokhirjonova she returned to her main weapon with 1. e4. Tokhirjonova responded with the French Defense, but Yip opted for an uncommon second move to transpose into her signature King’s Indian-esque setup.

After the kingside blew open following Tokhirjonova’s thematic g-pawn thrust, precise play by both players maintained the balance until the queen-and-bishop endgame. With White’s menacing a-pawn threatening promotion, Tokhirjonova sought counterplay against Yip’s weak king, but the first player was able to find a safe pocket on the h3-square. Just a few moments of makeshift shelter for the king was enough for Yip to secure promotion of the passed pawn and with it, the game. With this victory, Yip extends her lead to 1½ points and remains the only player in contention for the Fischer prize.

In IM Anna Zatonskih's match-up against WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, Zatonskih claimed a space advantage in the advanced French, while Black’s f-pawn opened up the f-file and gave rise to a potential kingside attack. However, an unfazed Zatonskih fought fire with fire, audaciously marching her kingside pawns forward. Just when it seemed like Zatonskih had secured a lasting bind and parried the attack, Abrahamyan crashed through with an Exchange sacrifice to expose the first player’s king, ending the game with style in a queen sacrifice to emerge up a piece. With this win, Abrahamyan jumps to clear second place with 3½/5.

Also ending in a queen sacrifice was the game Pourkashiyan – Lee. WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan applied pressure right out of the gate with a strong pawn sacrifice, but a key defensive resource by Lee saved her rook from a deadly pin, securing her an extra piece and soon, the game.

In Atwell – Yu, FM Rose Atwell amassed a scary attack with her queen-and-knight duo, but as the second player consolidated, she eventually got the better of the two rooks versus queen imbalance.

FM Megan Lee prevailed against IM Nazi Paikidze after her queenside pawn majority proved faster than the two-time U.S. Women’s champion’s kingside majority. Meanwhile, Krush emerged victorious with the black pieces against WIM Thalia Cervantes after a long grind in a multi-piece endgame.

Today, Abrahamyan takes on Yip with the white pieces in a crucial match for the standings. A win for Yip would extend her lead to at least two full points, while a victory for Abrahamyan would reduce that lead to a mere half-point. The three players tied for third place with 3/5 all have the first move advantage in A. Lee – Yu, Krush – Atwell, and Tokhirjonova – Cervantes. Will we still have a Fischer prize contender by the end of round six? Who will be the chaser(s) and by how much?

Open

The leaderboard in the Open section was thrown into confusion after the expulsion of GM Christopher Yoo following his game against defending champion GM Fabiano Caruana.

Saint Louis Chess Club official statement regarding the expelling of GM Christopher Yoo from the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship. pic.twitter.com/BvolnLYaQ5
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 17, 2024

US Chess has issued the following statement: "Physical violence is unacceptable at any US Chess event, and we appreciate the swift response of the tournament staff and the Saint Louis Chess Club in handling this incident. The Safe Play complaint process has been initiated and is confidential until the Executive Board issues a final decision."

The incident came after a game in which Yoo had won the Exchange for a pawn in the opening and seemed to be well on his way to a two-result game. But then Caruana's attack took over:

The game between GM Abhimanyu Mishra and GM Awonder Liang proved that even peaceful lines can have dangerous nuances. After the freeing c-pawn break from Liang in a Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Mishra struck in the center, seizing the bishop pair and fighting tenaciously for an opening advantage.

However, Liang’s active play secured central outposts for both of his knights, and the loose pawns and Alekhine’s gun on the d-file eventually proved too much for the first player.

In Aronian – Shankland, a relatively peaceful same-side castling line in the Sicilian didn’t stop GM Levon Aronian from embracing the style of romantic chess and sacrificing not one, but both of his knights in order to prevail against the former U.S. Champion.

In line with the rounds theme of dynamic games, Robson – Dominguez quickly became chaotic after GM Ray Robson’s far-advanced kingside pawn mass and GM Leinier Dominguez’s active queen put both kings in danger. While the h3-square proved to be a surprisingly safe home for White’s king, Robson ended up walking his monarch all the way to the h5-square before securing the victory with a decisive mating attack.

With Yoo’s games annulled (although they will still count for rating), the standings are a bit harder to parse. Caruana can still be thought of as the leader with a 3/4 score, ahead of Liang and GM Hans Niemann who both sit on 3/5 scores.

The player most affected by the adjustment to the standings is GM Wesley So, who was the only player besides Caruana to have defeated Yoo. So would have been tied for second with Liang and Niemann, but is now on an even 2/4 score. Sevian also would have been in this pack, but with his draw against Yoo annulled he now has a 2½/4 score. Oparin and Mishra’s draws against Yoo are also annulled, putting Oparin on 2/4 and Mishra on 1/4.

Tune in at 1:20pm to watch the round six broadcast with live games and commentary!

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