U.S. Champs: Yip, Tokhirjonova Create Distance and Niemann Stays Close to Caruana

The seventh round of the 2023 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Championships appears quite peaceful with all games in the Open section ending in a draw and half the games in the Women section following suit. However, the round was far from boring. Below I analyze four key games that were significant for the tournament standing.

In the Open section, the standings remain unchanged, with GM Fabiano Caruana savoring his half-point advantage over GM Hans Niemann. Following closely behind, there's a neck-and-neck race for third place, shared by GM Leinier Dominguez and GM Wesley So.

Calm, Cool, Collected, Caruana (courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

Despite wielding the black pieces, GM Fabiano Caruana displayed a clear intent to engage GM Ray Robson in a complex battle. Caruana surprised everyone by opting for the Sicilian defense, and in a reciprocal move, Robson ventured into the less popular path of the Moscow variation. Both grandmasters navigated the theoretical waters for a long time. It was only after many trades, including the queens, that Caruana glimpsed at a chance to secure a minor strategic edge. However, this opportunity slipped through his fingers. It was Robson who soon after advanced his pawns on the kingside, carving out chances for a favorable endgame. At this moment, Caruana's nerves of steel shone through, as he found the best move to equalize the position.

In this tournament, GM Hans Niemann has exhibited unwavering resolve to forge ahead in seemingly balanced positions and to make bold moves when opportunities arise to spice things up. His encounter with GM Andrew Tang was no exception. Opting for the Ruy Lopez Opening, Niemann found himself pleasantly surprised by Tang's home-cooked preparation of the 5...Ng6 sideline in the Morphy Defense/Cozio Defense. After Niemann's three intuitive moves, Tang committed a positional misstep. By exchanging knights on the d4-square, he granted Niemann a powerful arsenal: a strong pawn center, a pair of bishops, and an overall easier position to play. However, the path to victory was far from clear for Niemann. After missing a few beautiful and strong ideas -visible more to an engine than a human eye - Tang's excellent defense started to extinguish the opponent's attacking chances. Even when the chance for advantage became slimmer, Niemann's determination to press on remained resolute. It was only the invocation of the "50 moves rule" that allowed Tang to stop the 6 hour marathon and claim the draw. According to this rule, if no pawn is moved or captured within fifty moves, the game is declared a draw.

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In the Women's section, the co-leaders IM Carissa Yip and WGM Begim Tokhirjonova showcased their mastery once again, clinching victories and maintaining their awe-inspiring momentum in the tournament. Meanwhile, FM Alice Lee's exceptional performance continued as she secured her fourth consecutive win, and now stands shoulder-to-shoulder sharing third place with GM Irina Krush, who miraculously salvaged a lost game.

Carissa Yip continued her winning streak in dominant fashion (courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

An intense battle was anticipated between the two young stars: the Stanford student and co-leader IM Carissa Yip and St. Louis University's own WGM Thalia Cervantes. Opting for the Open Sicilian, the game took a surprising turn when Cervantes opted for the unconventional move 5...Bd7, steering the game into the Kupreichik variation. However, fortune favored Yip when Cervantes mirrored GM Andrew Tang's idea of knight exchange in the center early in the opening. After Yip recaptured with her queen, her position blossomed and became very easy to play. Adding a dash of audacity, Yip offered a classical knight sacrifice on d5, in exchange for opening the e-file towards her opponent's uncastled king. Cervantes declined the offer and without having good ways to develop her pieces, her position soon collapsed.

In superb form, the co-leader WGM Begim Tokhirjonova was anticipated to face a strong challenge from the two-time US women's champion IM Nazi Paikidze. Paikidze was surprised by Tokhirjonova's first opening move, 1.e4, choosing to respond with the Caro Kann Defense. Tokhirjonova seemed to be better familiar with her selected line in the opening and the unfolding strategic plans. Right after the opening, she swiftly secured a positional edge and then a significant positional advantage.

Begim Tokhirjonova has become a regular contributor to CLO, and today she contributes another thrilling victory (courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

Disallowing any attempts at counterplay from Paikidze, Tokhirjonova smoothly converted her positional advantage into an extra pawn, ultimately clinching a well-deserved full point.

In tomorrow's eight round, anticipation is building for a day of intense competition. We can expect players to unleash their inner warriors, knowing they have a full day of rest and recovery ahead. . In the Open section, there are two pivotal matchups to keep an eye on: the current leader, Caruana, pushing for a win with the white pieces against Shankland, and Niemann, the runner-up, poised to take bold risks with the black pieces against Robson to catch up to Caruana. In the Women's section, focus turns to the top contenders: co-leader Yip facing Pourkashiyan with the black pieces and potentially using her lethal King's Indian Defense, and co-leader Tokhirjonova bringing her A-game with the black pieces against Zatonskih. Tune in sharp at 1:20 p.m. CDT for all the action-packed fun!