by NM Vanessa West
GM Fabiano Caruana is the 2022 U.S. Champion, clinching his second title with a draw in the 13th and final round of the tournament against GM Levon Aronian, a first-time competitor in the U.S. Championship.
The U.S. Women’s Championship will be decided in a playoff tomorrow between GM Irina Krush and WGM Jennifer Yu. Krush drew a hard-fought game vs. IM Anna Zatonskih. Meanwhile, Yu scored a must-win victory vs. WGM Thalia Cerventes, tying with Krush and getting a rematch for the title.
Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.
U.S. Championship – Final Standings
U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 13
2022 U.S. Championship
GM Fabiano Caruana vs. GM Levon Aronian ½-½
Twelve minutes into the game, the players had already played 34 moves into a repetition draw. However, this was not your typical quick GM draw. As Caruana later explained: “Normally I would’ve liked to play, at least a little bit. Of course a draw is a good result in the last round, considering the tournament situation… It’s a big day for Levon, and I thought it would be wrong for me to play this game.” Catch his full post-game interview on our YouTube Channel.
Caruana and Aronian drew before the delayed broadcast even began but for an atypical reason. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
GM Ray Robson vs. GM Jeffery Xiong ½-½
Ray Robson fought for the win and his chance at a playoff for the title but lost his advantage when Jeffery Xiong counterattacked on the kingside.
Robson pressed with a small edge for over 30 moves but overlooked 38…f5. After 39.Bxf5 Qxh4 40.Bxd7 Nxd7, Xiong had a slight advantage. The players fought for 72 moves before drawing. | ½-½, 72 moves
Though they drew, Robson and Xiong came ready for a fight and dueled for over five hours. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
GM Dariusz Swiercz vs. GM Christopher Yoo 0-1
The youngest player in the U.S. Championship, Christopher Yoo, finished on a victory, winning a tactical game vs. GM Dariusz Swiercz.
Yoo sealed the victory with 33…b4! breaking the pin on his queen with a double attack against the Swiercz’s queen and rook. | 0-1, 33 moves
GM Leinier Dominguez vs. GM Sam Shankland ½-½
Though both players were hoping to have a chance to play for the win, Leinier Dominguez vs. Sam Shankland ended in a 10 move draw. Shankland explains his disappointment with this result in his interview after the game: “I’m sorry for how this ended. I’ve been one of the most vocal critics of people making this Qe4-Qd4 draw in the Berlin. I wrote in my Chessable course that anyone who does this more than once with white just shouldn’t be invited to tournaments. I just felt like I owe the world an apology…”
GM Elshan Moradiabadi vs. GM Aleksandr Lenderman 0-1
Aleksandr Lenderman finished his tournament on a victory, battling for the upper hand vs. GM Elshan Moradiabadi for 72 moves.
The rest of the games ended in draws.
2022 U.S. Women’s Championship
WGM Thalia Cervantes vs. WGM Jennifer Yu 0-1
Jennifer Yu won a critical game with the black pieces vs. her closest competitor, Thalia Cervantes.
Yu recaptured with 42…cxd4 when she has great pressure on her opponent between her active rooks on kingside outposts and passed d-pawn. After 43.Rc4 d3 44.Ra4 Ne5 45.Rxa5 Ng6, Black’s knight joined the attack, and Yu soon crashed through on the kingside. | 0-1, 57 moves
Yu came through in the last round, giving her the opportunity at a rematch vs. Krush for the championship. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller
GM Irina Krush vs. IM Anna Zatonskih ½-½
Irina Krush and longtime rival Anna Zatonskih fought a close game to a king vs. king draw.
Though Krush pressed her edge with white for a while, Zatonskih consolidated and after 56…Qc5, the players traded into a balanced ending, drawing on move 87. | ½-½, 87 moves
Krush will fight for her ninth U.S. Women’s Championship title in the playoff vs. Yu. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
FM Alice Lee vs. WIM Megan Lee 0-1
Megan Lee capped off her tournament with a king attack victory.
Megan Lee ripped open Alice Lee’s kingside with 17…Nxg3! and won material to boot after 18.cxd5 (if 18.hxg3 Qh1+ 19.Kf2 Ne4+ 20.Bxe4 fxe4 21.Ne5 Bxe5 22.dxe5 Qf3+ 23.Kg1 Rh1#) 18…Nxf1 19.Bxf1 exd5 | 0-1, 60 moves
Megan Lee finishes her tournament with an attacking victory. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller
FM Rochelle Wu vs. WGM Sabina Foisor 1-0
Rochelle Wu defeated Sabina Foisor with a clever interference tactic to win material.
Wu played 30.Bd6! cutting off the defense of the d2-rook to win the exchange after 30…R2xd6 31.cxd6 Qxd6 Qxf5 | 1-0, 60 moves
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and Sophie Morris-Suzuki also finished their tournaments with victories while Begim Tokhirjonova and Ruiyang Yan drew.
Irina Krush and Jennifer Yu will face each other in the playoff for the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship on Thursday, October 20. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
Join us tomorrow night at the Public Opening Ceremony of the 2022 U.S. Chess Championships learn more and purchase tickets here or watch the ceremony live at 7:00pm (Central) on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.