Recap

Today’s round was quite dramatic with several decisive games between the two sections. In the U.S. Championship, reigning champion GM Wesley So and GM Sam Sevian both won their games to catch GM Alex Lenderman in the lead with 4.5/7. Meanwhile, previous co-leader GM Ray Robson lost a long game to GM Fabiano Caruana, who is now just a point out of first with 3.5/7. 

GM Alex Lenderman continued to surge today after winning a marathon 140-move game against GM Sam Sevian to tie GM Ray Robson at the top of the U.S. Championship standings. Meanwhile, GM Daniel Naroditsky stunned top seed GM Fabiano Caruana with the Black pieces, sending the U.S. No. 1 back to an even score.

Top-seed GM Fabiano Caruana scored his first win of the U.S. Championship, defeating GM John Burke to propel himself into shared first place along with GM Wesley So, GM Ray Robson, and GM Sam Sevian. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, tournament leader WGM Katerina Nemcova was held to a draw by WIM Ashritha Eswaran, but managed to keep a half-point lead ahead of the field.

It was another hectic day at the U.S. Championships as only WGM Katerina Nemcova remained on a perfect score in either section, defeating 2018 U.S. Women’s Champion, WGM Sabina Foisor to reach 2/2. In the open, Dominguez pressed top-seed Caruana for 108 moves, but missed his winning chances along the way. Meanwhile, the 2020 U.S. Champion, GM Wesley So picked up his first win of the event after defeating Swiercz, propelling him into a tie for first place with Robson and Burke.

The 2021 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women’s Championship kicked off today, featuring 24 of the country’s top players battling it out for two national titles. In the U.S. Championship, only GM Ray Robson and GM John Burke managed to win their first round games, while in the U.S. Women’s Championship GM Irina Krush, WGM Katerina Nemcova, WIM Ashritha Eswaran, and tournament newcomer WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova all started off with a victory.

Leinier Dominguez secured victory in the 2021 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX after winning a dramatic final round game against Levon Aronian and ending with 6.0/9 points. Finishing in second place were Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Sam Shankland, all on 5.5/9, while former World Champion Garry Kasparov concluded an impressive performance with 5.0/9.

Leinier Dominguez surged to the top of the standings after winning all three of his games today, finishing with a total score of 4.5/6. Yesterday’s leader, Caruana, could only score 1.5/3 and ended the day in clear second place with 4.0/6.

American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana emerged as the clear leader after Day 1 of the 2021 Champions Showdown, scoring two wins and one draw in the exciting Chess 9LX rapid format. Tied for second place with 2.0/3 are Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Sam Shankland, each of whom lost a game in addition to scoring two wins.

GM Gregory Kaidanov won the 2021 U.S. Senior Championship title after defeating GM Larry Christiansen in an exciting playoff tiebreak, scoring 1.5 - 0.5 in the two-game rapid match. After a draw in game one, Kaidanov seized his chance in game two, finding a brilliant resource to win an exchange and convert his advantage in the ensuing complications.