Fabiano Caruana and Jennifer Yu maintain their lead in the 2022 US Championship by half a point going into the final two rounds, but the battle is heating up. Leinier Dominguez and Sam Sevian have moved within a point of Fabi after defeating Christopher Yoo and Dariusz Swiercz in Round 11, while Wesley So and Hans Niemann also won to return to 50%.

Caruana remains half a point clear of Ray Robson | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

After a couple of rounds with a single winner there were no less than four decisive games in Round 11 of the US Championship.

If there’s one star player who seems to have given up on this year’s US Championship it’s debutant Levon Aronian, who remained on a winless -2 after making a 15-move draw against Sam Shankland.

Wesley So’s hopes of winning the event have also long gone, but there was a glimpse of normal service being restored as he smoothly outplayed Elshan Moradiabadi to return to 50%, after scoring two wins and two losses. For Elshan the only comfort is that there are just two rounds to go, since he’s on a run of 0.5/7.

It's been a disappointing tournament for 3-time US Champion Wesley So | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

Another player to get back to 50% is Hans Niemann, who won a 2nd game in a row. He still wasn’t thrilled with how the tournament had gone.

It’s terrible! It’s ridiculous! 3 losses, 3 wins, oh my god! The 3 games I lost I should have never lost. It’s not like these guys were outplaying me brilliantly… Considering I won 3 games I’m optimistic for my future.

His win over Alex Lenderman was a strange game, since Alex blitzed out the first 21 moves, which was probably two moves too many. 20…Nf8 instead of a move later was much stronger, while after 22.f3! Hans, who had played the first 18 moves of the game on the other side against David Anton in last year’s World Rapid Championship, was already significantly better.

Hans commented:

Whenever you blitz out 20 moves of theory, there’s the inertia effect, where you feel like you keep moving. I’ve fallen victim to this myself. Sometimes when you blitz out a lot and then you mix it up it can go really badly, because when you don’t realise you’re in trouble that’s the worst type. You’re not as alert.

There were more chances for Alex to equalise, however, before 36…Kd8? proved to be the losing move.

It was a fascinating position, however, since after 37.c6! bxc6 38.Kc5 if Alex had played 38…Ne4+ instead of 38…f4? we could have got a study-like position. Hans was planning 39.Kxc6 g5 40.Rb2 Nxd6 41.Rb8+ Nc8 42.Kb7 Ke7 43.Rxc8 Rxc8 44.Kxc8 gxh4 but hadn’t seen the killer move in advance.

45.Bb5! is the elegant win, forcing the advance of White's pawn.

In the game it was all much more prosaic.

Hans still has to play Sam Sevian and Awonder Liang, with the goal of getting his rating above 2700 before the next FIDE rating list now within grasp again.

Sam Sevian reached the playoff for last year's US Championship, and he could do the same again | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

Sam Sevian will be out to beat Hans with the white pieces in Round 12, since the 21-year-old followed a win in Round 1, then 9 draws, by beating Dariusz Swiercz in Round 11 to move into the tie for 3rd place, a point behind the leader. The game turned on one sharp, tactical moment.

The only move for Swiercz with White was 35.Rxe5!, while after 35.fxe5? Qd5+ it was all over. Sam pointed out that after 36.Kh2 Rf3! White is in complete zugzwang (every move you can make loses), while in the game after 36.Kg1 Rf3 37.Qg2 d2! 38.Rd1 Qd3 it was also completely hopeless.

Sam Sevian is joined in 3rd place by one of the big guns, Leinier Dominguez, who also woke up after a win and 9 draws, to beat Christopher Yoo.

Christopher Yoo will have many chances to win the US Championship in the years to come | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

The 15-year-old has run out of steam after his dynamic start. He gave up an exchange under strange circumstances in the middlegame but put up great resistance afterwards. As late as move 121 he could have drawn.

121…Nd8! is the move, and it turns out White has no way through, but after 121…Nf4+ Leinier was ultimately able to win the g5-pawn and the game, with resignation on move 131.

Caruana and Xiong both gone 11 rounds unbeaten | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

That means there’s pressure on the leaders, who have been treading water for a few rounds. Fabiano Caruana made a 4th draw in a row, this time against Jeffery Xiong in a game that was played out until bare kings. The draw was no huge surprise, since Jeffery has made 10 draws to go with his one win.

Ray Robson is still half a point behind Fabi after a 3rd draw in a row, though the draw against Awonder Liang was a tense battle. Awonder called his French, “probably the riskiest opening I’ve played this event”, but ultimately it ended in a 34-move draw by repetition. Awonder, currently studying at the University of Chicago, revealed a curious reason for an early draw in a previous game.

I unexpectedly got some chances, like against Shankland, I got this incredible chance in the opening, but that was one game where I had work to do in the evening so I just had to make a quick draw!

So with just two rounds to go Fabiano Caruana remains in pole position, but with Black against Shankland then White against Aronian it could be tricky if he needs more than draws.

Ray Robson has Black against Christopher Yoo and White against Jeffery Xiong. Leinier Dominguez (Black vs. Xiong and White vs. Shankland) and Sam Sevian (White vs. Niemann and Black vs. So) likely need to win both their games, though a tie for first will be decided by a rapid playoff.

Jennifer Yu is still on course to win a 2nd US Women's Championship, though Irina Krush awaits in the penultimate round | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

The Women’s section is just as tense, with the top three all winning in Round 11. 

Jennifer Yu ground out a crucial endgame win to end the challenge of Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, while Irina Krush was grateful to Nazi Paikidze’s ambitious play as she was able to stay within half a point.

The form player is Thalia Cervantes, who eased to a 4th win in a row, against Ashritha Eswaran, who lost a 4th game in a row after previously going on a 3-game winning streak.

13-year-old Alice Lee may be out of the running for 1st place now, but she's been a revelation | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

13-year-old Alice Lee was very close to joining Thalia a point behind the leader, but let a winning endgame advantage slip against Tatev Abrahamyan.

The final two rounds couldn’t be set up better in the women’s section, since it’s Yu-Krush in Round 12, before Thalia-Yu in the final round.

Follow all the games from 1:30pm in St. Louis (20:30 CEST, 00:00 IST): Open, Women

See also:

• Official website
• US Chess Championship | US Women's Chess Championship
• US Chess Championship 1: Hans Niemann defies his critics
• US Chess Championship 2: Yoo channels Hans anger to beat So
• US Chess Championship 3: US Chess Champs 3: Fabi & Yoo join "Disrespect Championship" leaders
• US Chess Championship 4: Fabi beats Hans to grab lead
• US Chess Championship 5: Awonder Liang stuns Aronian
• US Chess Championship 6: Fabi wins again as Hans and Lev crash
• US Chess Championship 7: 10-move loss on "very bloody day"
• US Chess Championship 8: Ray Robson closes gap on Caruana
• US Chess Championship 9: Shankland grabs only win
• US Chess Championship 10: Niemann "on path to become World Champion"