15-year-old Christopher Yoo said he felt “disrespected on every level” by Hans Niemann and channeled that anger to beat reigning US Champion Wesley So with the black pieces in Round 2. There was also a comeback win for Elshan Moradiabadi, while in the women’s event 12-year-old Alice Lee scored a second upset win in a row.

Christopher Yoo bounced back to beat Wesley So | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

Replay all the games from the Open section of the 2022 US Chess Championship:

Hans Niemann continues to dominate in St. Louis, even in Round 2 when he didn’t win his game or give an interview. The delay over players being checked for any cheating devices looked to cost him and some other players time at the start…

…while his game against Jeffery Xiong seemed, for a while, to be set to make Hans the sole leader of the event. He had an extra pawn and the computer was giving him a +3 advantage, until 25…Bg4?! let the lion’s share of the advantage slip away.

25…Rfe8! and Jeffery was back in business.

It was a very sharp and tricky position, however. For instance, 25.Bd5? instead of 25.Bg4 runs into 25…Rfc8! and Black is completely winning due to the combined threats of taking on c2 and playing e2. It turns out, however, that after 25.Rxf8+! Rxf8 26.Bd5! White would have a big edge. 26…Rc8 is now comfortably met by 27.Be4, with nothing to fear from e2.

Hans Niemann discusses the game with Jeffery Xiong | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

The relatively quiet draw that followed didn’t mean Hans would stay out of the headlines, however, since 15-year-old Christopher Yoo took out a grudge against Hans on none other than the reigning champion Wesley So.

Christopher had revealed his thoughts on Hans playing the US Championship to ESPN. 

I was actually a little bit annoyed that he was in this tournament. Not because I was thinking he was going to do anything, but because of his suspicious past.

Christopher said it felt their Round 1 game carried a “lot more weight”, and added:

I do think he should be held more accountable. I do think they need to really take more action on his past actions and take even more of a look into every single [game].

Yoo missed good chances to defend better against Niemann in their Round 1 clash, and was clearly upset, for instance, by Hans’ dismissive, “It was such a beautiful game I don’t even need to describe it”.

Christopher put the anger to good use, as he managed to defeat Wesley So in Round 2, before coming out fighting in the post-game interview.

I feel like it’s a great redemption from yesterday, especially after seeing that interview and everything. I felt like I was kind of disrespected and it was also kind of a wake-up call that I really needed to improve my openings and everything.

He expanded:

I felt disrespected on every level! … I did feel like I channelled in a little bit of my anger from that to play some aggressive chess today.

Wesley So might have been lulled into a false sense of security by the opening, where Christopher went for the solid Petroff. He explained:

I wanted to play an actual good opening, not try to be unsound, just be as solid as possible.

He was well-prepared, and only needed to start thinking on move 15. At that stage Wesley could have taken a draw by repetition, but understandably he was out for more with the white pieces against his young opponent.

It was a pity for Wesley So, since his Philippine countryman Eugene Torre was opening the round after being inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

With both players out for a fight that’s just what we got, with Christopher offering a piece sacrifice which couldn’t be accepted, before the critical moment of the game occurred after 25…Rh6.

It turns out 26.Nxe4!, allowing Black to take on h2 with check, was the only way for White to get an advantage, with no way for Black to exploit the weak position of the white king.

Instead 26.h3?! created a weakness, and six moves later it was time to exploit it.

32…Nxh3! was a sacrifice that Christopher felt was crying out to be made.

It was more of an intuitive decision. I just felt like there had to be some huge attack after it, and I didn’t calculate it that deeply. I just had the feeling, and I almost missed that he had this Qg2 Rf2 defence, and he was kind of defending everything, and I kind of got lucky that I still had resources after that.

33.gxh3 Rxh3 34.Qg2! Qh5 35.Rf2! was the only way for Wesley to keep the game going, and if he’d been lucky it would also have been enough to persuade Christopher, very low on time, to take a draw by repetition. But Yoo didn’t seem to have such thoughts:

For some reason my position looked way too active for there not to be something, so it was also based on feeling at the end of the day, but I did try to calculate it as well as possible.

A rollercoaster run-up to the time control would follow, however, with Christopher missing the winning blow Bxa5! on both move 39 and 40.

After 40…Nf6 the computer was announcing the position was equal, and it felt as though Wesley might be able to use the extra time given for reaching the time control and find the defence.

It was still a very tough position for White, however, and Wesley seemed rattled, as he made a few good moves but then went astray with 45.Re7? (45.Rfe2! was needed first).

45…Nh5+! and only then potentially Qb1+ was a killer blow, but Wesley was given one last reprieve with 45…Qb1+. He didn’t use it, however, since after 46.Re1 Qd3+ he blitzed out 47.Rfe2? (47.Ree2! was essential) and 47…Rh2! really was the end.

48.Qg5 was met by 48…Nh5! and Wesley resigned — though Christopher tried to give a hand bump instead of accepting his opponent’s hand.

The unstoppable threat is Ng3+, winning the black queen. If White had played 47.Ree2 instead, 49.Rxh2 would save the day, but as it is, the rook on e2 is pinned.

That was a career-best win for Christopher Yoo, while the post-game interview was also a statement — it’s clear he’s got the belief and drive to challenge the very best. But will the Hans Niemann effect now impact Wesley as well!?

The day’s only other winner in the Open section was Elshan Moradiabadi, who bounced back from losing to Sam Sevian to gain a crushing position against Awonder Liang by move 20. The game ultimately lasted until move 61, but the resullt was never in doubt.

Elshan Moradiabadi said he's used to having a target on his back at the US Championship | photo: Lennart Ootes, St. Louis Chess Club

Elsewhere it briefly looked promising but Levon Aronian was unable to celebrate his 40th birthday with a win over Leinier Dominguez.

Levon wore a shirt with sharks on his birthday, but couldn't draw blood against Dominguez | photo: Lennart Ootes, ECC2022

Fabiano Caruana’s pressure came to nothing against Ray Robson, while Swiercz-Shankland and Lenderman-Sevian were relatively uneventful draws.

Once again the Women’s section featured four decisive games, with Megan Lee, Jennifer Yu and Alice Lee all moving to a perfect 2/2. 

It was another spectacular day for 12-year-old Alice Lee, who has now started her US Championship career by beating two much higher-rated opponents. Tokhirjonova Gulrukhbegim’s 33…e4+? was one of the most natural moves imaginable, but it turned out it was simply losing, as became clear after 35.Bf8!

The threat is mate-in-1 by bringing either rook to c5, and what followed was forced: 35…Ke5 36.R1c5+ R3d5 37.Rxd5+ Rxd5 38.Rc7.

The f7-bishop is lost, since 38…Bg8 loses to 39.Re7+ Kd6 40.Rg7+ and capturing the bishop next, though there are other ways to turn the screw. Begim gave up the piece with 38…gxf5 39.Rxf7 fxg4 but the outcome was never in doubt before Alice won on move 58.

Round 3 of the US Championship features the two Round 2 winners clashing in Yoo-Moradiabadi, while Wesley So has Black as he tries to hit back against Jeffery Xiong. Shankland-Niemann is another clash that will be closely followed.

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