So, Li claim top prizes at U.S. title tournaments

An old-timer and a first-timer were the big winners as the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship tournaments wrapped up in St. Louis last week.

GM Wesley So secured his fourth national title, defeating fellow veteran GM Fabiano Caruana — who was shooting for his fifth consecutive U.S. crown — in a rapid playoff after the two tied for first in the 12-grandmaster event at 7-4. So was a point ahead of the field and appeared to be cruising to Victory Lane before a shock last-round loss to tail-ender GM Sam Sevian forced him into the playoff.

The 12-player women’s event featured a fresh face at the top: Sixteen-year-old Texas WIM Rachael Li scored a clear first at 8½-3½, holding off pre-tournament favorite IM Alice Lee by a half-point. WGM Carissa Yip, winner of four of the past five U.S. women’s title tourneys, was out of form in St. Louis this year, finishing in a tie for seventh with a 4½-7½ result.

In the open tournament, So was undefeated and needed just a half-point to clinch the title entering the final round. Sevian was winless and dead last in the standings with nothing to play for. But Sevian as White completely outplays the front-runner in their Nimzo-Indian battle, nursing a pawn-up advantage into a long rook-and-pawn ending.

Picking it up from today’s diagram after So’s 59…Rb8-f8, White finds the problem-like winning line with just seconds on his clock: 60. f6! gxf6 (Rxf6? loses at once to 61. a7 Rf8 62. Ka6 Ra8 63. Rb8, but now the Black pawn occupies the f6-square So’s rook needs to deliver check) 61. a7 Kc7 62. Ka6 Ra8 (Rf6+, unfortunately, is not legal here) 63. Rc5+ Kd6 64. Rf5 Rf8 65. Kb7 Rf7+ 66. Kb6 Rf8 67. Ra5, and Black resigned as 67…Ra8 68. Kb7 is hopeless

To So’s immense credit, he rallied in the two-game rapid playoff with Caruana, with both players displaying understandable fatigue after a long, hard-fought tournament. Caruana’s 4. d4 Bb4!? is a lesser sideline in this Scotch Four Knights Opening, and Black never manages to equalize in the ensuing play.

Black tries to organize a queenside blitz, but his ill-placed rook gets him in trouble on 16. Qe3 Rb8 17. Ka1 (prudent, but the engines already say White should just go for it with 17. g6) a4 18. Bh3 19. b3, and now Caruana misses one last chance to change the tenor of the game with 19…Ba5! (Rxg5!? 20. Qxg5 Bxc3+ 21. Kb1 Bf6 also was interesting) 20. h6 b4, when on 21. Ne2 Black can play 21…Nxe4!? 22. fxe4 Bxe4 23. Rhf1 Bxc2, with real counterchances.

Instead, Black’s game goes downhill after 19…Ne6? 20. f4! Bxc3+ (White is also much better on 20…Rc5 21. Nd5 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 b4 23. Rhe1) 21. Qxc3 b4? (effectively losing a piece as the White queen cannot be trapped; but also grim for Black was 21…Rc5 22. Qe3 Rxc2 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Qd3 Rc5 25. Bb4) 22. Qxc6 Rc5 23. Qa6 (Caruana said later he mistakenly thought the queen could only go to the a4-square) Rcb5 24. Bf1, when on 24…R8b6, White can just play 25. Qxb5 Rxb5 26. Bxb5 c5 27. Bd3, with a winning material and positional edge.

White’s king is a little uncomfortable, but So smoothly turns back Black’s mating threats while retaining his extra piece. In the final position, Black is about to lose the pinned knight on f4 and Caruana resigned.

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Li, making her debut in the U.S. women’s title tournament,  showed impressive maturity in her battle with Lee, who was leading the tournament when the two met in Round 6. Li said later she would have been happy with a draw, but decided to go for more when her opponent overextended her pawn center from the White side of a Queen’s Indian Defense.

The White pawn phalanx after 12. Nf3 0-0 13. b4?! looks imposing, but proves vulnerable to counterpunches after Li’s energetic 13…c5! 14. Bb2 cxd4 15. Bxd4 e5!, forcing White to make some hard decisions on her center. White’s 18. Ra2?! proves too subtle by half, as Black retains her potent bishop pair after 18…Qe7 19. Qb3 (Nxe5 dxe5 20. Raf2 Rad8, and Black’s bishop on b7 is far superior to its blocked-in White counterpart on d3) Bg7!.

Li’s isolated d-pawn may look weak, but it’s Lee who loses a pawn on 25. h3 Rc7 26. Qd1 (Re2 Rdc8 piles on the pressure) Bxe4! 27. Re2 Bxf3!, when 28. Rxe6? Bxd1 29. Ree1 Ba4 wins a piece for Black.

The opposite-colored bishops could make for a drawish ending, but in the middlegame White has great trouble covering the dark squares as Li presses forward. White gives up a second pawn in hopes of opening attacking lines of the kingside, but her opponent never falters in the defense.

Thus: 38. Be4 Rxc4! 39. Bxg6+ Kh6 40. Rff2 Qxh4+ 41. Kg1 Rg8 42. Qe3+ Bf4, and White’s attack is stymied while Black’s material lead has grown to three pawns. With 51. Qc6 Qd5! 52. Qxd5 Rxd5, Black simplifies down to an easily won ending. Lee could have honorably packed it in long before she resigns after 60. Rd8 Rxb4, as the horde of Black pawns will decide the game.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

So-Caruana, U.S. Championship Rapid Playoff, Game 2, St. Louis, October 2026

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 Bb4 5. Nxe5 O-O 6. Qd3 Re8 7. Bd2 Nxe5 8. dxe5 Rxe5 9. O-O-O d6 10. f3 Bd7 11. g4 Bc6 12. g5 Nd7 13. h4 b5 14. Kb1 a5 15. h5 Nc5 16. Qe3 Rb8 17. Ka1 a4 18. Bh3 a3 19. b3 Ne6 20. f4 Bxc3+ 21. Qxc3 b4 22. Qxc6 Rc5 23. Qa6 Rcb5 24. Bf1 Nc5 25. Qc6 Ra5 26. Qd5 Qe7 27. Bg2 Rab5 28. Kb1 Ne6 29. Qd3 h6 30. gxh6 Qf6 31. Bc1 Nxf4 32. Qf3 g5 33. hxg6 Black resigns.

Lee-Li, U.S. Women’s Championship, St. Louis, October 2026

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. Nd2 Bb7 8. e4 d6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O g6 11. f4 Bg7 12. Nf3 O-O 13. b4 c5 14. Bb2 cxd4 15. Bxd4 e5 16. fxe5 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Ra2 Qe7 19. Qb3 Bg7 20. Kh1 h6 21. Rd2 Rac8 22. Rfd1 Rfd8 23. Rf1 Qe6 24. Qa4 a6 25. h3 Rc7 26. Qd1 Bxe4 27. Re2 Bxf3 28. Rxf3 Be5 29. Be4 Kg7 30. g4 Qe7 31. Bd5 Qg5 32. Qg1 Rb8 33. Qf2 f6 34. Qe1 h5 35. h4 Qxg4 36. Rg2 Qd4 37. Rf1 Kh7 38. Be4 Rxc4 39. Bxg6+ Kh6 40. Rff2 Qxh4+ 41. Kg1 Rg8 42. Qe3+ Bf4 43. Qd3 Rc1+ 44. Rf1 Bh2+ 45. Rxh2 Rxf1+ 46. Qxf1 Rxg6+ 47. Rg2 Qd4+ 48. Kh2 Qe5+ 49. Kg1 b5 50. Qc1+ Rg5 51. Qc6 Qd5 52. Qxd5 Rxd5 53. Rc2 Rd3 54. Rc6 Rxa3 55. Rxd6 Kg5 56. Kg2 f5 57. Rd4 Ra4 58. Rd6 Kg4 59. Rd4+ f4 60. Rd8 Rxb4 White resigns.

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