Caruana, So Still Atop; Lee Increases Lead To Full Point

GMs Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So drew their games on Monday and are still leading the 2025 U.S. Chess Championship going into the second rest day. GM Levon Aronian, who beat GM Sam Shankland, is the only player now trailing by half a point. GM Andy Woodward bounced back with a win against GM Hans Niemann.

At the 2025 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, IM Alice Lee increased the gap with her closest rivals to a full point as she beat IM Tatev Abrahamyan, while IMs Anna Zatonskih and Anna Sargsyan drew their games with FM Rose Atwell and WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan, respectively.

The eighth round of the U.S. Championships starts on Wednesday, October 22, at 1:30 p.m. ET/19:30 CEST/11 p.m. IST.

Standings After Round 8: Open

Caruana and So continue to lead, with Aronian now half a point behind. Niemann dropped back due to a second consecutive loss.

Standings After Round 8: Women

Lee is now a full point ahead of a group of four players which includes defending champion Yip.

Open: Wins For Aronian, Woodward

Day eight saw just two decisive games and four draws.

Round 8 Results: Open

The eighth round started with a moment of silence for GM Daniel Naroditsky, whose death at such a young age has shocked the chess world tremendously. The over 600 comments currently under our news report and the countless tweets with reactions and memories make it clear how universally beloved Danya was.

But the show must go on: there was chess played in St. Louis.

Caruana and So, a point clear of Aronian and Niemann going into this round, were both held to a draw. Playing Caruana, GM Ray Robson went for a well-known endgame in the Queen’s Gambit Exchange where Black allows a doubled f-pawn. With a neat exchange sac, Robson kept control of the position and easily steered it to a draw.

Caruana and Robson just after their game. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

So drew with GM Awonder Liang, which meant that both Aronian and Niemann had a chance to come half a point closer. Only Aronian did, in a hyper-sharp Scheveningen Sicilian vs. Shankland. In Keres Attack style, Aronian pushed his g-pawn early, to good effect.

Aronian and Shankland before their game. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Of course, Aronian was among the many grieving for Naroditsky. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “I knew Daniel quite well. All I can say, he was always a good friend and a nice guy and, I’m shocked. I mean, I really have no words to describe the grieving that I’m going through and I hope his family stays strong. He was loved by everybody. It’s really the worst possible news.”

As the players heard the tragic news only shortly before the start of the round, it must have been hard for anyone to focus on chess. Aronian: “Honestly, if there was a possibility not to play, I would take it. During the game, I was even thinking if I could go to the arbiter but you know, it’s the U.S. championship and the rules are the same, so I just thought I don’t care
about the result. I’ll just play whatever.”

Aronian should be quoted in full, because he expressed it so well. He ended with: “You know, I’m playing, I’m enjoying chess. It’s such a luxury just to play chess and not to think about things and be away from real life where all kinds of things can happen. So we should cherish what we have.”

It’s such a luxury just to play chess and not to think about things and be away from real life where all kinds of things can happen. So we should cherish what we have.
—Levon Aronian

Niemann also had a chance to get closer to the leaders, but stood little chance against an in-form Woodward. The 15-year-old GM played the opening strongly, and the same can be said for the endgame. GM Rafael Leitao will soon provide further analysis.

Woodward won a good game vs. Niemann. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Round 9 Pairings: Open

Women: Lee Increases Lead

The women’s tournament continues to see lots of decisive games, with again just two draws on day eight.

Round 8 Results: Women

Also for GM Irina Krush it was not easy to play her game vs. FM Thalia Cervantes. “I feel pretty lucky that I managed to win because for the first half of the game, I was just thinking about the news that we received like a minute before starting to play,” she said. “It’s very shocking.”

Further explaining her win, Krush said: “It was a complicated game and Thalia definitely held the balance for most of this game. It was really in the time trouble, which is probably her weakest area, where she kind of messed up something and she lost a pawn. She really didn’t have to let that happen.”

Irina Krush struck in her opponent’s time trouble. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

After finishing in third place both in 2023 and 2024, Lee has excellent chances to grab her first U.S. Women’s title. A full point ahead of the pack is an excellent situation with three rounds to go. Like Krush, she profited from a mistake by her opponent in timetrouble.

Lee vs. Abrahamanyan. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

IM Carissa Yip won’t give her title up easily as she joined the group of players in a tie for second place. She beat FM Megan Paragua with the black pieces:

Carissa Yip hasn’t given up her title yet. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Round 9 Pairings: Women

The 2025 U.S. Chess Championship and 2025 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship are 12-player single round-robins that run October 12-24 in St. Louis and determine the chess champions of the United States. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, plus 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1. The Open event has a $250,000 prize fund and $55,000 for first place, while the Women’s is $152,000 with $35,000 for first.

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