Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So advanced to the final match of the champions bracket in the open section of the American Cup after beating Leinier Dominguez and Fabiano Caruana respectively. Among the women, Irina Krush and Alice Lee scored 1½-½ wins to set up a rematch from last year’s edition in the final. The losers of the day still have chances to win both events, via the elimination brackets. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
Day 3 of the American Cup saw four players eliminated from the tournament, as the first matches of the Elimination Bracket took place. Levon Aronian knocked out Sam Sevian, while Sam Shankland won a hotly contested playoff against Ray Robson. Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Tatev Abrahamyan took down Katerina Nemcova, while newcomer WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan sent Anna Zatonskih home with a 1½-½ victory. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
Day 2 of the American Cup saw the end of the first stage of the Champions Bracket, with several matches (Caruana-Robson, So-Shankland, Aronian-Dominguez) all decided in a rapid playoff. Meanwhile Nakamura was able to draw the second classical game after winning yesterday, relegating Sevian to the Elimination Bracket. In the Women’s Section, favorites Krush, Lee, and Tokhirjonova all managed to win their second games despite only needing a draw, while Paikidze defeated Zatonskih in convincing fashion to win their match 1½-½. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
America’s best chess players will return to the Saint Louis Chess Club to battle over the board from March 17- 26, 2023 for the second annual American Cup. With $300,000 in prize money up for grabs, the competitors will prove their mettle under mounting pressure in this double-elimination knockout tournament. Unlike in the inaugural edition last year, Hikaru Nakamura will be among the participants this time around. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Recent News: Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen shocked the chess community by resigning after one move in a game against American grandmaster Hans Niemann at the Julius Baer Generation Cup, a tournament held online. Niemann as white played 1. d4; Carlsen responded with Nf6. Niemann played 2. c4, whereupon Carlsen resigned and turned off his webcam. Carlsen had previously accused Niemann of cheating after losing to him at the Sinquefield Cup tournament in St. Louis.