GM Fabiano Caruana and IM Carissa Yip were crowned U.S. Champions, winning their fourth and third consecutive titles, respectively.
The 2025 U.S. Championships (Open and Women’s) were 12-player round-robins with a classical time control and a combined prize fund of $402,000. Held at the upgraded facilities of the Saint Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, Missouri, the tournaments attracted the strongest American players, with the exception of Hikaru Nakamura.
The Open competition turned into a thrilling duel between Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So. Despite missing a win in their sixth-round clash, Caruana seized the lead in Round 9 and preserved it to the very end, securing his fifth national title with a score of 8/11. Wesley So finished a half-point behind the champion to take the silver medal. Levon Aronian completed the podium with 6.5/11; all three finished the event undefeated.
The Women’s event followed an equally exciting script, with Anna Zatonskih, Carissa Yip, and Alice Lee sharing the lead with just two rounds to go. Yip finished strongly with two victories over Nazi Paikidze and Thalia Cervantes Landeiro to capture her fourth national title.
Meanwhile, Anna Sargsyan pulled off two crucial wins over Zatonskih and Lee to claim the silver medal. Irina Krush scored 1.5 points in the final two rounds to secure the bronze.
Photos: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
Official website: saintlouischessclub.org/event/2025-us-chess-championships/