Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip are the new U.S. chess champions. Both successfully defended their titles, winning their fourth and third overall, respectively.

The U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, 12-player round-robins with classical time control featuring a combined prize fund of $250,000, took place in the Saint Louis Chess Club from October 10-24. Players were not allowed to offer draws.

Fabiano Caruana seized the lead in Round 4 after defeating Abhimanyu Mishra, and maintained his top position until the very end. Going into the final round a half-point ahead of Awonder Liang and Ray Robson, he gradually outplayed Sam Shankland in the Sicilian Defense, finishing with a solid 7/10 to secure his fourth national title.

Awonder Liang had a great chance for silver when he achieved a very promising position against Leinier Dominguez, while Ray Robson had a bye (see below). However, Liang eventually overstretched and lost. As a result, six players tied for second place, sharing the prize money equally.

The only blemish on the tournament was the disqualification of Christopher Yoo. According to an official statement from the Saint Louis Chess Club: "After his game against Fabiano Caruana, Yoo crumpled his scoresheet, stormed out of the tournament hall, and struck a videographer from behind. Chief Arbiter Chris Bird expelled Yoo for gross violations of our Code of Conduct and the US Chess Play Safe Policy." Yoo’s results from Rounds 1-5 were annulled, and the tournament standings were adjusted accordingly.

Carissa Yip dominated the women’s event, starting with eight straight wins, reminiscent of Bobby Fischer’s incredible performance in the 1963/1964 U.S. Championship. Although Carissa did not manage to match Fischer’s record of 11/11, she left no doubt about her championship run, clinching her third title with a round to spare.

Begim Tokhirjonova pulled off a crucial victory over Tatev Abrahamyan in the last round of the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, earning her the silver medal and qualifying for the FIDE Women's World Cup.

Alice Lee, who shared second place with Tokhirjonova going into the final round, managed only a draw against the champion, which left her to settle for the bronze medal.

Photos: Saint Louis Chess Club | Crystal Fuller and Lennart Ootes

Official website: uschesschamps.com/