Nobody is happier after 11 rounds of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship than GM Fabiano Caruana, who has a new chance to win his fifth consecutive title. GM Wesley So entered the final round with a full-point lead, but the most likely result was not what we saw. GM Sam Sevian outplayed So in a heavy-piece endgame, while GM Fabiano Caruana won on demand against GM Awonder Liang to force playoffs on Thursday.

Rookie WIM Rachael Li won the 2026 U.S. Women's Chess Championship after making a draw with IM Anna Zatonskih. The 16-year-old is the youngest first-timer to win the event, and she earned $45,000, including the top prize, a $5,000 winner's bonus, and the $5,000 Finish Strong Prize. She also earned her first IM norm with two rounds to spare, in addition to a 50-point rating gain.

Final Standings | Open

Final Standings | Women

Open: Dream Scenario For Caruana

Round 11 Results: Open

Asked in the previous round how he assessed his chances, Caruana said that there was "zero percent" chance So would lose, even if Caruana managed to somehow win on demand. After his game, of course, he revised his statement. By the time Caruana won, So was much worse in an endgame against Sevian.

The American number-one and defending champion went over his full game, starting with his interesting 6.Bf4 idea in the Tarrasch Defense, a move his second, GM Grigoriy Oparin, said he'd shared in Wijk aan Zee this year. Caruana went for a kingside attack, and although the first wave of fire didn't break the barricades, he initiated a second wave with 26.Ne4!.

So had gone 48 games unbeaten in the U.S. Chess Championships, and a draw would have clinched the title without playoffs even with Caruana's win. Although his opponent, Sevian, was in last place on 2.5/10, both players were aware of their lifetime record, which now includes three wins for Sevian and zero losses.

Sevian told GM Maurice Ashley, "I just really like playing him, especially in classical. He is really good at setting tricks in shorter time controls, but in classical I kind of figure out his little ideas."

He is really good at setting tricks in shorter time controls, but in classical I kind of figure out his little ideas.

—Sam Sevian

He got an opening advantage in the Nimzo-Indian Defense and played the role of spoiler right when it mattered most in the tournament. GM Rafael Leitao takes us through the Game of the Day below. (It will be added soon.)

There was one more decisive game, where GM Jeffery Xiong beat GM Hans Niemann after a late blunder. The tempting 54.Bxg7?? didn't work, and Xiong found the decisive counter-attack.

The championship isn't over, as we are set for rapid and blitz tiebreaks on Thursday. Caruana and So will play two rapid games (15+10). If tied, they will play a blitz match of 5+2. And if still tied after that, they will continue playing blitz games until the tie is resolved—no armageddon.

Women: Li Wins Maiden Title

Round 11 Results: Women

The race to the title was between two players: Rachael Li and Alice Lee. The dream scenario for the second player was that she'd win, Li would lose, and that they would reach playoffs on Thursday—just like Caruana and So.

At least Lee did her part, winning on demand with the black pieces when her opponent, Sargsyan, went for a sacrificial attack. White sacrificed two pawns, but the key defensive move 28...Qe8! held together the black position. Lee went on to win with the extra material.

"I was just happy to end the tournament on a good note," said Lee. She finished in sole second, but she nevertheless said she played "pretty badly" overall. "Point-wise, I did better than I should have, but I was losing in like every game that I eventually won, I think." She is still set to gain 6.5 rating points while also earning $30,000.

I was losing in like every game that I eventually won.

—Alice Lee

Unlike So, Li killed off all intrigue by reaching a dead-equal opposite-color bishop endgame. The highlight of the game was earlier on when Zatonksih declined a three-move repetition with the move 14.a3. As she explained from the confessional booth, she didn't continue the game for herself, but she felt it would be unfair to Alice Lee!

Anna Zatonskih repeats moves two times against Rachael Li, but not three—even though she has no chance of winning the tournament! She explains in the confessional booth: "I'm not in the most aggressive mood today, but I was just thinking that maybe repeating the position would be unfair to Alice Lee." A draw would have instantly given Rachael Li the title.

— chess24 ( @chess24com) October 21, 2026

The game nevertheless ended in a draw, but at least it was a full game. When Li reached the opposite-color bishop endgame, the commentators already started praising Li as the tournament winner.

"I would have done the same," Li said much later in her post-game interview—that is, declining the draw offer so that Lee might have a chance. Li is the youngest rookie to win the tournament, but not the youngest player to ever win it. That record belongs to GM Irina Krush, who won it at age 14. And Krush's first time participating was at age 11!

Li earned the national master title at age nine, but then quit playing chess for three years from ages 10-13. She returned after the pandemic, and her work since then has paid off. She said after holding the draw, "I feel really relieved, actually. It was not easy I think, last night, preparing for this game, my nerves were everywhere. That was surprising!" Although she approached the previous games with composure, she slept badly the night before as the nerves finally got to her.

She also said, "A lot of thanks goes to my brother, GM Ruifeng Li. He helped me prepare so much for this tournament mentally and in terms of chess as well." She thanked her parents because "they were more anxious than I was throughout this tournament."

We saw IM Rose Atwell finish with a win against IM Nazi Paikidze with a queen sacrifice for the puzzle books.

Finally, Krush defeated IM Tatev Abrahamyan to finish in sole third, just behind Lee. Considering Krush hung her queen in move one (against Li), she had an especially good tournament after that and gains 11 rating points. One must, of course, wonder how the tournament would have gone if not for that tragic start—for both her and Li.