2024 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship Kick Off on National Chess Day at Saint Louis Chess Club

On the eve of National Chess Day, the 2024 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship have begun at the Saint Louis Chess Club with a bang. The Open event started cautiously, with players aiming to avoid an early loss in the 11-round competition. On the other hand, the Women’s event saw players taking more risks and setting the stage for an exciting tournament.

IMs Gulrukhbegim “Begim” Tokhirjonova and Carissa Yip, who each won seven games in last year’s championship, started strong by winning their first-round games. Yip defeated WGM Thalia Cervantes, while Tokhirjonova overcame two-time U.S. Women’s champ IM Nazi Paikidze. The other members of the 2024 Olympiad squad had mixed results, with IM Anna Zatonskih suffering a surprising loss to FM Rose Atwell.

In the Open event, all six games ended in draws, disappointing those hoping for an 11/11 finish. The most notable match was between GM Hans Niemann and reigning champion GM Fabiano Caruana, where Niemann gained an advantage early on but Caruana managed to secure a draw. Another intriguing match-up was between GM Christopher Yoo and GM Abhimanyu Mishra, with both players unable to create any significant imbalance.

Today’s games promise more excitement, with Caruana facing Olympiad teammate GM Levon Aronian and Niemann playing against GM Awonder Liang. GMs Wesley So and Grigoriy Oparin will also be looking to make their mark against Yoo and Mishra, respectively. Fans can catch all the action live on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Twitch and YouTube channels.