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From The Depths Of Despair, Yip Becomes 2-Time U.S. Women's Champion

From The Depths Of Despair, Yip Becomes 2-Time U.S. Women's Champion

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NM NM_Vanessa
| 12 | Chess Event Coverage

The U.S. Women's Championship concluded with a shocking last day of all decisive games that left IM Carissa Yip at the top of the standings, earning her second title.

Defending champion WGM Jennifer Yu influenced the fate of the championship by defeating WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova in a nail-biting clash. Tokhironova finished second, while IM-elect Alice Lee beat FM Ashritha Eswaran to reach clear third. 

In the U.S. Championship, GM Abhimanyu Mishra won a positional masterpiece vs. GM Levon Aronian in our Game of the Day. With this victory, Mishra joined GMs Wesley So and Leinier Dominguez in a tie for second. 

See what happened
You can follow the games from the U.S. Championships on our Events Pages: Women | Open


U.S. Women's Championship

After a number of combative rounds, the fighting spirit in the U.S. Women's Championship culminated on the last day when every single game ended decisively. 

Despite only needing a draw to guarantee at least a playoff, Yip led the rallying call and went all-out in striving for victory vs. FM Ruiyang Yan. Yip shared: "I thought a draw would be ok, but then I got to the board and while I was playing, I was like, you know what, I would really rather win."

In the middlegame, Yan played a temporary bishop sacrifice to open up her opponent's queenside. She had Yip on the ropes until she traded into a slightly worse rook ending. Relieved by the turn of events, Yip saw the opportunity to press for the win with her connected passers, overlooking a picturesque tactical opportunity for her rival. 

Yip's loss meant that a win by Tokhirjonova would clinch the title while a draw would secure a playoff. She was in the midst of a battle vs. Yu that swung back and forth like a pendulum. 

Yip watches as the championship hangs in the balance. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

By a twist of fate, the defending champion ended up with the chance to choose her successor. Despite struggling out of the opening, Yu fought back, gaining the upper hand in a complex position. Further, on move 53, with one second left on her clock, she defied the laws of time.

Yip shared her experience of learning that fortune had swung in her favor: 

I was in bed being sad about how I threw away everything in an attempt to win. I was really in the depths of my despair, and then I got a call from a bunch of people: You have to come back to the club because you’re going to be the new champion, and I was like: What?

You have to come back to the club because you’re going to be the new champion, and I was like: What?

—Carissa Yip

Well-prepared to counter Eswaran's King's Indian Defense, Lee utilized her knowledge to gain a commanding grip on all sides of the board.

Lee finished in clear third―an astonishing finish after starting the tournament with half a point out of three. She reflected on her result:

Overall, I started very badly in the first three rounds. I think after that I was able to come back. I think especially my round four win was really important. It was super crazy. I was winning. I was losing. Then I was winning again. For me to get that super crazy win I think was in some ways even better than getting a solid win. Overall, I finished with 7.5/11, and I think that's a good performance for me. I broke 2400. This is the first time that my official rating will be above, and that's something that I'm happy about.  

Lee scored seven points from the last eight games to finish within striking distance of the top two. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

WGM Tatev Abrahamyan defeated GM Irina Krush with overwhelming attacking play in the center, ultimately chasing down the enemy king on the kingside. 

This victory caps off a hat trick 3-0 finish for Abrahamyan, who's earned clear fourth. Abrahamyan shared her feelings on her overall event: 

The middle of the tournament was very bad for me. I think I became demoralized maybe a little too early. I lost to two people who are winning the tournament, so results-wise, it's not too bad. But I also left a lot of points on the table: some one-move blunders like my game against Begim, I just blundered, allowed her to checkmate me, and my game against Thalia, which was just such a disgusting blunder and such a breaking point for me in the tournament.

But also, I think I played some good games. My game against Alice was definitely a highlight for me. It was definitely an up-and-down tournament. Ratings-wise it's been good for me. That I'm very happy about. 

U.S. Women's Championship | All Games Round 11

Round 11 Women's Standings

U.S. Championship

After drawing vs. So in the final round, Caruana shared what his third U.S. Championship title means to him:

It's always very special to me to win the U.S. Championship, and it's been very difficult in the past for me. I went many years without being able to break through, and last year things went smoothly, this year as well. It's very important for me, both from the point of view of how strong of a tournament it is and from a personal point of view, because it is the U.S. Championship.

Mishra outplayed Aronian in a battle of strategic understanding, scoring one of his most compelling victories ever. The finish of the 14-year-old grandmaster's astounding debut to the championship is our Game of the Day, with annotations by GM Dejan Bojkov below.

Chess.com Game of the Day Dejan Bojkov

Tying for second—with two players who have been ranked in the world top 10—on his debut, Mishra will certainly be eyeing the title in future championships. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Dominguez drew a marathon 93-move game vs. GM Hans Niemann, leading to a three-way tie for second between him, Mishra, and So.

In a sharp middlegame vs. GM Andrew Tang's Marshall-style gambit, GM Sam Sevian abandoned his queenside to create threats on his opponent's vulnerable kingside.

U.S. Championship | All Games Round 11

Round 11 Standings

The 2023 U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational classical event that determines the chess champion of the United States. The 2022 U.S. Women's Championship is being held concurrently. Both events start on October 5 and have the same format: a 12-player, 11-round tournament with a $250,000 prize fund for the U.S. Championship and $152,000 for the U.S. Women’s Championship.

Previous Coverage:

NM_Vanessa
NM Vanessa West

Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.

You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West

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