Fabiano Caruana, the world No 2, retained his national title on Wednesday when he scored an unbeaten 7/10 in the US Championship at St Louis. First prize was $62,000. Caruana’s winning margin was a comfortable point and a half, after a final round where he won while his nearest rivals all drew or lost, leading to a six-way tie for second on 5.5/10.
The runners-up included the controversial Hans Niemann, who cemented his place among the world top 20, the rising talents Samuel Sevian and Awonder Liang; and the established grandmasters Levon Aronian, Ray Robson and Leinier Domínguez. Wesley So, a pre-tournament favourite, scored 5/10, drew every game and dropped out of the world top 10.
