The time control is 90 minutes to move 40, then 30 extra minutes for the remainder, with a 30-second increment each move.
With the black pieces, Oparin opts for the dynamic Sicilian Defense, a fighting choice that promises sharp play ahead!
Wesley develops his knight to a natural, active square.
It will be interesting to see which variation of the Sicilian Oparin opts for today, as each choice leads to very different middlegame dynamics!
Wesley advances his central pawn, opening the center.
Oparin exchanges a pair of central pawns, clarifying the tension.
Wesley recaptures the pawn with his knight, placing it firmly in the center.
Oparin develops his knight while attacking Wesley’s central pawn, gaining a tempo.
Wesley develops his knight, simultaneously defending his central pawn.
Oparin dives into the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defense - one of the sharpest and most deeply analyzed lines in modern chess.
Wesley develops his bishop, creating a pin on Oparin's knight.
Oparin pushes his pawn, attacking Wesley's knight and making him retreat.
Wesley retreats his knight, to a safe square.
Oparin advances his queenside pawn, threatening further progress and a potential fork on Wesley’s two knights.
Wesley retreats his knight, a less common move in this position. Typically, White centralizes the other knight, but he opts for flexibility instead.
Oparin develops his bishop, and gets ready for castling.
Wesley exchanges his bishop for Oparin’s knight, a classic Sveshnikov idea to eliminate a key defender of the central squares.
Oparin recaptures the piece back, with his bishop.
Wesley pushes his pawn forward, challenging Oparin’s queenside structure.
Oparin advances his pawn, attacking Wesley's knight.
In the Sicilian Sveshnikov, Black aims to challenge the center, control key squares, and create dynamic play, even if it means accepting weaknesses like the d5 hole. Black often counterattacks with pawn breaks supported by the bishops.
White, on the other hand, focuses on exploiting Black’s weaknesses on d5 and d6, creating pressure on the queenside, and coordinating pieces for attacks while keeping the center under control.
Oparin castles kingside, ensuring safety for his king.
Wesley develops his light-squared bishop, preparing to castle kingside next.
Oparin develops his bishop, subtly eyeing Wesley’s central knight.
Wesley commits his king to the same side as Oparin.
Oparin repositions his bishop, maintaining his bishop pair while subtly preparing a potential f-pawn advance.
Wesley brings his queen into play, immediately targeting Oparin’s pawn on the a-file
By moving his flank pawn, Oparin escapes the combined pressure of Wesley’s bishop and queen, keeping his structure solid.
Wesley advances his pawn, challenging Oparin’s queenside structure and aiming to gain space.
Oparin brings his rook to the only open file, the c-file.
Wesley pushes his pawn, keeping his structure solid and all of his pieces defended.
Oparin moves his king away from Wesley’s bishop diagonal, improving safety while keeping the f-pawn advance in mind.
With knights firmly posted on outposts, Wesley emerges from the opening with a subtle positional advantage.
Oparin plays a quiet pawn move, likely preparing to maneuver his bishop into a fianchetto, enhancing long-range influence.
Wesley brings his rook to the d-file, targeting Oparin’s backward d-pawn and increasing pressure on the center.
Oparin moves his bishop to attack Wesley’s rook, challenging the activity on the d-file.
Wesley advances his pawn, blocking the attack from Oparin’s bishop and keeping his rook safe on the d-file.
Oparin retreats his bishop, seemingly a loss of tempo but cleverly provokes Wesley’s pawn move, opening a diagonal toward his king.
Wesley moves his queen, and the board is already heating up with tactical possibilities, both sides need to calculate carefully!
Oparin complicates the position at just the right moment, creating new opportunities and threats.
Wesley trades knights, capturing Oparin’s knight with his own.
Oparin plays a precise intermezzo, neutralizing Wesley’s slight edge and bringing the position back to equality.
Wesley moves his knight. Capturing the bishop could win a pawn, but it would lead to a dry opposite-color bishops endgame, where winning chances are slim.
Oparin activates his queen with a check, showing the power of the earlier pawn provocation that opened the diagonal toward Wesley’s king.
Wesley moves his king out of check.
Oparin retreats his bishop to defend the d-pawn. With precise play, he has managed to neutralize Wesley’s initiative and equalize the position.
The Aronian vs Caruana game finished in a draw. Wesley now must win to tie for first, any draw here would end his championship hopes.
After equalizing comfortably, Oparin plays a careless move, giving Wesley a renewed chance to seize the initiative!
Wesley pushes his pawn, attacking Oparin’s pinned e-pawn and increasing pressure in the center.
Oparin moves his king out of range of Wesley’s queen, unpinning his central pawn.
Instead of capturing a pawn, Wesley pushes his pawn forward! A strong positional decision to keep the tension and avoid simplification.
Oparin activates his bishop, creating activity and setting up a potential queen trade on the next move.
Wesley seizes the pawn at the perfect moment, executing a beautiful tactical shot!
Oparin repositions his queen, coordinating with his rook to target Wesley’s rook.
Wesley excels at converting small advantages, he’s likely to grind this position patiently and could win on demand! Yesterday’s game vs. Swiercz is a perfect example of his precision.
Capturing the central pawn with his queen would be dangerous for Oparin, Wesley’s passed c-pawn would start rolling, becoming a real threat.
Wesley moves his rook, in defense of his c-pawn.
Oparin places his rook on the open d-file, indirectly pressuring Wesley’s c-pawn and creating potential back-rank threats.
By not giving his king a luft, Wesley’s move opens the door for Oparin to seize the important passed c-pawn.
Oparin seizes Wesley’s passed c-pawn, using tactical precision and back-rank threats.
Wesley retreats his queen, keeping the pin on Oparin’s bishop.
With the capture of the passed pawn, Oparin has managed to equalize once again, neutralizing Wesley’s small advantage!
Wesley finally creates a luft for his king, improving safety and removing back-rank threats.
Oparin retreats his bishop to safety, aiming to reposition it onto the long diagonal.
By moving his rook, Wesley directs his attention to the kingside, coordinating his pieces with his pawns for future play.
With this maneuver, Oparin places his bishop on the long diagonal.
Wesley safely retreats his queen and doubles up with his rook on the f-file.
Wesley’s knight heads to a central square, increasing activity and making any bishop-for-knight trade unfavorable for Oparin.
We’ve reached move 40! Both players receive an additional 30 minutes.
Wesley is forced into a queen trade after Oparin creates a checkmate threat.
The queens are exchanged, and while Wesley holds an extra pawn, the eval bar stays equal. This highlights that there are no practical chances for Wesley, to win. He would need a miracle!
Wesley centralizes his knight, effectively blocking Oparin’s rook on the d-file.
Oparin moves his king, out of any potential knight checks.
The minor pieces are traded, and we enter a rook endgame. Wesley holds an extra pawn, but with accurate play, Oparin should hold, this looks destined for a draw, a frustrating outcome for Wesley.
Oparin positions his rook behind Wesley’s passed pawn, following the golden rule of rook endgames: “Rooks belong behind passed pawns.”
What a finale! After a tense 60-move battle, Wesley So was held to a draw by Grigoriy Oparin, a result that sealed Fabiano Caruana’s triumph as the 2025 U.S. Chess Champion!
The game began with a Sicilian Defense, Sveshnikov Variation, and Wesley looked well prepared from the start. He built up a promising middlegame, maintaining a small edge and testing Oparin’s defenses. But to his credit, Oparin stood firm, showing remarkable resilience under pressure.
Wesley had a brief window to convert, a fleeting chance to tie for first but couldn’t quite find the knockout blow. The position simplified, and after a long grind, the game ended in a well-fought draw.
A heartbreaking finish for Wesley, who came so close to forcing a playoff, but he still secures a strong second-place finish after an excellent tournament.
And with that, Fabiano Caruana is officially crowned 2025 U.S. Chess Champion! 🏆
Thank you for joining us for all the live action and commentary throughout this unforgettable championship, we’ll see you next time for more top-level chess battles!
It all comes down to this, the final day of classical action here at the Saint Louis Chess Club! After 10 intense rounds, Fabiano Caruana leads with 7.5/10, followed closely by Wesley So at 7/10, and Levon Aronian at 6/10. Only Caruana or Wesley can claim the title today and both have everything to play for.
We’re following Wesley So’s crucial game against Grigoriy Oparin. In Round 10, Wesley scored a beautiful, patient positional win against Dariusz Swiercz, keeping his championship hopes alive. Oparin, meanwhile, will look to finish his tournament on a high note and play spoiler.
All eyes are also on the Caruana - Aronian board, but for Wesley, the task is clear: win, and hope results go his way. Let’s dive into what promises to be a thrilling finale here at the U.S. Championship 2025!