Neimann opts for the classic Ruy Lopez with the white pieces.
Awonder develops his knight, entering the Berlin Defense in the Ruy Lopez.
Neimann goes for kingside castling, prioritizing king safety.
Awonder takes the central pawn left undefended by Neimann.
With his king safely castled, Neimann strikes in the center. The pawn break aims to open lines and exploit Awonder’s uncastled king.
Awonder repositions his knight, threatening Neimann’s bishop.
Neimann responds to the attack by moving his bishop to trade with Awonder’s knight.
Awonder recaptures with his d-pawn, opening pathways for his queen and light-squared bishop.
Neimann recaptures the pawn, restoring material balance.
Awonder moves his knight, opening the d-file and offering a queen trade.
Neimann accepts the queen trade, simplifying the position.
We now have berlin wall structure on the board.
The "Berlin Wall" is the solid endgame that often comes from the Berlin Defense. Black’s position is so solid that White finds it very hard to win, making it a ‘wall’ that’s tough to break.
Neimann advances his pawn, creating a luft for his king and preparing a potential kingside pawn push.
Liang moves his king away, out of any potential rook check on the d-file.
Niemann develops his knight, on a natural square, influencing the central squares.
A prophylactic pawn move by Liang.
Niemann repositions his rook to the open d-file!
Liang develops his dark-squared bishop.
Neimann pushes his kingside pawn, challenging Awonder’s knight and gaining space.
Awonder moves his knight to challenge Neimann’s, offering a knight trade.
Neimann captures Awonder’s knight, exchanging pieces.
Liang recaptures the knight back, with his bishop.
Liang advances his kingside pawn, challenging Neimann’s structure and aiming to create counterplay.
Neimann advances his pawn to reinforce the kingside, keeping his formation solid and ready to respond to Liang’s flank attempts.
Liang makes another flank pawn push, but this time on the queenside!
Neimann moves his pawn to block Liang’s queenside advance.
Liang lifts his rook, aiming to gain activity along the b-file or the sixth rank.
Neimann positions his knight aggressively, threatening Liang’s h-pawn and keeping kingside pressure alive.
Awonder trades pawns, opening the h-file. This could backfire as Neimann may potentially exploit this open file!
Niemann recaptures the pawn back with his h-pawn, opening up the h-file.
Liang pushes his pawn, looking to activate his rook along the sixth rank.
Liang's last move left a gap in his structure, and Neimann uses this moment to move his knight to a commanding central square!
Neimann seizes the open h-file with his rook, capitalizing on Liang’s earlier mistake.
Liang retreats his rook, giving up control of the h-file. Neimann now fully dominates this critical open line.
Neimann retreats his bishop calmly, fine-tuning his setup.
Liang moves his bishop, hoping for a pawn break on the queenside.
Neimann advances his pawn, locking Liang’s queenside structure.
Liang’s error forces him into passive defense. Neimann’s coordinated pieces seize the initiative decisively.
Neimann’s active piece play and coordination give him the advantage! The open h-file and better pieces tilt the game in his favor.
Despite Liang holding the bishop pair, the closed nature of the position favors Neimann’s knight.
Liang continues to put up resistance, maintaining a solid defensive setup.
A hasty move by Niemann, allowing Liang to get back in the game!
Awonder blunders, giving Neimann a key opportunity. The question now: will Niemann find the precise move to exploit it?
Neimann finds the best move, gaining a significant advantage. His pawn push creates space, allowing his pieces to operate at full potential.
Neimann moves his king, supporting a knight advance to a dominant square.
Liang moves his bishop, highlighting a classic theme: a strong knight dominates a poorly placed bishop in a closed position.
Neimann moves his knight to a perfect square. With total control of the board, victory seems imminent!
Liang makes a final attempt to break through, but the move fails to create any real chances.
The first game to finish in Round 9 delivered a decisive result as Hans Niemann claimed victory with the white pieces in 39 moves.
The opening was the Ruy Lopez, with Liang opting for the Berlin Variation. The queens were traded early on move 8, leading to a Berlin Wall style endgame, traditionally considered very solid for Black. However, Niemann played with precision and patience. After a few inaccuracies by Liang, he capitalized on the small opportunities, gradually building up his advantage and smoothly converting it into a full point.
This win keeps Niemann in the race for the title, but with just two rounds remaining, he will need more victories to truly contend for the championship. A confident and timely performance from Niemann to get back on track!
Welcome back after the rest day and what a finish we have ahead! With just three rounds to go, the race for the U.S. Championship title is wide open and heating up fast. After eight rounds, Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So lead the field with 5.5/8, closely followed by Levon Aronian on 5/8.
Today, we’re following Hans Niemann taking on Awonder Liang. Niemann sits on 4 points and will need a strong finish and likely some big wins, to keep his title hopes alive. It’s been a tough stretch for him, with two consecutive losses, including one in Round 8 against Andy Woodward. Meanwhile, Awonder Liang comes off a solid draw against leader Wesley So and will be looking to build on that momentum.
Can Niemann bounce back and finish strong, or will Awonder keep his steady form?