Wesley So tops 2026 US Chess Championship, bags P3.55 million

THE BEST. Wesley So beats top seed Fabiano Caruana in the rapid playoffs of the 2026 US Chess Championships.

Saint Louis Chess Club/Lennart Ootes

Wesley So, a three-time Philippine champion before moving to the United States over a decade ago, rules the 2026 US Chess Championship, ending the four-year reign of Fabiano Caruana

AT A GLANCE

• Wesley So won the 2026 US Chess Championship, defeating top seed Fabiano Caruana in the rapid playoffs after a challenging last round.
• Despite a setback against Sam Sevian in the 11th round, So secured his fourth national title, having previously won in 2017, 2020, and 2021.

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MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-born Wesley So recovered from a hard fall in the last round to clinch the 2026 US Chess Championship on Thursday, October 22 (Friday, October 23, Philippine time). 

Shrugging off a harrowing last round loss, the 33-year-old pride of Bacoor, Cavite, beat top seed Fabiano Caruana in the rapid playoffs, 1.5-0.5, to bag the $56,000 (P3.55 million) champion’s purse at the Saint Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, Missouri.

With the crown for his taking, So faltered against cellar-dweller Sam Sevian in the 11th round, allowing Caruana to catch him at 7.0 points following a victory over Awonder Liang in the 12-man, all super-Grandmaster tournament.

After a see-saw draw in the first tiebreaker, So pounced on a dubious pawn sacrifice by Caruana to win the second and secure his fourth US national title, having prevailed in 2017, 2020, and 2021.

Enjoying a strong season, So — a three-time Philippine champion before transferring to the US Chess Federation in 2014 — also ruled the Americas Cup in March and the Sinquefield Cup in August.

So bested Sam Shankland in the first round, drew with Jeffery Xiong, Liang, Levon Aronian, Grigory Oparin, Abhimanyu Mishra in succession; trounced Ray Robson and Andy Woodward; and drew with Caruana and Hans Niemann in the ninth and 10th rounds.

In the post-interview, So admitted he barely slept after that defeat to Sevian, napping only two to three hours, but willed himself to victory as Caruana wasn’t in his best form.

Caruana had ruled the annual event since 2022, but So ended his reign.

WIM (Woman International Master) Rachel Li snared the US women’s crown, where 13-year-old Fide Master Megan Paragua, born of Filipino parents in New York, shared fourth place.

Li scored 8.5 points, IM Alice Lee 8.0 points, GM Irina Krush 7.5 points, and WGM Thalia Cervantes and Paragua, niece of US-based Filipino GM Mark Paragua, 6.0 points. – Rappler.com