Wesley So beats Andy Woodward to lead US Chess Championship by a point before Monday's clash with Caruana

Wesley So leads the 2026 US Chess Championship by a full point with three rounds left. In round 8 at the Saint Louis Chess Club on Saturday 17 October, he beat Andy Woodward, who had been tied for second. That was his fourth win of the event and took him to 6/8. Fabiano Caruana is second on 5/8, and the two meet in round 9 on Monday 19 October.

So pulls clear

So went into the round half a point ahead after a comeback win over Ray Robson on Friday. Robson had a winning position but ran short of time, as he often does, and So converted the endgame. On Saturday So beat Woodward, the reigning US junior champion who had beaten Caruana earlier in the event, and opened a real gap at the top.

Only one other game was decisive: Sam Shankland beat Hans Niemann with the white pieces in an Anti-Marshall. The other four games were drawn, including Caruana's against Samuel Sevian, plus Levon Aronian v Grigoriy Oparin, Jeffery Xiong v Ray Robson and Awonder Liang v Abhimanyu Mishra.

Standings after eight rounds

So has 6 points and Caruana 5. Oparin, Woodward, Xiong and Liang are tied on 4.5. Each section is an 11-round, 12-player round robin with classical games. Sunday 18 October is a rest day, rounds 9 to 11 run from 19 to 21 October, and a playoff, if needed, is set for 22 October.

Caruana won the last four US titles and is trying to win a fifth in a row, which would equal Samuel Reshevsky's record. A win over So with the white pieces in round 9 would bring him level with two rounds left. The open section has a US$250,000 prize fund, and the women's championship has US$152,000.

Women's race: Li and Lee level

In the US Women's Championship, joint leaders Rachael Li and Alice Lee drew with each other in round 8, so both stay on 6/8. Li had beaten Lee earlier in the event, and both players won in round 7.

Thalia Cervantes Landeiro is now half a point behind after beating defending champion Carissa Yip, who blundered into mate in one. Jennifer Yu beat Irina Krush, who had been third after round 7. With three rounds left, three players are within half a point of each other.

When to follow round 9 from Malaysia

Rounds start at 1pm US Eastern time, which is 1am the next day in Malaysia. So Caruana v So begins at 1am on Tuesday 20 October, Malaysia time. Also in round 9, Woodward plays Xiong, Robson faces Liang and Oparin meets Shankland. Live commentary is on the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube and Twitch channels, and the games are also shown on Chess.com.

Key takeaways

• Wesley So beat Andy Woodward in round 8 to reach 6/8, a point clear of Fabiano Caruana.
• Sam Shankland's win over Hans Niemann was the only other decisive game in the open section.
• Rachael Li and Alice Lee drew and share the women's lead on 6/8, with Thalia Cervantes Landeiro half a point back.
• Caruana, chasing a fifth straight title, plays So with White in round 9 on 19 October US time.

FAQ

Who is leading the 2026 US Chess Championship? Wesley So, on 6/8 after round 8. Fabiano Caruana is second on 5/8.

When do So and Caruana play? In round 9 on Monday 19 October in St Louis, starting at 1pm Eastern time (1am Tuesday 20 October in Malaysia). Caruana has the white pieces.

Who leads the US Women's Chess Championship? Rachael Li and Alice Lee are joint leaders on 6/8 after drawing in round 8, with Thalia Cervantes Landeiro on 5.5.

Sources: The Chess Mind, US Chess, ChessBase, Ramachess