Fabiano Caruana, currently ranked world No. 2, successfully defended his title at the US Championship held in St. Louis, finishing with an impressive unbeaten score of 7 out of 10. His victory earned him a prize of $62,000 (£48,000). Caruana's performance was dominant, as he secured a comfortable lead of one and a half points over the competition. In the final round, he won his game while his closest rivals either drew or lost, resulting in a six-way tie for second place with a score of 5.5 out of 10. Among the runners-up were the controversial player Hans Niemann, who solidified his position within the world’s top 20, as well as promising young talents Samuel Sevian and Awonder Liang. Established grandmasters Levon Aronian, Ray Robson, and Leinier Domínguez also finished in the tie for second. Wesley So, a favorite going into the tournament, ended with a disappointing score of 5 out of 10, drawing all his games and consequently falling out of the world’s top 10 rankings.