U.S. Chess Championship 2026: Wesley So Leads After Round 8

Wesley So beat Andy Woodward to lead the U.S. Chess Championship 2026 in Saint Louis with 6 points from 8 games, one point ahead of Fabiano Caruana.

The U.S. Chess Championship 2026 in Saint Louis is heading into its final stretch, and GM Wesley So is in front.

The championship is a 12-player round robin, which means every player meets every other player once, over 11 rounds. The games are classical, with 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 more minutes, and 30 seconds added for every move.

After eight rounds, So leads with 6 points. In round 8 he beat GM Andy Woodward in a long game of 77 moves that started with the Ragozin Defense of the Queen's Gambit Declined.

GM Fabiano Caruana is second with 5 points. He drew with GM Samuel Sevian in round 8. Behind them is a big group on 4.5 points: GM Awonder Liang, GM Jeffery Xiong, GM Grigoriy Oparin and Woodward.

There was also a notable win for GM Sam Shankland, who beat GM Hans Moke Niemann in round 8.

A one-point lead with three rounds left is a good position, but it is not a safe one. In a round robin, the leaders still have to play some of the strongest players in the field, and one loss can change everything.

For young players, round robins are a great way to learn. Because you face every opponent, you cannot rely on easy pairings. You need to be ready to play well in every round, whatever the colour or the opening.

ChessDaily will report the final result when the championship finishes.