So and Liang Lead as Paragua Stuns Yip at U.S. Championship

Wesley So and Awonder Liang are the only players to win both of the opening rounds at the 2026 U.S. Championship. Their perfect starts set up a direct meeting in round three, while Fabiano Caruana moved into sole third place with his first victory. In the women’s event, 13-year-old Megan Paragua delivered the round’s standout result by beating defending champion Carissa Yip.

The open section is already taking shape around two different winning styles. So had to recover from pressure against Jeffery Xiong before turning the game in his favour. Xiong built a kingside initiative and had chances to intensify it, but the attack lost momentum. As the players approached the time control, inaccuracies left Black with growing problems, and So converted the shift into his second point.

Liang’s win over Sam Sevian was more controlled. Against Sevian’s King’s Indian Attack, Liang contained the kingside threats and advanced on the opposite wing. The queenside space he gained created weaknesses that made his counterplay more effective than White’s attack. It was Liang’s second win with the black pieces, following his first-round victory over Hans Niemann.

Caruana, the defending champion, beat Grigoriy Oparin in a technical rook-and-knight ending. A small edge became more pressing as the game progressed, and Caruana’s conversion put him on 1½/2, half a point behind So and Liang. The next round pairs the leaders: Liang has White against So, guaranteeing that at least one of the two will surrender a perfect score.

The Bobby Fischer Bonus Prize adds another thread to the open tournament. A $64,000 award is available for a player who wins all 11 games, matching Fischer’s 1963–64 performance; smaller bonuses are also available for winning streaks that begin in round one. After two rounds, So and Liang are the only players still on course for the full-score prize.

The women’s standings have an unexpected pair at the top. Cervantes and Paragua, the two lowest-rated players in the field, both reached 2/2. Cervantes has twice come through difficult positions by finding active counterplay in complicated middlegames. Paragua’s route included a win over Yip, the four-time champion and top seed.

That game appeared to be settling into equality after Paragua emerged comfortably from the Sicilian Alapin and gained a positional edge that did not become decisive. Yip restored the balance, but then made a blunder that allowed a forced mate in four. The sudden finish gave Paragua her second win and made her the youngest player in either championship section to start with two victories.

Thalia Cervantes also had to work for her point, turning an inferior position against Rachael Li into a win through practical counterplay. Anna Zatonskih and Alice Lee follow the leaders on 1½ points. The early results leave both championships open, but Sunday’s So–Liang encounter and the women’s young co-leaders give the third round clear focal points.

Sources

• ChessBase: U.S. Championships, round two