Overview
- Fabiano Caruana clinched a fifth U.S. crown by agreeing a safe draw with Levon Aronian, then watched Wesley So get held by Grigoriy Oparin to prevent a playoff.
- The title makes four consecutive national championships for Caruana, matching Bobby Fischer’s streak.
- Carissa Yip won as Black against Thalia Cervantes to seal first place outright, while Anna Sargsyan defeated Alice Lee for clear second and Anna Zatonskih drew Irina Krush.
- Prizes: Caruana earned $62,000 and Yip received $40,000 plus the $5,000 Finish Strong bonus for the top score over the closing rounds.
- Both St. Louis events were 12‑player round robins running Oct. 12–24, with the defending champions entering the finale up by half a point.