Nakamura Wins One other $5,000 In American Cup Blitz

March 25, 2025

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Following his win on the 2025 American Cup, GM Hikaru Nakamura picked up one other $5,000 the subsequent day along with his first-place end within the 2025 American Cup Blitz. After two weeks of battling with the U.S.’s finest gamers, he leaves St. Louis with a complete of $95,000 and retains his world number-two spot with a +2 classical ranking achieve.

The following occasion co-organized by the Saint Louis Chess Membership would be the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Speedy & Blitz Poland, which is able to happen on April 24-Might 1 in Warsaw.

Remaining Standings After 9 Rounds | High 30

#	Title	Ranking	Whole	Prize ($)
1	GM Hikaru Nakamura	2838	7.5	5000.00
2	GM Levon Aronian	2750	7.0	4000.00
3	GM Fabiano Caruana	2783	6.5	1500.00
4	GM Samuel Sevian	2700	6.5	1500.00
5	GM Grigoriy Oparin	2660	6.0
6	GM Benjamin Bok	2655	6.0
7	GM Illia Nyzhnyk	2628	6.0
8	GM Aryan Chopra	2620	6.0
9	GM Vasif Durarbayli	2612	6.0
10	GM Mikhail Antipov	2579	6.0	2500.00
11	GM Ray Robson	2689	5.5
12	GM Viktor Gazik	2573	5.5	1500.00
13	GM Emin Ohanyan	2495	5.5	2200.00
14	GM Wesley So	2819	5.0
15	GM Abhimanyu Mishra	2600	5.0
16	GM Robby Kevlishvili	2571	5.0
17	GM Varuzhan Akobian	2564	5.0
18	GM Harsha Bharathakoti	2537	5.0
19	GM Nikolozi Kacharava	2521	5.0
20	GM Luka Budisavljevic	2502	5.0
21	GM Leinier Dominguez Perez	2741	4.5
22	GM Dariusz Swiercz	2620	4.5
23	GM Yasser Quesada Perez	2570	4.5
24	IM Alice Teresa Lee	2386	4.5	583.33
25	IM Eric S Rosen	2377	4.5	583.33
26	IM Tianqi Wang	2355	4.5	583.33
27	FM Thalia Cervantes	2292	4.5	583.33
28	FM Marcus Ming Miyasaka	2280	4.5	583.33
29	FM Gabriela Antova	2197	4.5	583.33
30	IM Anna Sargsyan	2357	4.0

It is the primary time that GM Fabiano Caruana hasn’t gained the blitz match, now a standard occasion that invitations 100 titled gamers to compete in 9 rounds of three+2 chess. Solely as soon as did somebody tie with him—GM Levon Aronian in 2022—and Caruana quipped, “That is my match. I’m the world champion of the American Cup Blitz,” simply minutes earlier than happening to undergo a loss in spherical three in opposition to GM Aryan Chopra.

I’m the world champion of the American Cup Blitz.

—Fabiano Caruana

Picture: Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Membership.

Prize cash apart, the occasion brings collectively gamers from the Open and Ladies’s tournaments, in addition to native gamers and faculty college students. Particularly in spherical one, followers had been handled to some engaging crossovers between the American Cup essential occasions, with IM Carissa Yip taking part in Nakamura, IM Alice Lee going through GM Wesley So, and GM Irina Krush in opposition to Caruana.

We did not see any upsets in these high three video games, however we did get one story. Talking to GM Cristian Chirila on the published, Yip defined that she and Lee made a guess. Whoever would get the white items in spherical one should begin with 1.a4. Despite the fact that Lee chickened out, she met her pal midway.

So went on to win, although it had nothing to do with the opening variation. As a substitute, he grinded out an endgame with mutual time strain.

That very same spherical, IM Anna Sargsyan upset GM Leinier Dominguez. The Webster scholar stated that the final time she performed blitz earlier than this was on the World Speedy and Blitz Championships in New York. She got here in with “no expectations, simply [to] have enjoyable,” and so how candy spherical one will need to have been! Each gamers on round 5 seconds, she discovered the profitable 41.Rhf5 to win a chunk and, shortly after, the sport.

In the identical spherical, GM Mikhail Antipov upset Aronian, although it isn’t fairly as huge a ranking disparity. Each gamers finally completed within the cash. Aronian, who earned the larger prize of $4,000 in second place, warmly stated that he a minimum of misplaced to a pleasant man and that it “was the one sport the place I had no doubts that I’ll win as a result of my place was so profitable. And that is what occurs, I misplaced my focus and I blundered tremendously!”

… the one sport the place I had no doubts that I’ll win as a result of my place was so profitable.

—Levon Aronian

Antipov’s mixture was an superior approach to begin the occasion, even when he missed a mate-in-two alongside the best way.

Antipov went on to have an important occasion, profitable the U2600 class prize of $2,500 as he upset a number of 2700+ gamers. Even within the final spherical, he had probabilities to take down Nakamura and misplaced solely after he declined a threefold repetition (extra on that later).

Nakamura was merely unstoppable on this occasion. In addition to one draw with So, he gained all six of his different first video games. He mirrored, “Apart from the primary sport, the primary seven rounds had been completely flawless.”

In spherical six, GM Ray Robson defended with unbelievable tenacity whereas taking part in on simply the increment. However after 33.Qa1, Black had a knockout blow. This can be a good time to cease and remedy a puzzle. Can you discover the win for Black? (There are a number of profitable strikes, however Nakamura discovered essentially the most direct mixture.)

It was easy crusing for Nakamura till the ultimate two rounds, and he simply narrowly managed to complete a half-point above Aronian. Spherical eight was a chilly bathe for the American number-one when 26…Bf7?? allowed a killer knight sacrifice. Sevian would finally earn $1,500, tied with Caruana.

American Cup Blitz 2025 — The American Cup Blitz came about within the Chase Park Plaza resort in St. Louis. Picture: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Membership.

After which we get to the final spherical, when Antipov had Nakamura on the ropes after some intelligent opening preparation. Nakamura advised Chirila: “I walked into some prep, little doubt Antipov ready this for Fabiano in some unspecified time in the future or one other, there’s zero doubt in my thoughts, so I type of was taking part in one thing that was not pure chess.”

There have been many twists and turns, however the largest spotlight was Antipov rejecting the supply to repeat strikes with 45.Rxe4!. It seems that, certainly, White was objectively profitable, although within the mad time scramble Nakamura got here out on high with the complete level.

Reflecting on the 2 weeks in St. Louis, Nakamura stated, “the final couple of video games go away somewhat little bit of a bitter style in my mouth, however on the finish of the day the result’s fairly good.” In each occasions, he “performed very properly when it mattered,” and his first match in opposition to GM Abhimanyu Mishra in the principle occasion, which he stated he may have misplaced, was a wakeup name.

Properly, Nakamura awakened.

The best way to rewatch?

The 2025 American Cup Blitz was a nine-round Swiss match that came about the day after the American Cup. 100 titled gamers had been invited by the organizers to take part. The time management was 3+2 and the prize fund was $21,700.

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