Wesley So and Awonder Liang sit atop the Open section at 2/2 after round two of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship. Both players maintained perfect scores, though their paths differed sharply.
So battled back from a difficult position against GM Jeffery Xiong. The game looked grim for So at one point, but he clawed his way back and seized the win when it mattered. It's the kind of resilience that separates champions from the rest.
Liang took a cleaner route, converting an endgame against GM Sam Sevian with the precision you'd expect from someone playing mistake-free chess. Two rounds in and Liang hasn't put a foot wrong.
The women's section tells a similar story at the top. Both Paragua and Cervantes remain undefeated with 2/2 scores, staying ahead of the pack through clean, clinical play.
The tournament sits at an interesting juncture. So and Liang have proven they can handle pressure and convert their advantages. But the U.S. Championship is a marathon. The field includes plenty of sharp competitors ready to test the leaders. Round three will show whether these perfect records hold or crack under sustained pressure.