Wesley So is back in charge at the U.S. Championship, sitting alone at the top of the open section after Round 7 in Saint Louis. He scraped out a win against Ray Robson from a position where the pressure was on him. That kind of escape matters in a field this tight. So leads with 5/7, and the rest of the pack is hunting.
The bigger shock came from the other end of the results. Awonder Liang, one of the tournament favorites, collapsed against Grigoriy Oparin in just 27 moves. That collapse stings because Liang had been performing above expectations all week. A loss this quick to a Russian opponent who showed real tactical precision signals that Liang's momentum has evaporated. One bad game can swing a player's confidence in a field of uneven strength.
So's escape was more methodical. He didn't play flashy chess. He found the right defensive resources, stabilized the position, and when Robson couldn't convert his advantage, So seized his chance. That's championship-level technique. Robson remains competitive on 4.5 points, but So's solo lead is now real breathing room with five rounds left.
Women's section tightens
The women's race splintered. Rachael Li and Alice Lee both recorded wins and now share the lead at 5.5 points. That's a commanding position with five rounds to play. They're a full point clear of the next tier.
Thalia Cervantes, who held a piece of the lead overnight, lost to Anna Sargsyan. That slip matters because the women's field is more balanced than the open section. A single loss here doesn't bury you, but it does force you to play sharper chess going forward. Cervantes still has time to recover, but she's no longer the frontrunner.
Li and Lee have established themselves as the favorites. Li's particularly strong, having navigated the middle rounds without the kind of tactical stumbles that derail players in Saint Louis. Lee's play has been consistent without being flashy. If either one holds, the other becomes the spoiler.
What changes next: So needs to avoid his own slump. The field trailing him by a half-point has proven it can hurt him in any single game. Liang must reset mentally before his Round 8 encounter. In the women's section, Li and Lee face pressure from Cervantes and others to slip. Saint Louis tends to punish complacency, and five rounds remain long enough for the leaders to stumble.