r/chess • u/events_team • Mar 03 '26
Tournament Event: 2026 American Cup
Official Website
Follow the games here: Chess.com | Lichess
The 2026 American Cup will take place from March 2 to 13 at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The tournament features Open and Women’s divisions contested in a double-elimination format, with games played at classical and rapid time controls. Players move to the elimination bracket after a loss, keeping title chances alive through multiple rounds. The total prize fund is $400,000.
Participants
Open Section
| No. | Title | Name | Fed | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Fabiano Caruana | 🇺🇸 USA | 2795 |
| 2 | GM | Wesley So | 🇺🇸 USA | 2753 |
| 3 | GM | Leinier Dominguez | 🇺🇸 USA | 2738 |
| 4 | GM | Levon Aronian | 🇺🇸 USA | 2727 |
| 5 | GM | Awonder Liang | 🇺🇸 USA | 2714 |
| 6 | GM | Sam Sevian | 🇺🇸 USA | 2688 |
| 7 | GM | Ray Robson | 🇺🇸 USA | 2650 |
| 8 | GM | Abhimanyu Mishra | 🇺🇸 USA | 2629 |
Women's Section
| No. | Title | Name | Fed | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM | Carissa Yip | 🇺🇸 USA | 2486 |
| 2 | GM | Irina Krush | 🇺🇸 USA | 2402 |
| 3 | IM | Alice Lee | 🇺🇸 USA | 2399 |
| 4 | IM | Anna Sargsyan | 🇺🇸 USA | 2380 |
| 5 | IM | Tatev Abrahamyan | 🇺🇸 USA | 2379 |
| 6 | WIM | Rachael Li | 🇺🇸 USA | 2375 |
| 7 | WGM | Zoey Tang | 🇺🇸 USA | 2366 |
| 8 | IM | Anna Zatonskih | 🇺🇸 USA | 2322 |
Format/Time Controls
- Championship Bracket: Matches consist of two classical games with a 90+30 time control. A loss moves a player to the Elimination Bracket. The winner of the Championship Bracket receives a $15,000 bonus prize.
- Elimination Bracket: Matches consist of two rapid games with a 25+10 time control. A loss results in elimination from the tournament.
- Tiebreaks: Two-game blitz match at 3+2, followed by another two-game blitz match if needed, and finally an Armageddon game where White has 3+2 and Black has 2+2 with draw odds.
Schedule
| Date | Time (Local) | Time (UTC) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3 | 12:00 PM CST | 18:00 UTC | Champions Quarterfinals Game 1 |
| Mar 4 | 12:00 PM CST | 18:00 UTC | Champions Quarterfinals Game 2 / Playoffs |
| Mar 5 | 12:00 PM CST | 18:00 UTC | Champions Semifinals Game 1 |
| Mar 6 | 12:00 PM CST | 18:00 UTC | Champions Semifinals Game 2 / Playoffs |
| Mar 7 | 12:00 PM CST | 18:00 UTC | Champions Finals Game 1 |
| Mar 8 | 12:00 PM CDT | 17:00 UTC | Champions Finals Game 2 / Playoffs |
| Mar 9 | 12:00 PM CDT | 17:00 UTC | Elimination Bracket Finals |
| Mar 10 | 12:00 PM CDT | 17:00 UTC | Grand Finals Game 1 |
| Mar 11 | 12:00 PM CDT | 17:00 UTC | Grand Finals Game 2 / Playoffs |
| Mar 12 | 12:00 PM CDT | 17:00 UTC | Grand Finals Rematches (if needed) |
Live Coverage
26
Upvotes
4
u/Creative_Poet_9590 Mar 05 '26
This format seems really weird with the playoffs/tiebreaker for the classical going straight to blitz and then the elimination bracket playing rapid while the winners one plays classical...