Caruana Wins 2024 9LX After Surviving Scare Vs. Kasparov

A week after winning his fourth U.S. title, GM Fabiano Caruana also won the 2024 Chess 9LX tournament in St. Louis. With 7.5/9 he remained half a point ahead of GM Hikaru Nakamura. Caruana won $30,000 and another $7,500 for finishing in sole first place.

At 61, "chess tourist" GM Garry Kasparov held his own wonderfully in a field of professional players by finishing on a 50-percent score. It could have been even better as according to Kasparov himself, he missed wins against both GM Levon Aronian and the tournament winner.

Just a chess tourist! 😂 https://t.co/bRB327MWj2

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 30, 2024

Final Standings

The three weeks of activities ended on Wednesday in St. Louis with first the U.S. Championships, next a chess and education conference (with keynote speeches by GMs Maurice Ashley, Judit Polgar, and Kasparov), and then the 9LX tournament. In the end, this October month was a particularly good one for Caruana, who won both chess events held in his home city.

Round 7 Position

Caruana was going into the final day with a half-point lead, but after he drew his game with GM Leinier Dominguez, Nakamura caught him in first place by outplaying GM Ray Robson with the black pieces:

Meanwhile, most eyes were also on the game between Kasparov and Aronian. Could The Boss do something with that plus-one score, and perhaps even play a role in the higher echelons of the standings?

Well, he was doing quite well out of the opening; perhaps you could even say that he was virtually winning. However, at some point the tables turned, and Kasparov was in trouble for several moves. He was then briefly completely fine, and with slightly more time on the clock (1:38 vs 0:46) he made the last mistake.

Round 8 Position

"I was absolutely sure during the game that I was losing," Caruana admitted when discussing his game with Kasparov in the penultimate round. It was another painful loss for the 13th world champion, who blundered a full piece on a single move.

"My idea was that, OK, I definitely misplayed this very badly, but I have a time advantage and if I avoid losing to very direct tactics, then probably I can make it a mess," said Caruana. "And I thought as long as the moves that he has to play are a bit vague, this is more difficult." He added: "It's very typical with Garry because he very often plays extremely well, but struggles with his time and getting low on the clock."

With this fortunate win, Caruana regained his half-point lead since Nakamura was held to a draw by GM Grigoriy Oparin despite trying for 166(!) moves.

Round 9 Position

Remarkably, the position for the final round was exactly the same as the one used for the final round in 2023. It was Kasparov himself who pointed it out to this author. After he beat Dominguez from the white side in 2023, he also converted the full point against GM Sam Sevian this year to end on a respectable 4.5/9.

"I enjoyed it," Kasparov said when the tournament was over. "I made 50 percent without any luck. OK, I was lucky with Oparin, but also I was winning against Nakamura when I took a draw; I was winning by force."

Asked if he'll be back next year, he said: "I always play here. It's fun!"

I always play here. It's fun!
—Garry Kasparov

Since Nakamura won his game, Caruana needed to win as well in order to secure sole first place. A big mistake by Robson on move 28 lost a pawn for him, but it took quite a while for this game to finish and the tournament be decided.

Here is the game, with annotations by GM Rafael Leitao:

Good to start and finish with a win! Thanks to @STLChessClub and to everyone for your support and enthusiasm. Congrats to @FabianoCaruana on adding to his latest US title! https://t.co/NJSOnZ2W5N

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 30, 2024

The 2024 Chess 9LX tournament was an over-the-board Chess960 tournament featuring 10 star players including the legendary Kasparov that took place in the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis. Three rounds were played each day with a 20+10 time control. The first prize was $30,000 with a bonus prize of $7,500 for sole first.

Previous Coverage

• Day 2: Caruana Escapes, Maintains Slim Lead As Kasparov Has Nakamura On The Ropes
• Day 1: Caruana Leads 9LX With Perfect 3/3 As Kasparov Returns To Chess Arena
• Interview: Kasparov On Facing Deep Blue: 'I Was Part Of Something Really Unique'