2021 United States Chess Championship

The tournament was a twelve-player, round-robin tournament, meaning there were 12 rounds with each player facing the others once. The tournament winner became the United States Chess Champion.

• The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. There is a 30-second increment starting on move one.
• Players are not allowed to draw by agreement.
• The event is a 12-player round-robin, where every player plays once against every other player on the field.
• Players get 1 point for a win, 0.5 points for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
• The player with the most points at the end of the last round wins the event.

While there was no tie for first place, such a situation would have been addressed as follows:

If two players tie for first a two-game 10+2 rapid match will take place. If there remains a tie, a single armageddon game will occur.

If three or four players tie for first a single round-robin in the 10+2 rapid time control will take place

If two players remain tied, they contest a two-game 3+2 blitz match. If the tie persists, an armageddon game decides the winner.

If three or more players remain tied, they contest a 3+2 round-robin.

If more than four players tie for first players will contest a 3+2 round-robin. If the round-robin ends in a tie, a series of armageddon games decide the winner.^[2]

The event features a $194,000 prize fund, distributed as follows:^[3]

Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Samuel Sevian tied for first place and will move into tiebreaks under a single round-robin in the 10+2 rapid time control.^[4]

#	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Points
1	Fabiano Caruana	2800	—	½	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	0	½	½	6.5
2	Wesley So (defending champion)	2778	½	—	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	6.5
3	Samuel Sevian	2654	1	½	—	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	6.5
4	Leinier Domínguez	2760	½	½	½	—	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	6
5	Aleksandr Lenderman	2607	0	½	1	½	—	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	6
6	Ray Robson	2669	0	½	½	½	½	—	½	½	½	1	1	½	6
7	Sam Shankland	2714	½	½	½	0	½	½	—	1	½	1	0	½	5.5
8	John M. Burke	2554	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	—	1	½	1	1	5
9	Dariusz Świercz	2647	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	—	1	½	1	5
10	Daniel Naroditsky	2623	1	½	½	½	0	0	0	½	0	—	1	½	4.5
11	Jeffery Xiong	2700	½	½	0	½	½	0	1	0	½	0	—	1	4.5
12	Lázaro Bruzón	2645	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	0	—	4

Wesley So won the tournament after beating both Fabiano Caruana and Samuel Sevian in the tiebreaks. Fabiano Caruana was the runner-up.^[5]

#	Player	Rating	1	2	3	Points
1	Wesley So (defending champion)	2778	—	1	1	2
2	Fabiano Caruana	2800	0	—	1	1
3	Samuel Sevian	2654	0	0	—	0