Caruana, So, Krush, And Lee Headline 2024 American Cup
The Saint Louis Chess Club has announced its lineup for this year’s American Cup boasting "16 of the strongest chess players in America."
Eight GMs are on the roster for the $250,000 Open section headed by U.S. number-one GM Fabiano Caruana, who returns after missing last year's tournament, and the runner up in 2023 GM Wesley So.
GM Irina Krush headlines the $150,000 Women’s section along with U.S. super-talent IM Alice Lee. The pair have contested both finals of the American Cup so far—will they make it a third?
The 2024 American Cup returns as an elite over-the-board national championship event, featuring 16 of the strongest chess players in America playing in a double elimination format. Over the course of 10 days, these competitors will battle for $400,000 in prize money and the… pic.twitter.com/L4b9R1B1Iv
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) February 7, 2024
Krush and Lee are joined in the Women's section by WGMs Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Tatev Abrahamyan and Jennifer Yu, as well as IM Anna Zatonskih and WIM Zoey Tang.
Completing the Open lineup are GMs Leinier Dominguez, Levon Aronian, Sam Sevian, Ray Robson, Sam Shankland, and Grigoriy Oparin.
GM Hikaru Nakamura, the reigning champion who is the world number-three and second in the U.S. rankings, is not competing. Nor is GM Hans Niemann, the U.S. number-five, who has been told he isn't welcome at the club this year.
The American Cup is an invite-only annual double-elimination tournament organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club starting on March 12. It is one of the three prestige events hosted at Saint Louis along with the Sinquefield Cup and the U.S. Championships.
Tony Rich, Technical Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club, said: "We’re proud to showcase some of the top American chess talent once again in this year’s American Cup. With a field that includes some of the strongest male and female competitors, we're expecting an electrifying series of games right up to the very last move."
The American Cup consists of two sections, the Open and Women's. Caruana won the inaugural Open tournament before Nakamura took home $50,000 for winning it last year. Krush defeated Lee in both 2022 and 2023 Women's finals.
However, despite being one of his country's top players, Niemann has yet to feature in the American Cup. On February 2, the club announced the 20-year-old would not receive invites to its events this year following an incident during his visit for the 2023 U.S. Championships in October.
In a statement posted online, the club accused Niemann of damaging private property—later revealed by him to be the contents of his hotel room including a couch, TV remotes and an ironing board—making rude comments and having an uncooperative attitude.
Since Chess.com reported on that, more details have emerged. Niemann did not deny causing the damage, later saying he "lashed out" after a "difficult" game in St. Louis while staying at the Chase Park Plaza hotel, a short walk from the venue. He also revealed he paid a $5,000 fine to the club and “apologized profusely.”
— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) February 7, 2024
The incident wasn't made public for four months. However, five-time world champion GM Magnus Carlsen told Norwegian network TV 2 that it had been an open secret in the professional ranks.
"I can say that the story about the hotel room has been circulating for a while, but I didn't know more than that," he said. "It wasn't new information to me."
Chess.com has approached the Saint Louis Chess Club for its response to Niemann's statement but received no reply.
The American Cup starts on March 12 and runs until March 21 hosted at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri. The total prize pool is $400,000.
