Round 7
The seventh round of the U.S. Championship 2016 proved to be one of the most exciting ones so far. As many as 4 games finished decisively and only 2 games resulted in draws. As regards the standings, the most important result was GM Wesley So’s emphatic victory over GM Alexander Shabalov. On the other hand, GM Fabiano Caruana was held to a draw by 15 year old GM Xiong Jeffery.
As such, after 7 rounds of play, Caruana and Wesley So were tied for the top spot with 5.5/7.
Round 8
While Caruana and Wesley So were held to draws, Nakamura registered his second consecutive win to move on to 5.5/8. This puts Nakamura on the joint-second spot along with GM Ray Robson, only half a point behind leaders Caruana and Wesley So.