American Cup: Nakamura and Lee win Champions Brackets, Caruana and Abrahamyan reach Grand Finals

The finalists of the 2025 American Cup have been decided, with Hikaru Nakamura and Alice Lee securing their places through the Champions Bracket, while Fabiano Caruana and Tatev Abrahamyan fought back in the Elimination Bracket to earn rematches. Nakamura defeated Caruana in blitz tiebreaks before Caruana overcame Levon Aronian to stay in contention. In the women’s section, Lee advanced after Abrahamyan missed a winning opportunity, but Abrahamyan recovered by eliminating Irina Krush, ensuring a new Grand Final pairing for the first time in the tournament’s history. | Photo: Lennart Ootes