So keeps share of lead

Wesley So. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Top seed Wesley So subdued rising star Jeffery Xiong in the ninth round Friday and kept his share of the lead in the 2017 US Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

His third win against six draws gave the Cavite-born 6.0 points, the same total posted by Varuzhan Akobian, who stunned second seed Fabiano Caruana, in the all-Grandmaster, 11-round tournament.

Alexander Onischuk toppled third seed and four-time US champion Hikaru Nakamura to climb to solo third at 5.5 points, towing Yaroslav Sherebukh, who forged a draw with Baku Olympian Ray Robson to climb to 5.0 points.

Caruana and Nakamura, members of the Olympic champion US team with So and Robson, got stuck at 4.5 points and needed to sweep their last two matches to keep their faint title hopes.

Handling black superbly, So tamed the 16-year-old Xiong to stretch his unbeaten run to 64 games.

So, ranked No. 2 in the world, is tackling Gata Kamsky in the 10th round being held at presstime. —ROY LUARCA