Leinier Domínguez is Eliminated from American Cup 2025

March 20, 2025

The American Grandmaster of Cuban origin Leinier Domínguez could not make up for the previous day's defeat by losing again (this time 3.5-2.5 against his counterpart Samuel Sevian) and definitively saying goodbye to American Cup 2025.

The match turned into a marathon. The "Idol of Güines" prevailed with the white pieces in the first game of the dual meet, which followed the paths of the French Defense and extended to 48 moves.

The game witnessed constant tension between both sides until Sevian committed a gross error by leaving his bishop exposed, something that Leinier Domínguez did not forgive to leave him at a disadvantage.

From that moment on, the former leader of the island's Olympic team worked towards the exchange of pieces (rook and queen for each side), and once the board was simplified he imposed his material advantage.

In the second duel, Sevian had clear figures and opted for 1.e4, to which Leinier Domínguez gave up his preference for the Sicilian Defense and, ultimately, the attractive Giuoco Piano was set up at the board.

The balance of the match could have tilted at move 17, once the young 24-year-old master rashly captured the f7 pawn, provoking a lengthy reflection from the native of the former Havana province.

A wrong move by Leinier Domínguez carried with it his rival's combination in the grueling American tournament.

However, he did not want to complicate the situation and chose to accept the trade (knight and bishop for rook and pawn), knowing that a draw would be enough to put an end to the contest.

As is normal in accelerated pace matches, as time passed mistakes followed on both sides, chaos reigned, there were flagrant blunders overlooked in the face of the danger of losing on the clock, and in one of those the man from Güines gave away his queen, resigning ipso facto.

With the score tied, the adversaries arrived at a third confrontation. With the black pieces, Sevian again set up the French Defense, but this time the result was favorable to him after several inaccuracies by the 41-year-old veteran, who reached the endgames down a pawn in a battle of two knights and rook versus pawn.

Forced to win or exit the competition, the best heir to José Raúl Capablanca resorted in the fourth game to his beloved Sicilian, and it brought him the sought-after prize with the gain of the exchange, the subsequent reduction of material and the victory before the inevitable promotion of a pawn.

That is how they went to tiebreaks in three-minute games. In the fifth game of the day, the Cuban-American started with the black pieces, repeated the Sicilian, but ceded the initiative early and at some point (so intense was the siege) had all his major and minor pieces on the eighth rank.

Once again against the wall, Leinier Domínguez faced the sixth duel determined to win or perish. The bet was a new Giuoco Piano, and in the midst of the vertigo the opponents hurled their entire arsenal: the outcome resulted in the first draws of the dual meet.
Leinier Domínguez lost two matches and said goodbye

Thus, Leinier Domínguez said goodbye to the tournament. As it is known, he had started the competition with a resounding success at the expense of the powerful Wesley So, twice runner-up of the American Cup, but then lost at the hands of the current number three in the world, Hikaru Nakamura.

Since it was a double-elimination event, he still had an opportunity after the loss to the native of Japan, but unfortunately his adventure has now come to an end.

Included among the most prestigious chess tournaments in the United States, the American Cup is held at the World Chess Hall of Fame, the so-called Game of Science.

This time it will distribute 400 thousand dollars in prizes (250 thousand for the Open tournament and 150 thousand for the Women's). It is worth recalling that in his 2024 participation, Leinier Domínguez finished in positions 5-6, precisely tied with Samuel Sevian, and obtained a prize of 15 thousand dollars.