Grandmaster Wesley So found himself on a tight battle for the title after sharing a three-way tie at the helm in the penultimate 10th round of the 2017 US Chess Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
The 23-year-old So salvaged a draw with GM Gata Kamsky to slightly improve to 6.5 points and remain at the hold of the top spot.
He has three wins and seven draws.
But now, So shares the lead with GM Alexander Onischuk, who jumped from second place after a dumping GM Jeffery Xiong for his third straight victory.
The 44-year-old Onischuk, who was born in Crimea, currently has four wins, five draws and a single loss.
GM Varuzhan Akobian also remained on the top spot after splitting the point with GM Ray Robson. (Kristel Satumbaga)