Out of a field of the nation’s top chess players, International
Master (IM) Alice Lee was named champion in the U.S. Girls' Junior
Championship, Grandmaster (GM) Christopher Yoo won the U.S. Junior
Championship and GM Vladimir Akopian secured victory in the U.S.
Senior Championship with a round to spare.
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Alice Lee, Christopher Yoo and Vladimir
Akopian Crowned Winners in U.S. Girls, Junior and Senior Chess
Championships in Saint Louis (Photo: Business Wire)
The U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Junior and U.S. Senior
Championships have been mainstay events at the Saint Louis Chess
Club. All three tournaments ran concurrently from July 16-25 and
featured the top 10 chess players across three divisions, who
competed for more than $135,000 in prizes and an additional $20,000
in scholarships.
“The caliber of talent we saw among these young players
indicates that American chess continues to grow and thrive,” said
Tony Rich, Technical Director at the Saint Louis Chess Club. “It
was also thrilling to see these icons of American chess in action
over the board again and we look forward to continuing to host the
nation’s best here in Saint Louis once again next year.”
IM Alice Lee Clinches U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship
Defending champion, fourteen year old Alice Lee of North Oaks,
Minn., took top honors in the U.S. Girls’ Junior division. Lee has
already set several American chess records becoming a National
Master (NM) at 10, a Woman International Master (WIM) at 12 and
recently became the youngest American female IM. Her thrilling
comeback performance earned her a $6,000 cash prize, $10,000
scholarship to the university of her choice and a seat to compete
in the U.S. Women’s Championship this fall. The scholarship is a
jointly-funded effort from Dewain Barber and US Chess.
FIDE Master (FM) Rose Atwell, 14, of Valencia, Calif. finished
in second place and received a check for $4,000, followed by WIM
Iris Mou, 14 of New York, N.Y., won $3,000 for third place.
U.S. GIRLS’ JUNIOR
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS
PLACE
PLAYER & AGE
LOCATION
PRIZE MONEY
1
IM Alice Lee, 14
North Oaks, Minn.
$6,000
2
FM Rose Atwell, 14
Valencia, Calif.
$4,000
3
WIM Iris Mou, 14
New York, N.Y.
$3,000
T-4
NM Jasmine Su, 13
Darian, Conn.
$1,750
T-4
WFM Yassamin Ehsani, 19
New York, N.Y.
$1,750
6
WFM Rachael Li, 13
Plano, Texas
$1,200
T-7
FM Zoey Tang, 15
Portland, Ore.
$900
T-7
WFM Megan Paragua, 11
Elmhurst, N.Y.
$900
9
WIM Omya Vidyarthi, 13
Campbell, Calif.
$600
10
WFM Chloe Gaw, 14
New York, N.Y.
$500
Seventeen Year Old GM Christopher Yoo Wins U.S. Junior
Championship
GM Chistopher Yoo, 17, of Dublin, Calif. bested a field of new
and returning young prodigies to take home first place, a check for
$12,000 and earning a ticket to compete in this year’s U.S.
Championship. He, too, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the
university of his choice thanks to the generosity of Dewain Barber
and US Chess.
IM Justin Wang, 18, of Katy, Texas finished in second, winning
$8,000 and GM Andrew Hong, 18, of Saratoga, Calif. and IM Jason
Wang, 17, of Mason, OH, tied for third place, each earning
$4,500.
U.S. JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
RESULTS
PLACE
PLAYER
LOCATION
PRIZE MONEY
1
GM Christopher Yoo, 17
Dublin, Calif.
$12,000
2
IM Justin Wang, 18
Katy, Texas
$8,000
T-3
GM Andrew Hong, 19
Saratoga, Calif.
$4,500
T-3
IM Jason Wang, 17
Mason, OH
$4,500
T-5
IM Andy Woodward, 14
McKinney, Texas
$2,750
T-5
IM Brewington Hardaway, 14
Bronx, N.Y.
$2,750
7
GM Balaji Daggupati, 18
San Ramon, Calif.
$2,000
8
IM Jason Liang, 16
Potsdam, N.Y.
$1,500
9
GM Arthur Guo, 17
Alpharetta, Ga.
$1,000
10
NM Nicholas Ladan, 19
Chicago, Ill.
$1,000
GM Vladimir Akopian Wins U.S. Senior Championship
In the U.S. Senior division GM Vladimir Akopian was crowned
champion, winning an impressive $20,000 and his first U.S. national
title, among a field of legendary players and hall of famers.
GM Jesse Kraai of Baltimore, MD, took second place, earning a
check for $13,000, while GMs Larry Christiansen of Cambridge, Mass.
and Joel Benjamin of Waldwick, N.J., tied for third, each earning
$9,000.
U.S. SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
RESULTS
PLACE
PLAYER
LOCATION
PRIZE MONEY
1
GM Vladimir Akopian
Glendale, Calif.
$20,000
2
GM Jesse Kraai
Baltimore, Md.
$13,000
T-3
GM Larry Christiansen
Cambridge, Mass.
$9,000
T-3
GM Joel Benjamin
Waldwick, N.J.
$9,000
5
GM Julio Becerra
Miami, Fla.
$5,000
T-6
GM Gregory Kaidanov
Lexington, Ky.
$4,500
T-6
GM Melikset Khachiyan
Glendale, Calif.
$4,500
T-8
GM Igor Novikov
Lexington, Ky.
$3,500
T-8
GM Alexander Shabalov
Pittsburgh, Pa.
$3,500
10
IM Douglas Root
Denton, Texas
$3,000
If you missed the games live, you can rewatch the action by
visiting the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv
channels, and for additional information on the events, visit
uschesschamps.com.
Next up will be the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, taking place
August 12-16 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Tune in for live coverage on
GrandChessTour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube and
Twitch channels.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3)
organization that is committed to making chess an important part of
our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community
to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess
improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the
Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess
programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the
development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more
information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240729448615/en/
Rebecca Buffington Marketing & Event Manager (314) 277-3930
rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org