Saint Louis Chess Club to host prestigious tournaments featuring top American chess talents across generations
SAINT LOUIS, July 3, 2024 - Top American junior and senior chess players will return to America’s Chess Capital in Saint Louis to compete in the 2024 U.S. Senior, Junior and Junior Girls’ Championships. Hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club at the World Chess Hall of Fame from July 16-26, the top 10 players across three divisions - juniors, junior girls, and seniors, will compete for more than $135,000 in prizes - the largest purse of all time for these events.
"We are excited to once again kick off this summer’s national championships by bringing together the top chess players from across the United States," said Tony Rich, Technical Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. "The U.S. Junior, U.S. Junior Girls’ and U.S. Senior Championships are one of our favorite trio of events we host because you can see a spectacular demonstration of chess from both proven legends of the sport and tomorrow’s superstars."
The three 10-player fields will tie together chess past and future for a celebration of the best of chess.
U.S. Junior Championship
The U.S. Junior Championship will feature a field of new and returning prodigies. Headlining players include 2022 U.S. Junior Champion Grandmaster (GM) Christopher Yoo, as well as teenage GMs Andrew Hong and Arthur Guo, and International Master (IM) Andy Woodward who at just 14 years of age has completed the requirements to become a GM and should have that title confirmed soon.
With five of the players currently ranked within the top 50 juniors in the world, this year's U.S. Junior Championship will feature some of the most talented and brightest young minds in the game.
Along with winning the title, players will be competing to win a piece of the more than $40,000 prize fund and the coveted invitation to the U.S. Championship later this year.
| Name | Qualification Method | Invitational Rating | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Christopher Yoo (17 yo) | Rating | 2679 | Dublin, CA |
| GM Andrew Hong (19 yo) | Rating | 2642 | Saratoga, CA |
| GM Arthur Guo (17 yo) | 2023 Denker Champion | 2611 | Alpharetta, GA |
| IM Justin Wang (18 yo) | Rating | 2602 | Katy, TX |
| IM Andy Woodward (14 yo) | Rating | 2600 | McKinney, TX |
| GM Balaji Daggupati (18 yo) | Rating | 2576 | San Ramon, CA |
| IM Jason Wang (17 yo) | Rating | 2570 | Mason, OH |
| IM Jason Liang (16 yo) | Rating | 2563 | Potsdam, NY |
| IM Brewington Hardaway (14 yo) | Wildcard | 2524 | Bronx, NY |
| NM Nicholas Ladan (19 yo) | U.S. Junior Open Champion | 2327 | Chicago, IL |
U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship
The future of women’s chess in America is bright and will be on full display during the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship.
This tournament features one of America’s most promising rising stars International Master (IM) Alice Lee, who is the youngest female player in American history to earn the title of IM and the returning U.S. Junior Girls’ Champion. Lee is expected to face tough competition in returning FIDE Masters (FMs) Zoey Tang and Rose Atwell, both ranked within the top 30 girls in the world, as well as young rising star, Woman's FIDE Master (WFM) Megan Paragua, who at 11 years old is the youngest player in this year's events.
Along with winning the title, players will be up for the chance to win a piece of the more than $20,000 prize fund and an invitation to the U.S. Women’s Championship to be held later this year.
| Name | Qualification Method | Invitational Rating | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| IM Alice Lee (14 yo) | 2023 U.S. Junior Girls’ Champion | 2435 | North Oaks, MN |
| FM Zoey Tang (15 yo) | Rating | 2358 | Portland, OR |
| WIM Iris Mou (14 yo) | Rating | 2314 | New York, NY |
| FM Rose Atwell (14 yo) | Rating | 2282 | Valencia, CA |
| WFM Rachael Li (13 yo) | Rating | 2288 | Plano, TX |
| NM Jasmine Su (13 yo) | Rating | 2241 | Darian, CT |
| WFM Yassamin Ehsani (19 yo) | Rating | 2227 | New York, NY |
| WFM Megan Paragua (11 yo) | Rating | 2203 | Elmhurst, NY |
| WIM Omya Vidyarthi (13 yo) | Rating | 2183 | Campbell, CA |
| WFM Chloe Gaw (14 yo) | Wildcard | 2159 | New York, NY |
U.S. Senior Championship
Created by the Saint Louis Chess Club six years ago, the U.S. Senior Championship will again be held alongside the country’s junior national chess championships, where they will compete for a $75,000 prize fund. The 2024 field boasts legendary chess players, including every winner of the tournament since its inception including GM Melik Khachiyan (2023), GM Alex Shabalov (2019, 2022), GM Gregory Kaidanov (2021) and GM Joel Benjamin (2020).
| Name | Qualification Method | Invitational Rating | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Vladimir Akopian | Rating | 2628 | Glendale, CA |
| GM Gregory Kaidanov | Rating | 2592 | Lexington, KY |
| GM Larry Christiansen | Rating | 2585 | Cambridge, MA |
| GM Melik Khachiyan | 2023 U.S. Senior Champion | 2479 | Glendale, CA |
| GM Jesse Kraai | U.S. Senior Open Champion | 2419 | Berkeley, CA |
| GM Joel Benjamin | Rating | 2536 | Waldwick, NJ |
| GM Igor Novikov | Rating | 2531 | Lexington, KY |
| GM Alex Shabalov | Rating | 2502 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| IM Douglas Root | Rating | 2487 | Denton, TX |
| GM Julio Becerra | Wildcard | 2462 | Miami, FL |
The expert commentary team of GM’s Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila and IM Nazi Paikidze will call the action live and provide game analysis daily online starting at 1:20 p.m. CT on www.uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
For spectators in Saint Louis, follow the tournaments round by round with our Grandmaster in Residence Benjamin Bok as he analyzes the games of this exciting round robin format from 4pm to 6pm daily. Live commentary is open to all members and guests and includes complimentary snacks and beverages.
In addition, the tournament games on July 20 will be counted as part of a global Guiness World Record Attempt by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for the most chess games played in a 24-hour period. The world record attempt is being held in celebration of International Chess Day and FIDE’s 100th anniversary. For more information, visit 100.fide.com/gwr.
