Alice Lee

16-year-old Alice Lee, who lives just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of the great young talents of American chess. The 23rd rated woman in the world and the third rated female under 21, Alice, along with teammates Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Carissa Yip, Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih, helped the U.S. women win bronze in the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. This was only the third time American women have won a team medal (2004 and 2008 were the others). To make it even more of a success, Alice and Carissa both won individual board medals.

As it was for Carissa Yip, the 2024 Olympiad was a catalyst for Alice Lee, who broke through a plateau that had lasted for several years. She had an outstanding performance at the 2025 Cairns Cup where she nearly made a Grandmaster norm in finishing second. This year she was again second in the same event, but made her first Grandmaster norm.

Alice Lee has won the women’s section of the American Cup three years in a row and earlier this year scored fifty percent in the U.S. Junior Championship, competing with nine male players including 2600 rated Grandmasters Abhi Mishra and Andy Woodward.