Rachel Li

16-year-old Rachael Li of Plano, Texas, got off to an early start, learning to play chess when she was only four years old. Five years later, in 2019, she became the youngest American female to attain the title of Master (2200 rating), a record that still stands. 

Rachael likes to move the pieces as evidenced by the over 300 tournaments she has played in her career despite taking a break from the game for three years between the summers of 2020 and 2023. Since then, she has shown steady improvement and her rating on the June 2026 FIDE rating list is 2406. Among her recent achievements is eliminating eight-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Irina Krush in the women’s section of the 2026 American Cup.

Rachael’s brother is Grandmaster Ruifeng Li.