U.S. Junior Girls’ | The Field
Alice Lee is an International Master and reigning U.S. Girls Junior Champion, representing Minnesota. She is currently ranked #2 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 14. Lee is a three-time gold medalist at the World Youth Championships, winning the Girls’ U10 section in 2019 and then back-to-back titles in the 2020-2021 Girls’ U12. After earning her IM title last year, she became the youngest American woman ever to do so. Recently, Alice won the 2024 American Cup, defeating GM Irina Krush in the final. As of July 2024, Alice was ranked #7 on the FIDE Top 100 Girls list.
Zoey Tang is a FIDE Master representing Oregon. She is currently ranked #4 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 16. Tang’s tournament achievements include winning the Girls U14 North American Youth Chess Championship, tying for second place in the 2019 SPF Girls Invitational, and tying for first in the 2021 National Women’s Open. As of July 2024, Zoey was ranked #27 on the FIDE Top 100 Girls list.
Iris Mou is a Women’s International Master representing New York. She is currently ranked #8 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #2 for age 15. Mou’s tournament achievements include winning the 2018 Girls U10 Pan-American Youth Championship as well as the 2022 KCF All-Girls National Chess Championship. As of July 2024, Iris was ranked #72 on the FIDE Top 100 Girls list.
Rose Atwell is a FIDE Master representing Southern California. She is currently ranked #6 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 15 overall. Atwell’s tournament achievements include beating her first GM at the Larry Evans Memorial in April 2023, as well as earning her FM title in January 2024. As of July 2024, Rose was ranked #22 on the FIDE Top 100 Girls list. This will be her second U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
Omya Vidyarthi is a Women’s International Master representing Northern California. She is currently ranked #15 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #3 for age 14. Omya is a four-time Pan-American Youth Champion, K-3 National Champion, and a previous Girls U10 World Youth Rapid Champion (2020). Vidyarthi also won the 2021 Girls U20 North American Youth Championship. This will be her first U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
Rachael Li is a Women’s Candidate Master representing Texas. She is currently ranked #9 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #2 for age 14. Rachael earned the National Master title at the age of 9, the youngest American woman to do so. She also achieved the Bronze medal in the 2019 World Cadet Chess Championship Girls U-10. Currently Li has two WIM norms, both earned in 2024. As of July 2024, Rachael was ranked #61 on the FIDE Top 100 Girls list. This will be her first U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
Jasmine Su is a National Master representing Connecticut. She is currently ranked #10 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 13. Jasmine’s tournament achievements include earning silver in the 2022 Pan-American Youth Championship Girls U12 and winning the 2022 All-Girls National Chess Championships U12. Su was also tied for 1st in the 2023 Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions. This will be her first U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
Yassamin Ehsani is a Women’s FIDE Master representing New York. She is currently ranked #12 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 19. She has played in four World Youth Chess Championships and earned the National Master title in Spring 2023, after crossing a rating of 2200 USCF. Yassamin attends the University of Chicago, where she is a member of the chess team and majoring in statistics. This will be her first U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
Chloe Gaw is a Women’s FIDE Master representing New York. She is currently ranked #22 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #4 for age 15. Chloe won gold in the 2023 Pan-American Youth Girls U14, where she also earned the WFM title. Chloe is also a two-time winner of the All-Girls Nationals U14 (2022 and 2023), and achieved her first WIM norm in February 2024. This will be her first U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
Megan Paragua is a Women’s FIDE Master representing New York. She is currently ranked #13 among U.S. Girls under 21 and #1 for age 11. Megan is a multiple-time national scholastic champion, as well as the 2023 Pan-American Youth Champion Girls U12. Recently, Megan won double-gold in the 2024 World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Championship for Girls U12, the first in history to do so. Megan also earned the National Master title in 2024 at the age of 11, becoming one of the youngest American women to do so. This will be her first U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
