U.S. Junior Championship | The Field
Christopher Yoo is a grandmaster representing Northern California. He is currently ranked #3 among U.S. players under 21 and is the highest-rated 17-year-old in the country. As a junior, Christopher broke a number of age-related records, including becoming the youngest National Master (9 years, 11 months) in USChess history. Yoo’s tournament achievements include winning the 2022 U.S. Junior Championship, as well as the 2022 U.S. Masters. As of July 2024, Christopher was ranked #17 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Balaji Daggupati is a grandmaster representing Northern California. He is currently ranked #10 among U.S. players under 21 and is the third highest-rated 19-year-old in the country. Daggupati’s tournament achievements include winning the 2019 US Class Championship and tying for 3rd place in the 2022 U.S. Junior Championship. As of July 2024, Balaji was ranked #66 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Jason Liang is an international master representing New York. He is currently ranked #18 among U.S. players under 21 and is the third highest-rated 17-year-old in the country. Liang’s tournament achievements include winning clear first in the 2022 Maplewood GM Norm Invitational and tying for first in the 2022 Washington International. Jason was also the winner of the 2022 US Chess Grand Prix.
Andrew Hong is a grandmaster representing Northern California. He is currently ranked #5 among U.S. players under 21 and is the highest-rated 19-year-old in the country. Hong earned the grandmaster title in 2021, after earning his GM norms in the 2021 National Open, the 2021 World Open, and the 2021 Labor Day Charlotte Chess Center GM Invitational. Hong’s other tournament achievements include tying for first place in the 2021 Philadelphia International and then sharing third in the 2021 World Open. As of July 2024, Andrew was ranked #24 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Justin Wang is an international master representing Texas. He is currently ranked #7 among U.S. players under 21 and is the second highest-rated 19-year-old in the country. Wang’s tournament achievements include winning the Saint Louis IM Norm Invitational on two separate occasions, as well as winning the 2019 U.S. Cadet Championship. As of July 2024, Justin was ranked #40 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Arthur Guo is a grandmaster representing Georgia. He is currently ranked #6 among U.S. players under 21 and is the highest-rated 18-year-old in the country. Guo’s tournament achievements include winning the 2022 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, as well as earning his final GM norm in the June 2023 First Saturday Tournament. As of July 2024, Arthur was ranked #32 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Nicholas Ladan is a National Master originally from Illinois. He qualified to the 2024 U.S. Junior Championship by winning the 2023 U.S. Junior Open. He is also a two-time Illinois High School State Champion, and is currently ranked #94 among U.S. players under 21. Nicholas currently attends and plays for Saint Louis University, where he is pursuing a major in neuroscience.
Jason Wang is an international master representing Ohio. He is currently ranked #11 among U.S. players under 21 and is the second highest rated 17-year-old in the country. Jason’s biggest tournament achievements includes winning the 2022 North American Open, where he fell just shy of a GM norm, as well as tying for first at the 2023 Washington International. Jason also won the National High School Championship in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024.
Andy Woodward is one of America’s most recent grandmasters, currently representing Texas. He is ranked #8 among U.S. players under 21 and is the highest rated 14-year-old in the country. Andy earned the IM title at the age of 12, and recently achieved the GM title at the age of 13 years, 8 months, becoming the second youngest U.S. grandmaster in history. Woodward is also the winner of several strong tournaments, including the 2023 Spice Cup, 2024 Summer Chess Classic (Group B), and the 2024 Philadelphia International. As of July 2024, Woodward was ranked #35 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
Brewington Hardaway is an international master representing New York. He is a 3-time National Scholastic Champion, currently ranked #12 among U.S. players under 21 and is the third highest rated 15-year-old in the country. His tournament achievements include winning the 2022 Barber Invitational, as well as recently scoring his first two GM Norms at the 2023 U.S Masters and at the 2024 1000GM NYC GM Invitational. As of July 2024, Brewington was ranked #94 on the FIDE Top 100 Juniors list.
