SAINT LOUIS (October 25, 2024) Grandmaster (GM) Fabiano Caruana and International Master (IM) Carissa Yip took top honors out of a field of elite American chess players in the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship and 2024 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, respectively.
Organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club and hosted at the World Chess Hall of Fame October 11-23, the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship events featured 24 of the top chess players who competed for a purse of more than $400,000 in America’s chess capital.
“This year’s U.S. Championships showcased some of the finest displays of strategy we’ve seen, with incredible matches between the best chess players from across the country,” Tony Rich, Technical Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “Watching champions like Fabiano and Carissa perform well is always inspiring.”
U.S. Chess Championship Final Results
In impressive fashion, GM Fabiano Caruana claimed the 2024 U.S. Chess Championship title and a $62,000 prize, marking his fourth national title. There was a six-way tie for second between GMs Ray Robson, Awonder Liang, Leinier Dominguez, Sam Sevian, Levon Aronian and Hans Niemann. Each player won $24,667.
“This is one of my favorite tournaments to play,” said Caruana. “No way I’ll ever reach Fischer’s record, but five is realistic. I’ll try for that goal next year but there is a lot that comes before that.”
2024 U.S. Chess Championship Final Results
| Position | Player | Prize | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | GM Fabiano Caruana | $62,000 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 2nd-7th | GM Ray Robson | $24,667 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 2nd-7th | GM Awonder Liang | $24,667 | Madison, WI |
| 2nd-7th | GM Leinier Dominguez | $24,667 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 2nd-7th | GM Sam Sevian | $24,667 | Holden, MA |
| 2nd-7th | GM Levon Aronian | $24,667 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 2nd-7th | GM Hans Niemann | $24,667 | Weston, CT |
| 8th | GM Wesley So | $10,000 | Excelsior, MN |
| 9th | GM Sam Shankland | $9,000 | Orinda, CA |
| 10th | GM Grigoriy Oparin | $8,000 | Columbia, MO |
| 11th | GM Abhimanyu Mishra | $7,000 | Englishtown, NJ |
U.S. Women’s Chess Championship Final Results
In the Women’s division, 21-year old IM Carissa Yip dominated the field, scoring eight straight victories and securing her third U.S. Women’s Championship title with a round to spare. IM Begim Tokhirjonova finished in second place, earning $30,000.
“I am happy with the tournament,” said Yip. “It was a solid end to the tournament, and a friend (Alice Lee) and I are getting ice cream, so what can be wrong with the world?”
2024 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship Final Results
| Position | Player | Prize Money | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | IM Carissa Yip | $40,000 | Andover, MN |
| 2nd | IM Begim Tokhirjonova | $30,000 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 3rd | IM Alice Lee | $20,000 | North Oaks, MN |
| 4th | FM Megan Lee | $13,000 | Bellevue, WA |
| 5th-7th | GM Irina Krush | $8,000 | Brooklyn, NY |
| 5th-7th | WGM Jennifer Yu | $8,000 | Ashburn, VA |
| 5th-7th | WGM Thalia Cervantes | $8,000 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 8th-9th | IM Anna Zatonskih | $5,750 | Bochum, Germany |
| 8th-9th | WGM Tatev Abrahamyan | $5,750 | Saint Louis, MO |
| 10th | WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan | $5,000 | Sunrise, FL |
| 11th-12th | IM Nazi Paikidze | $4,250 | Las Vegas, NV |
| 11th-12th | FM Rose Atwell | $4,250 | Valencia, CA |
In addition, the top five finishers in the open division and the top two finishers in the women’s field have all qualified for the FIDE World Cup 2025.
Recaps and full tournament coverage of the 2024 U.S. Championships are available at uschesschamps.com or on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube channel.
2024 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX
Next up, the 2024 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX returns October 27-30, featuring top players from the United States and legendary former World Champion Garry Kasparov, competing for a $150,000 prize fund. The field will include GMs Garry Kasparov, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Leinier Dominguez, Hikaru Nakamura, Grigoriy Oparin, Ray Robson, Sam Sevian, Sam Shankland, and Wesley So.
The event will kick off with Ultimate Moves, an exhibition featuring Saint Louis Chess Club co-founder Rex Sinquefield, Garry Kasparov, and other participants. Mr. Monopoly will join the event, celebrating the launch of Saint Louis Monopoly, which includes a World Chess Hall of Fame property square and can be purchased at qbouitquestl.com.
Tune in for live commentary from GMs Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley, and IM Nazi Paikidze on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Twitch and YouTube channels.