Saint Louis to Host Exciting Double-Elimination Tournament, Offering $400,000 in Prizes to Elite Competitors; Champions Showdown Serves as Event Prequel
SAINT LOUIS, March 3, 2025 – The 2025 American Cup hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club, set to take place at World Chess Hall of Fame March 15-24, promises to be a defining event in the world of chess. As one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States, the American Cup brings together the top players from across the nation.
This year’s American Cup will feature elite grandmasters and rising chess stars, competing in a high-stakes double-elimination format that tests both classical and rapid chess skills. The field includes world No. 2 GM Fabiano Caruana and world No. 3 GM Hikaru Nakamura, along with standout competitors like IM Carissa Yip, who is relocating to Saint Louis to focus on her game, 15-year-old rising star IM Alice Lee, and GM Irina Krush, an eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion and two-time American Cup winner.
Yip’s plans to move to Saint Louis were inspired by the Cairns Chess Queens Award and the Saint Louis Chess Club’s commitment to supporting female chess players. She will become the highest-rated female chess player to call the US Chess Capital home. Yip shared: “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work more closely with the Saint Louis Chess Club, particularly in their support of women and girls in chess. I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this possible, and I’m excited to pursue chess at the highest level in Saint Louis.”
With $400,000 in prize money on the line, players will battle under intense pressure, ensuring thrilling matchups and high-stakes drama that will keep chess fans worldwide on the edge of their seats.
“We’re excited to once again host the American Cup and bring together the nation’s finest chess players,” said Tony Rich, Technical Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “This year’s competition promises to be even more exciting, with an exceptional mix of seasoned grandmasters and rising stars. We’re looking forward to an action-packed tournament that will keep fans on the edge of their seats until the final move.”
2025 Open & Women’s Division Fields
OPEN FIELD
| Title | Name | Location | Current FIDE Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM | Fabiano Caruana | Saint Louis, MO | 2803 |
| GM | Hikaru Nakamura | Sunrise, FL | 2802 |
| GM | Wesley So | Excelsior, MN | 2747 |
| GM | Levon Aronian | Saint Louis, MO | 2745 |
| GM | Leinier Dominguez | Saint Louis, MO | 2741 |
| GM | Sam Sevian | Holden, MA | 2692 |
| GM | Ray Robson | Saint Louis, MO | 2689 |
| GM | Abhimanyu Mishra | Englishtown, NJ | 2600 |
WOMEN’S FIELD
| Title | Name | Location | Current FIDE Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| IM | Carissa Yip | Saint Louis, MO | 2416 |
| IM | Alice Lee | North Oaks, MN | 2386 |
| GM | Irina Krush | Brooklyn, NY | 2378 |
| FM/WGM | Thalia Cervantes | Saint Louis, MO | 2318 |
| WGM | Tatev Abrahamyan | Saint Louis, MO | 2310 |
| IM | Anna Zatonskih | Bochum, Germany | 2302 |
| WGM | Atousa Pourkashiyan | Sunrise, FL | 2297 |
| IM | Nazi Paikidze | Las Vegas, NV | 2294 |
The rounds will be streamed daily on uschesschamps.com with expert commentary featuring Grandmasters Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila, along with Woman Grandmaster Katerina Nemcova.
The Kings Come to Town for 2025 Champions Showdown
In advance of the American Cup, the Saint Louis Chess Club will again also host the 2025 Champions Showdown: The Kings.
Taking place from March 4–6, The Kings is an exhibition event unveiling a dynamic new format, featuring six of the nation’s top chess players in a daily triathlon of blitz, rapid, and semi-classical matches.
Competing for a prize pool of $250,000, the payouts take an interesting approach – awarding $4,500 per blitz game, $9,000 per rapid game and $14,000 per semi-classical game. In addition, a $2,500 prize will be awarded to the most outstanding game, as decided by an appointed committee.
Featured players include GMs Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Leinier Dominguez, Hikaru Nakamura, Ray Robson, and Wesley So.
