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U.S. CHESS CHAMPS

HOME OF U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP CHESS & THE COUNTRY’S TOP PLAYERS

Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Legends and Rising Stars of American Chess 2022 U.S. Senior, Junior, and Girls’ Junior Championships return over-the-board from July 6 – July 16, 2022

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For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
Marketing & Event Manager
(314)277-3930
[email protected]

Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Legends and Rising Stars of American Chess

2022 U.S. Senior, Junior, and Girls’ Junior Championships return over-the-board from July 6 – July 16, 2022

SAINT LOUIS, JUNE 10, 2022 – This summer, the Saint Louis Chess Club will host three national championship events showcasing the best American senior, junior and girl chess players. From July 6 – 16, 2022, Saint Louis, America’s Chess Capital, will host the top 10 juniors, girls, and seniors in the invitational 2022 U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior, and U.S. Senior Chess Championships. The tournaments feature more than $130,000 in prizes.

“We are excited to once again kick off this summer’s national championships by bringing together the top chess players from across the United States,” said Executive Director Tony Rich. “Over the past 13 years, we’ve been proud to host the future of chess annually with the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships and for the fourth consecutive year we will feature the legends of chess with the U.S. Senior Championship.”

The three 10-player fields will tie together chess past and future for a celebration of the best of chess.

U.S. Junior Championship

The U.S. Junior Championship will feature a field of new and returning young prodigies. 2021 U.S. Junior Champion GM Hans Niemann will not be returning to reclaim his title. Headlining players include two-time U.S. Junior Champion GM Awonder Liang, GM Brandon Jacobson, GM Christopher Yoo and GM Abhimanyu Mishra, whose talent and determination put them among the brightest young minds in the game. Additionally, the wildcard player will be three-time U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion, IM Carissa Yip. Along with winning the title, players will be competing to win a piece of the more than $20,000 prize fund and an invitation to the U.S. Championship later this year. The winner of the U.S. Junior Championship will be awarded a $6,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber.

U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship

The future of women’s chess in America is bright and will be on full display during the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. This tournament features a field of rising stars, while 2021 US Girls’ Junior Champion IM Annie Wang will not return to reclaim her title. Headlining players returning to compete again this year include WGM Jennifer Yu, WGM Thalia Cervantes, and WIM Alice Lee, each considered to be among the top U.S. girls and women chess players. Along with winning the title, players will be up for the chance to win a piece of the more than $10,000 prize fund and an invitation to the U.S. Women’s Championship later this year. Additionally, the winner of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will be awarded a $6,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber.

U.S. Senior Championship

For the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. Senior Championship will be held alongside the country’s other national chess championships. The 2022 field boasts legendary chess players, including six U.S. Chess Hall of Fame inductees: Grandmasters Gregory Kaidanov, the 2021 U.S. Senior Champion, Joel Benjamin, the 2020 U.S. Senior Champion, Alex Shabalov, the 2019 U.S. Senior Champion, Larry Christiansen, Igor Novikov, and wildcard Nick Di Firmian.

The expert commentary team of GM’s Yasser Seirawan, Alejandro Ramirez and Cristian Chirila will call the action live. The team will be providing game analysis daily from July 6 – July 16 online starting at 1:00 p.m. CT.

Fans can watch all the action live on www.uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.

2022 U.S. Junior Championship Field

Name

Qualification Method

Invitational Rating*

Hometown

GM Awonder Liang

2021 Denker Champion

2705

Madison, WI

GM Brandon Jacobson

Rating

2627

Westfield NJ

GM Christopher Yoo

Rating

2626

Dublin, CA

GM Andrew Hong

Rating

2610

Saratoga, CA

GM Abhimanyu Mishra

Rating

2607

Englishtown, NJ

IM David Brodsky

Rating

2584

Cortlandt Manor, NY

IM Justin Wang

Rating

2565

Katy, TX

NM Pedro Espinosa

2021 US Junior Open Champion

2222

New York, NY

IM Balaji Daggupati

Rating

2525

San Ramon, CA

IM Carissa Yip

Wildcard

2514

Andover, MA


2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship Field

Name

Invitational Rating*

Qualification

Hometown

WGM Jennifer Yu

Rating

2388

Ashburn, VA

WGM Thalia Cervantes

Rating

2355

Saint Louis, MO

WIM Alice Lee

Rating

2347

1North Oaks, MN

FM Ruiyang Yan

2021 Haring Champion

2344

Mountain View, CA

WIM Rochelle Wu

Rating

2319

Woodland, CA

WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki

Rating

2250

Waccabuc, NY

WFM Zoey Tang

Rating

2232

Portland, OR

WIM Ellen Wang

Rating

2213

Bronx, NY

WFM Gracy Prasanna

Rating

2210

Nazareth, PA

WFM Anne-Marie Velea

Wildcard

2201

Sammamish, WA


2022 U.S. Senior Championship Field

Name

Invitational Rating*

Qualification

Hometown

GM Gregory Kaidanov**

2021 US Senior Champion

2600

Lexington, KY

IM Igor Khmelnitsky

2021 Irwin Champion

2470

King of Prussia, PA

GM Dmitry Gurevich

2021 US Senior Open Champion

2417

Chicago, IL 60607

GM Vladimir Akopian

Rating

2672

Glendale, CA

GM Larry Christiansen**

Rating

2601

Cambridge, MA

GM Igor Novikov**

Rating

2587

Lexington, KY

GM Alex Shabalov**

Rating

2558

Pittsburgh, PA

GM Maxim Dlugy

Rating

2549

New York, NY

GM Joel Benjamin**

Rating

2534

Waldwick, NJ

GM Nick Di Firmian**

Wildcard

2506

Oakland, CA

* Invitational ratings are calculated and certified by US Chess.

** Denotes U.S. Chess Hall of Fame members playing in the 2022 U.S. Senior Championship at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

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