2017 Saint Louis Invitational

Justin started to play chess when he was seven years old. He achieved the National Master title in 2015.

Carissa Yip has been on a record-shattering pace ever since she started her first rated tournament at age 7.  At age 9, she became the youngest female ever to reach the title of Expert. At age 11, she broke the record for youngest female ever to achieve the title of National Master.  Recently this year, she broke another record as the only female ever who became the US Cadet co-champion. Carissa also broke an esteemed record by defeating Grandmaster Alex Ivanov in a classical game at age 10. Research suggests she was the youngest female in the world ever to do so.

Raven Sturt grew up in New York City. Playing in tournaments since he was 8 years old, he made National Master at the age of 15 and the titles of FIDE Master and Senior Master at 17. He is the 2010 National 12th Grade Champion and a member of the 2011 All-American team. He graduated from McGill University with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. After graduating he continued to play chess, making International Master in 2017.

Atulya Shetty is a student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he is pursuing a dual degree in computer science and business. He was introduced to chess at age four by two teachers at his daycare center. He won the First Grade Section at the National K-12 Grade Championships at age six.  Later, he won the Denker in 2012, and the K-12 Section at the Super Nationals V in 2013 . This achievement landed him on the cover of the June 2013 issue of Chess Life. He has represented the U.S. in several World Youth Championships. He is currently, and has been for several years, the highest rated player in the State of Michigan.

Julio Catalino Sadorra is originally from Cavite, Philippines where he is currently the #1 ranked player of the country. He relocated to Dallas, Texas after receiving a chess scholarship to attend The University of Texas at Dallas where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2013. During his university studies, he achieved the title of Grandmaster, and helped the UT Dallas chess team win numerous collegiate championships including the prestigious Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships (2010, 2011 & 2012). Currently, he plays individual and team events, and especially enjoys competing with his countrymen in World Chess Olympiads (2014, 2016), Asian Continental Championships (2013, 2017) and in the recently concluded Asian Indoor & Mixed Martial Arts Games. He resides in Dallas with his wife, Katie Ener, and their fuzzy puppy, Izzy.

IM John Bartholomew is a professional chess coach from Eagan, MN. He is a former National Junior High (2001) and National High School (2002) champion and played for several championship teams at the University of Texas at Dallas. John works with students around the world, runs a popular YouTube channel, and co-founded the chess learning platform Chessable.com in 2015. His goal is to become a Grandmaster and continue sharing his passion for the game.

Ioan-Cristian Chirila was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1991. He was introduced to chess at the age of five by his father, and by the age of 13, took 9th place at the 2004 Romanian Men’s Chess Championship. Cristian dominated the Romanian Junior competitions, won the prestigious World Youth Championship U16 in 2007, as well as tied for first place in the 2008 edition. In 2010 he started his higher education pursuing a Political Science diploma at the University of Texas at Dallas. After graduating in 2014, he has won multiple open tournaments in the US, his last success came late last year when he won the U2550 section of the Millionaire Open. He is currently the Head Coach and resident GM at Bay Area Chess, and has made his way into the Grandmaster in Residence rotation at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) since its opening in 2008. He has also appeared at CCSCSL to add to the live broadcast coverage of the 2017 U.S. Chess Championships as well as other tournaments in the past.

Steven Zierk is an American chess International Master. He is best known for being the 2010 World Under 18 Chess Champion with a 9.5/11. Steven attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Ashwin Jayaram is a Grandmaster from Bangalore, India and currently lives in St. Louis. He was a member of of the Webster University Chess Team, winner of numerous Pan American Championships and Final Four championships. He has won many Asian Junior championships and has tournament experience in 25 countries. He currently works as an Analyst for the Centene Corporation.

Daniel Gurevich started playing chess at age 5 and won his first national title at age 6. He also won SuperNationals twice, earning a full scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas by winning the K-6 section in 5th grade. In 2015, Daniel won the Georgia State Championship and became an International Master. The next year he shared first place at the 2016 International Barbera Open with 7/9 and earned a GM norm a month later with an undefeated score at the Olomouc GM Invitational. Daniel is currently a Presidential Gold Scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology, triple majoring in Physics, Math, and Industrial Engineering.