Annie Wang started playing chess when she was five, after being introduced to the game at a simultaneous exhibition in a nearby park. She is the reigning world champion for girls under 16, having won the GU-16 section of the 2017 World Youth Chess Championships with a score of 10.5/11. Her other accomplishments include placing second, after an exciting playoff against IM Nazi Paikize, at the 2018 U.S. Women's Championship and earning a bronze medal at the 2016 World Youth Chess Championships. In 2014, at the age of 11, Annie broke Irina Krush's record for the youngest female national master in the US; later that same year, she won the North American Youth Chess Championships for girls under 18, despite being only 12 at the time. Throughout the last few years, Annie has been promoting chess by running a free chess program for kids at a local library and volunteering in numerous chess-related activities. Today, Annie lives in Los Angeles, California, where she attends high school. Outside of chess, she plays the piano and enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her friends.
Advait learned how to play chess when he was seven years old in India. He played his first tournament at eight and began to compete frequently after that. Advait won several scholastic tournaments including state championships, nationals, and eventually the Barber. He now lives in Oklahoma and will be a high school senior next semester.
Akshat started playing chess at the age of around 9 1/2 years. He has recorded one of the fastest rises in the history of world chess when his chess rating climbed steeply from 1548 to a GM rating of 2500 in under 5 ½ years. Notable achievements for Akshat include winning the 2015 U.S. Junior Chess Championship in his first appearance and taking first in both the 2015 National High School Chess Championship as well as the National High School Blitz Championship. Since 2014, at age 14, Akshat has been the #1 ranked Junior Rapid Chess player in the country.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin on April 9, 2003, Awonder Liang is the reigning U.S. Junior Chess Champion and hopes to defend his title again this year. He is currently the number one chess player in the world for age by FIDE rating. Awonder is also a two time world youth chess champion for the open section, as well as creator and keeper of many youth chess records.
