2024 U.S. Junior, Girls' Junior, and Senior Championship Preview

This year’s U.S. Junior Championship, Girls’ Junior Championship, and Senior Championship all kick off Tuesday, July 16, at the Saint Louis Chess Club (SLCC). Stay tuned to Chess Life Online for round-by-round coverage, featuring annotated games and highlights, of each round. Read on below to see what to expect from this year’s tournaments.

courtesy SLCC / Austin Fuller

There will be a new U.S. Junior Champion by the end of July, with last year’s winner GM Abhimanyu Mishra opting not to defend his title. Of this year’s competitors, only GM Christopher Yoo has previously won the tournament (back in 2022), with several runners-up also joining this veteran group of juniors.

Indeed, eight of this year’s competitors are at least 16 years of age, and six of those eight have played in at least one previous U.S. Junior Championship. In descending order of rating, GM Andrew Hong (19) looks to improve on consecutive second-place finishes and reigning Denker champion GM Arthur Guo also looks to improve on his share of second from last year.

IM Justin Wang is tied with Yoo and Hong for most previous appearances in this tournament, but has never finished above a tie for sixth place. Rounding out the top half is IM (and GM-Elect) Andy Woodward, one of the two 14-year-olds making his debut this year.

GM Balaji Daggupati may be seeded sixth by rating, but also earned a share of second last year (and a share of fourth in 2022). Qualifying for the first time, on rating, is IM Jason Wang (17), and Jason Liang (16) returns after last year’s debut.

The final two players are the other 14-year-old – IM Brewington Hardaway – and the 2023 U.S. Junior Open champion, Nicholas Ladan.

U.S. Girls' Junior champ Alice Lee is interviewed by WGM Begim Tokhirjonova after her victory (courtesy Crystal Fuller/SLCC)

The big question for the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship is whether anybody can catch last year’s champ, IM Alice Lee. The 14-year-old is certainly a veteran of this event, oxymoronic as it may sound: this is her fifth consecutive appearance in the invitational. Indeed, only two players are older than her in this year’s youthful field, as well!

Following the top seed (by rating), is 15-year-old FM Zoey Tang. Tang is appearing in this tournament for the third straight year, and is looking to improve on her share of third place in 2023 and strong showing in the U.S. Cadet Championship earlier this summer.

14-year-olds WIM Iris Mou and FM Rose Atwell follow Tang on the ratings list, and are the only other two returning competitors in this year’s field. Mou finished in clear fifth place, while Atwell finished tenth and will occupy a much different role as one of the older and higher-rated girls in this year’s field.

The six newcomers are: Jasmine Su, WFM Yassamin Ehsani, WFM Megan Paragua, WIM Omya Vidyarthi, and wildcard WFM Chloe Gaw. At 19 years old, Ehsani is the oldest competitor in the field by four years! Paragua, in contrast, is the only pre-teen in attendance, clocking in at the age of 11.

The last man anybody wants to see across from the board right now: Melikset Khachiyan (courtesy Lennart Ootes/SLCC)

The roster for the U.S. Senior Championship shares more than a bit of overlap with the official delegation for the 2024 FIDE World Senior Team Championship. Four of this year’s gold medalists are picking up in St. Louis less than a week after their tournament in Krakow concluded.

Among them is the defending U.S. Senior Champion — GM Melikset Khachiyan — alongside GMs Igor Novikov and Alexander Shabalov. Also in this year’s field is GM Gregory Kaidanov, who was a part of the 2023 FIDE World Senior Team gold medalist squad, as well as GM Vladimir Akopian, who was planning to travel to Krakow before last-minute logistical issues.

Other familiar names include the return of GM Larry Christiansen, who sat out in 2023, but returns for his fifth championship. If that sounds like a lot, it turns out that GM Joel Benjamin is one of four participants playing in his sixth championship. Considering this event is only in its sixth iteration, that’s quite an accomplishment for Benjamin (and Kaidanov, Novikov, and Shabalov).

The three remaining players are the relative newcomers, with only IM Douglas Root (2023) previously appearing in this event. The two debutants are GM Jesse Kraai (the 2023 U.S. Senior Open Champion) and wildcard GM Julio Becerra.

Quick Links:

Follow our coverage of the 2024 National Championships
Official Website
Replay all games on Chess.com: Senior / Girls' Junior / Junior
Follow live commentary with GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Christian Chirila, and IM Nazi Paikidze on Twitch or YouTube